IT has taken years of hard work, but former Mount Gambier soccer star Jenna McCormick has finally received a call up to the Matilda’s training squad.
McCormick has plied her trade around the country, from the Premier League to the W League and has travelled overseas to play soccer.
Along the way she picked up two premierships in the AFLW competition, from three years with the Adelaide Crows.
She now has the chance to impress in front of the Australian soccer selectors in the sport which holds her true passion.
McCormick told The Border Watch it was something she has worked towards the last few years, which provides an exciting opportunity for the young soccer star.
“To get the chance, to get an opportunity is really exciting and I am certainly very happy about it and ready to prove myself,” she said.
“I was obviously very excited (to get the call).
“It is something I have been working towards, but it felt pretty surreal.
“We go in to camp (today) and it will be quite nerve racking when I get there, but I am keen to get into it and start working hard.”
Few spots become available in Australian teams in any code, with women’s soccer no different.
However, McCormick said it was a real possibility to make the playing roster.
“I think it is definitely achievable and definitely realistic and within range,” she said.
“It just means I have to go into the camp and work really hard and show them I do deserve a spot there.
“Then I can have a bit of a fairytale start internationally with a game in Adelaide in front of family and friends.
“That is the short term goal, but I just have to focus on working hard and doing well at this camp before anything else.”
To represent their country is a dream for many athletes, with McCormick just as keen to pull on the Australian colours.
When asked what it would mean to be selected in the team, her response was simple.
“Everything,” McCormick said.
“I have been wanting to represent my country for a long time.
“If I can get there I will be truly blessed and humbled to be able to wear the jersey.
“Fingers crossed one day I will get to.”
If McCormick is successful this time around it will not be by chance, as she has certainly worked hard to reach her goal of national representation in the sport she enjoys most.
While Australian Rules fans would certainly be disappointed to see McCormick leave the AFLW competition, she said it was all about timing and to provide a chance to reach the pinnacle of soccer.
“The last three years we have had a lot of success in footy and it has been manageable to juggle both,” she said.
“Since the last W League season it became clear I want to go to the next step and play in big tournaments like World Cups and Olympics.
“I cannot do that with footy as a commitment as well.
“After the most recent (AFLW flag) I felt it was the right time to step away from the game to fully focus on soccer and where that will take me.
“I am happy and at ease with that decision, with what I have achieved in footy.
“I am happy for that to take the back seat while I try to achieve goals in the other code.”
