Joey Lynch has wrapped everything up into a neat little package with a particular focus on the end of an era for the Matildas. Thanks for following along, but I will leave you now with Joey’s report: Matildas interim coach Tom Sermanni is next on the mic, talking up the performances of his young charges in what may or may not have been the last game of this third stint at the helm. I was just really pleased with that application tonight, for the whole 90 minutes, everybody got involved and having six goalscorers is a fantastic thing for the team. I think the talent is there to win the Asian cup. What we need is to continue to build the depth and the strength in the sport and the competition within the sport, keep everybody healthy, hopefully, and then, we have certainly got enough quality in the team to actually win the tournament. Clare Polkinghorne signs off after 169 appearances with the Matildas. The retiring great is talking to Channel 10. I’m really proud of tonight’s performance especially a lot of young players coming in and making their first start, making their debut, first goal. So I think last two games in particular being really good for the next generation of players coming through, and for me to finish on a night where we scored six goals and got a clean sheet, I am really proud of everyone. It is a really nice way to finish off. I do still want to stay involved in the game and give back, so hopefully able get into coaching and start a different direction in terms of football. Tameka Yallop is named player of the match and was well worth the honour for her first half in particular. The veteran brushes off the praise towards retiring great Clare Polkinghorne. We paid some good football. Happy with the performance. It was important to get the first, then we were comfortable. I think all the younger players did well and we didn’t take a backward step, which is important. It is going to be strange coming to play without [Polkinghorne] but I think she has left an amazing legacy. Full-time: Australia 6-0 Taiwan The Matildas end their year on a high and send-off Clare Polkinghorne in styale as they ease past an largely outclassed Taiwan for a 6-0 victory at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong. The goals were shared around as veterans Emily Gielnik and Michelle Heyman joined the fun after missing out in the first clash between the teams on Wednesday, after Leah Davidson opened the scoring with her first international goal. Tameka Yallop and Sharn Freier added their names to the scoresheet to cap off a pair of fine performances, while defender Tash Prior scored her second in as many matches. Taiwan were rarely able to threaten in the same way as they did in the first meeting, following a raft of changes to their starting lineup, as the Matildas showed promising signs for the future amid the usual room for improvement. 93 mins: Emily van Egmond is the one Matildas veteran to play out the full 90 and, while he hasn’t had as much influence as some of her teammates, her defensive role in the midfield has allowed others to shine. 90 mins: A minimum of six minutes will be added. The sting has gone out of this contest as the clock ticks down, which is something of a surprise given the rare opportunity still in front of several of these Matildas. Nek minute… 89 mins: A heavy touch from Bryleeh Henry in the box allows Wang time to close her down. A collision leaves Taiwan keeper worse off as she earns a free kick. 85 mins: Taiwan bring on more fresh legs as they look to close down the remaining 10 minutes. The Matildas already have six goals for the third time this year, after 10 against Uzbekistan and overring Zambia in Paris, but no doubt they would love to top that with another. 81 mins: Bryleeh Henry is another youngster who has backed up her promising showing against Taiwan on Wednesday. Her cutback finds Siemsen in the box but Taiwan’s defensive wall are set up across their goalface. Goal! Australia 6-0 Taiwan (Freier "78) Sharn Freier gets a goal to cap off another impressive display. The winger darts in behind the Taiwan defence following a fine first touch and finishes with power under the keeper and inside the near post. 75 mins: 30,097 fans have packed into GMHBA Stadium which, I have to say, is might impressive given the second-string lineup that was always likely to run out for the Matildas this evening. Goal! Australia 5-0 Taiwan (Prior "73) Tash Prior has her second goal from as many matches with a towering header. It comes from Emily van Egmond’s blazing, flat cross off a free kick that barely lifted above head-height on its way across half the width of the field. The defender knocks the ball back into the inside of the far post and the keeper had no hope. 71 mins: Taiwan call Chang Chi-Lan to the bench and Chen Jin-Wen sprints into action. 