Wally Lewis. Arthur Beetson. Darren Lockyer. Mal Meninga. Allan Langer. John Eales … Clare Polkinghorne?
The Matildas defender cringes hard at the mere thought of being placed in such illustrious company, let alone a bronzed likeness of her being permanently placed next to them.
But ask her teammates, or anyone north of the border with an appreciation for the beautiful game, and it’s a no-brainer – especially now that she’s broken the country’s all-time appearances record for men and women at international level.
Even the Matildas’ own social media accounts have co-opted what started as a grassroots push for Polkinghorne to become the first female sporting great and first football identity to be honoured with a statue outside Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane, her hometown.
While the team was competing at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago, a formal petition with over 500 signatures was submitted to the Queensland state government asking for the 34-year-old centre-back, barely known in her own city despite her storied career in the game, to he honoured.
The good news for Polkinghorne is that it won’t be considered at least until she retires – and that, by her own accord, may not be for a while yet, despite her advancing years.
What more could Clare Polkinghorne possibly do to merit a statue outside of Suncorp Stadium?Credit:Getty
As it happens, Polkinghorne shares quite a few similar traits with Lewis, Beetson, Lockyer et al: longevity, durability, toughness, leadership, a streak of stoicism, and an almost gruff sense of humility which leads her to avoid the spotlight whenever possible.
She tried again this week, but there was no escaping the magnitude of what she achieved on Thursday night in Gosford, when she reached her 152nd cap for Australia – moving clear of Cheryl Salisbury’s previous record of 151, and long past Mark Schwarzer’s 109 caps for the Socceroos.
“It’s obviously a special occasion and something I’m really proud of,” Polkinghorne said. “But at the same time, we’ve got a massive tournament to prepare for. That’s where the main focus is at the moment. It’s nice to celebrate those milestones, I guess, but it’s not why I play the game.”
It doesn’t take much to imagine those gravelly words coming out of Lockyer’s mouth – or the request (or demand) that any individual recognition waited until after Australia’s 4-0 win over Czechia in the Cup of Nations, team tradition be damned.
Clare Polkinghorne signs autographs after her record-breaking 152nd game for the Matildas.Credit:Getty
“Typical Clare Polkinghorne,” coach Tony Gustavsson said. “Normally, we honour people that [have] like 50 caps, or 100 caps, and we do it at the pre-game at the hotel before we travel. Typical Clare, [she said]: ‘I haven’t achieved it yet. Do not honour me until after the game.’ She doesn’t even allow us to honour her before the game.
“I’m so proud to be a small part of her journey – for me, she is and will always be a true legend [of the] game.”
Polkinghorne’s career has gone for so long she can barely remember her formative days in the old Women’s National Soccer League (the forerunner to the A-League Women) with the Queensland Sting – and she has almost zero memory of the time before she first pulled on Australia’s gold jersey, which has been a mainstay in her life and almost two-decade career.
She does not expect to hold her new Matildas record for long, though, given the likes of Emily van Egmond (125 caps) and Sam Kerr (117) are nipping at her heels, both five years her junior.
Unsurprisingly, her main highlight from Thursday night was not her accomplishment, but the discovery of a potential Women’s World Cup bolter in Clare Hunt, who came off the bench at half-time and looked totally assured next to her in the centre of Australia’s defence – a problem position where Gustavsson has been long searching for back-up for Polkinghorne and Alanna Kennedy without much success.
“She was phenomenal,” Polkinghorne said. “Her distribution, her presence in the box … I haven’t seen a debut like that for a long time. And I think that’s something we’ve definitely needed especially in that position.”
With the record set, and the game done, Polkinghorne is happy to leave any discussions about her in the past, where she likes them.
As for the statue? “I mean, that’s not something for me to decide,” she said, smiling through almost gritted teeth. “I guess if people want to do that, that’s not my choice.”
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