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Football Ferns captain Rebecca Smith chats about the Ferns flash Australian digs and the first test against the Maltildas

After two weeks of awesome training in Auckland, the Football Ferns hopped on the plane and headed across the Tasman Sea and landed in Sydney three days ago to sunshine and warm weather. We jumped on the bus and arrived a few hours later at Star of the Sea Luxury Apartments in Terrigal, north of Sydney and almost had heart attacks when nine of us walked into our PENTHOUSE SUITE! It was, by far, the nicest accommodations the Football Ferns have ever stayed at, so we had to do an MTV Cribs to share it! We trained the first day and everyone was in a good mood and the ball was zipping all over the field. At one water break though the Lorikeets (Australian parrot) came swooping in overhead screaming at us, and I’m not going to lie, it made me a little anxious, which of course, my teammates thought was hilarious. Because of the two hour time difference (Australia is two behind) that evening everyone was struggling to keep their eyes open in the meetings and for dinner.

The next morning I woke up refreshed and walked into the phsyio/breakfast/lunch room where Julie Hogg, probably the best team manager in the world, had set out a huge breakfast with everything to choose from like different cereals, yoghurt, oatmeal, eggs, toast, all different spreads, beans and spaghetti (it’s a kiwi thing!)! We spent the morning and early afternoon getting to know Ceri, our new addition to the crew, our sports psychologist then had our first training at the Blue Tongue Stadium, where Central Coast in the W-League plays. The pitch was perfect and there were a few nerves going into the first game, but in general, the team was in a good mood and ready for fight.

The Football Ferns versus the Aussies. Yet again. And although we put up a good fight, and had some good passages of play throughout the 90 minutes, we were bettered by the Aussies who were physically stronger and had precise passing and shooting on the day to leave us empty-handed with 3-0 on our bus ride home.

But that was only a starting point for the Football Ferns over these past two days to figure out what we needed to improve and where we were going to make changes for the next game against the Aussies on Sunday. It’s been a fantastic last couple of days with the Ferns. We have had some great meetings with video analysis and sessions with Ceri, who has simplified our game down to get everyone on the same page, and I can’t remember a time when I’ve played for any team that has felt so connected. The next step for us is to just bring that out on to the field, and I’ve never been so excited to play against Australia tomorrow, for a TV game that is prime for the taking!

Oh, and waking up every day to the beach with a perfect right tube where we can watch the surfers from our balcony (complete with a spa, zen garden, couch, and breakfast table) doesn’t hurt the mood of the whole team either! Now we are sitting on the big comfy couch with some teammates watching a movie after a good solid day of working with video analysis, group meetings, Ceri meetings, training, pool recoveries, good food, sunshine and lots of laughs. Excited for tomorrow!