70 mins: The substitutes are almost lining up for game time and Tom Sermanni obliges. Karly Roestbakken and another debutant, Laura Hughes, get their chance as Tameka Yallop and Michelle Heyman head to the bench. 68 mins: Siemsen has been busy running off the shoulder of the Taiwan defence but this time tries to make the most of a cut back from Heatley into the box. The pass is a bit behind the attacker and her shot falls on the wrong side of the post. 65 mins: The Matildas make another substitution with Mackenzie Arnold coming off and debutant Chloe Lincoln earning cap 233. The 20-year-old is the first goalkeeping debutant since Tegan Micah in 2021. All the feels are of the good variety at the moment for the Matildas, but the lineup is now stacked with players out to stake a claim for further opportunities. 63 mins: Clare Polkinghorne leaves the field to a standing ovation in her 169th and final appearance with the Matildas. She’s all smiles as she waves to the crowd and embraces coach Tom Sermanni. Jessika Nash is the answer to the admittedly unlikely trivia question as Polkinghorne’s replacement. 59 mins: Heyman has her tail up now and needs little invitation to strike from distance. The power behind the shot might have trouble Wang but it floats overhead. The Taiwan keeper calls for attention and is growing the back of her thigh, which tends to mean only one thing. 56 mins: Yallop has come under more attention from Taiwan since half-time but that has allowed Freier to shine on the left. The young Roar midfielder has impressed in her recent opportunities with the Matildas and done enough to suggest she could become a more regular addition. Goal! Australia 4-0 Taiwan (Heyman "56) Remy Siemsen’s fast feet in the box dazzle the Taiwan defence as she rounds a pair of players then cuts back to find Michelle Heyman inside the six-yard box. The veteran poacher was never going to miss from there. 52 mins: Taiwan continue to give the ball away too easily even when staggering out of their back half under little pressure. Siemsen almost creates something out of nothing as she pounces on the keeper’s delay to clear a back pass but is marginally late. Chidiac isn’t the only player desperate to make an impression, it seems. 49 mins: Alex Chidiac tries one on for size with a powerful strike from outside the box. The shot drifts wide but that might be a little warning shot that the midfielder is out to make a statement over the next 45 minutes. 47 mins: Tash Prior off the crossbar! That was very nearly a second in as many games for the central defender, and it comes as the ball pinballs around the six-yard box following a corner. The Taiwan keeper Wang got a hand to the cross but it landed on Prior’s head and was almost the Matildas’ fourth goal. Australia swing a couple of changes – goalscorers Leah Davidson and Emily Gielnik both make way, as Alex Chidiac and Remy Siemsen join the fray. Taiwan kick off to get us going for the Matildas’ last 45 mins for the calendar year … We aren’t too far away from the start of the second half and Alex Chidiac is warming up with intent on the sidelines. Half-time: Australia 3-0 Taiwan A bright start for the Matildas who have put together an exciting and polished performance across the opening 45 minutes. Leah Davidson scored her first international goal as the more familiar Tameka Yallop and Emily Gielnik also added their names to the scoresheet. Yallop was the star of the show, combining particularly well with Sharn Freier down the left, as the Matildas largely outclassed their opponents. Unlike on Wednesday night, the Matildas were awake to any Taiwan attempts to rebound at speed as the visitors rarely crossed the halfway line and Mackenzie Arnold was all but untested. Taiwan might be rocked by youngster Lin Ya-Hsuan suffering what appeared to be a knee injury, but their distinctly different lineup to the first clash has plenty of work to do to prevent the current 3-0 score from blowing out into something far uglier. 47 mins: Yallop so nearly has another and it comes from a rocketing cross from Davidson on the right. The veteran arrives at the six-yard box at the right time and powerfully heads towards goal but a Taiwan defender gets her own head in the way and somehow the chance goes begging. 45 mins: There will be a minimum of four minutes of added time as Australia press hard for another. Yallop darts a low ball into the left channel – where most of the action has been this evening – and Freier reaches it just in time to cut it back into the six-yard box. But before the play is complete, Freier is called for offside. 42 mins: The Matildas are riding high after extending their lead and refuse to let Taiwan clear the danger with heavy pressure locking the ball forward. Freier wins a free kick just outside the penalty box but Yallop’s cross falls short. Goal! Australia 3-0 Taiwan (Gielnik "39) Emily Gielnik finally gets her first Matildas goal in more than three years after having several chances across the past game-and-almost-a-half. Heatley opens up the Taiwan midfield to find Yallop in between the lines, then it is an exquisite pass to Gielnik running off the shoulder of the Taiwan defence. The 32-year-old outmuscles her opponent and heads home. 35 mins: The sting has gone out of this momentarily following the injury to Lin but the Matildas start to build up steadily from the back and through the midfield. Leah Davidson is bringing plenty of energy for the Matildas, no doubt powered by her opening goal. 32 mins: Oh no, that does not look good as Lin Ya-Hsuan slumps to the turf without any contact. The Taiwan youngster moves to change direction but is left grabbing at her leg. Lin is in tears as she is taken from the field on a stretcher and let’s hope for the best. Hsu Yi-Yun comes on in her place. 31 mins: Chang Chi-Lan has Taiwan’s first shot but it is blocked bravely by Tash Prior. 29 mins: Taiwan have their first decent stretch in their attacking half as they lock the ball into the front left corner. The Matildas finally clear the danger but that is something of a wake up call. 26 mins: This is starting to have similar hallmarks to the match in Melbourne on Wednesday. Two early goals but now the Matildas are unable to find the final pass to set up further opportunities. But one significant differance is the lack of a Taiwan threat going the other way with Mackenzie Arnold yet to touch the ball. 23 mins: The Matildas midfield have plenty of time to pick their passes with Taiwan happy to sit back in the lowest of low blocks. Winonah Heatley cuts through the back four with a scything pass as Yallop races onto the before ball before it goes out for a goalkick, cuts it back to Gielnik but the strike gets under her shot. 20 mins: Yallop remains a real livewire this evening as the Matildas continue to attack down the left side. The veteran picks out Polkinghorne with a cross but the retiring can’t control the header. 18 mins: Van Egmond sizes up a free kick in prime position just outside the penalty box and the strike has the keeper Wang scrambling to get across to it but sails narrowly over the crossbar. 16 mins: Yallop is finding plenty of space and time on the ball and sends a low rocket from the left edge of the penalty box into a swarm of Taiwan defenders. Heyman is in the right place to pounce on the skied clearance but can’t get enough onto the volley. 14 mins: The Taiwan defence have time for a quick breather as the Matildas took their foot off the accelerator, knocking the ball around the midfield as a low block stays in place. Goal! Australia 2-0 Taiwan (Yallop "12) Tameka Yallop wallops a left-footed shot into the bottom right corner to complete a wonderful solo goal. The versatile veteran dribbled past a defender and into the box then only had one thing on her mind with a tidy finish. It has been a red-hot start from the Matildas! 10 mins: Emily Gielnik will struggle to have a more gilt-edged opportunity to score for the Matildas. Michelle Heyman burst forward down the right and sent a dart across the box. The Taiwan keeper Wang got a hand to it and the might have disrupted Gielnik’s shot but the centre-forward has missed from point blank range into the wrong side of the side netting. 8 mins: Chaos in the six-yard box almost leads to a second Matildas goal but Emily Gielnik can’t quite put the bouncing ball into the net. It has been a blistering start from the Matildas, though it felt similar on Wednesday and that wasn’t all smooth sailing in the end. Goal! Australia 1-0 Taiwan (Davidson "6) Leah Davidson scores her first international goal in her first start for the Matilda’s! A pinpoint pass from the left by van Egmond picks out the 23-year-old and Davidson comfortably heads home. Australia had three first-time goalscorers on Wednesday and they already have another this evening. 4 mins: Emily van Egmond is captaining the side once again and patrolling the middle of the park as a defensive midfielder. With the Matildas’ wing-backs pushing forward at any opportunity, the No 6 role will be especially important as Taiwan look to play on the counter. 2 mins: Australia favour the left channel of their attack where Sharn Freier, who has been staking a claim for a regular place in the side across this series of friendlies, already looks a threat. Peeeeeeeep! We’re under way at GMHBA Stadium and Australia are straight onto the attack. This is Tom Sermanni’s six match at the helm during his third stint as Matildas coach. The 70-year-old handed debuts to several of the present-day star of the side and has also turned to fresh talent this time around. He has won two, lost two and drawn one match, and will want to round off what could be his last game as interim manager with another victory. The national anthems are complete and the players are making their way to their starting positions… The starting XIs are making their way onto GMHBA Stadium and the stands behind them look properly rammed. The Matildas’ streak of selling out 16 home matches in a row at times felt like a bit of a stretch, with pockets of vacant seats glittered around several of the venues across that period, but this looks like being enough of a crowd to start the streak all over again. Retiring Matildas great Clare Polkinghorne will start at centre-back in her 169th and final international appearance. Polkinghorne enjoyed a send-off game, with a full celebration of her decorated career, in the first of two matches against Brazil in her hometown Brisbane but will play her ultimate farewell game this evening in Geelong. This may well also be interim coach Tom Sermanni’s last game in charge of the Matildas, with Australia’s next matches not until the SheBelieves Cup in the USA in February. Taiwan XI Taiwan: Wang Yu-Ting (gk), Chang Chi-Lan, Teng Pei-Li, Li Yi-Wen, Pu Hsin-Hui, Wu Kai-Ching, Ting Chia-Ying, Chen Ying-Hui, Lin Ya-Hsuan, Tseng Yun-Ya, Huang Ke-Sin. The Matildas once again turn to 32-year-old Gielnik and 36-year-old Heyman to start up front as the lack of attacking options outside of the veteran duo and injured star Sam Kerr remains a concern. To be the bearer of worse news, the Matildas captain is unlikely to return to playing until well into the new year. Matildas XI Australia: Mackenzie Arnold (gk), Tameka Yallop, Clare Polkinghorne, Tash Prior, Winonah Heatley, Emily van Egmond (capt), Sharn Freier, Bryleeh Henry, Leah Davidson, Emily Gielnik, Michelle Heyman. Polkinghorne starts in her final game before sailing off into a retirement sunset. Henry and Davidson make their starting debuts. Charli Grant, Clare Hunt, Daniela Galic and the luckless Chloe Logarzo are out of the XI that started the first match against Taiwan on Wednesday. Joey Lynch is settling into place at GMHBA Stadium to cover all the action for us, just as he did at AAMI Park when the Matildas defeated Taiwan 3-1 on Wednesday. Here is what Joey thought of that performance: It wasn’t the regulation result the Matildas had probably expected it to be when play began. And it certainly wasn’t as comprehensive as most of the 26,795 supporters in attendance had anticipated. As while Australia’s women did emerge victorious on Wednesday evening, they did so in a somewhat unconvincing fashion. The crowd is starting to build nicely for the first Matildas match in Geelong since 2017. Football Australia are expecting more than 25,000 fans to attend the clash with Taiwan at GMHBA Stadium, a significant rise on the 6,338 that watched Australia defeat China at the venue seven years ago. Times sure have changed! Preamble Hello and welcome to live coverage of the second women’s international friendly between the Matildas and Taiwan – this time at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong. Australia are set to hand more opportunities to a host of emerging and fringe players in the first clash, after Tash Prior, Sharn Freier and Bryleeh Henry took their chances to score their first international goals in the first clash between the same teams on Wednesday. While Australia pulled away to a 3-1 victory, the scoreline hardly tells the full story. The plucky Taiwan sent a scare through the Matildas camp as they set up with a deep defence and threatened on the counterattack and we can surely expect much the same this evening. Australia could be even more vulnerable at the back with several regulars jetting back to their overseas clubs. Kick-off time in Geelong is 7.30pm AEDT. I’ll be back shortly with the lineups and team news. If you want to share any comments, queries, ideas or predictions please shoot me an email, or find me on Bluesky @martinpegan.bsky.social and X @martinpegan. Let’s get into it!