"My admiration for those women is paramount" - Former Grace Gill on the Iranian Soccer Players

Triple M, it is Robby and Carly. We're very excited about the Matilda's tomorrow night. They're back in WA, Sam Kerr, Mary Fowler, the whole crew.

It's going to be absolutely epic. So we're chatting with Matilda's legend Grace Gill right now to get the full run down ahead of Friday night. Grace, hello. I know you got in late last night and we've made you get up early. So very sorry about that. You're okay. You're awake. You're good.

I'm good. It's great to talk to guys again. Well, it's great to have you here and of course it is for a great reason having the tillies back on. I'm going to say home soil when it comes to Sam Kerr. How is the team feeling? Have you had much chance to chat to the girls throughout this competition?

Not a huge amount of direct contact with the team. They sort of are pretty closely guarded in terms of their preparation, their planning. But I know that they came across to Perth really quickly after their last game earlier in the week.

So they've had a few days to adjust to climatize and given the fact that this is a dual die game, everything's on the line for this one. I'm adding that they're feeling pretty amped up, pretty excited and they know how important this one is.

So with this particular game, what's it staking like? What is the next stage of the competition for whoever wins?

In this particular game, it's quite genuinely knockout football. So whichever team wins, which we are planning to be the Matilda, then I'll go on to the next step, which is the semi-final. For the team that doesn't win, they then have a few days off and they head back towards the east coast of Australia and play out in some knockout football that has more impact on World Cup qualification. But in terms of the Asian Cup and progressing in the tournament, it's a dual die game.

So there's a lot on the line here. I want to talk about this amazing moment with Sam Kerr, where she essentially looked like she was just mucking around with the ball and she started headbutting and the crowd started reacting to just how amazingly talented she is with a soccer ball.

Were you able to witness this in real time? Because it's gone absolutely viral.

It hasn't adjusted. Yeah, it was amazing to see. It was in one of the breaks in a game where she was just feeling a bit of time and I think what everyone really admires about moments like that is just how casual she is, how she makes it look so easy.

And I'm sure that for most people, you know, getting your head on the ball once, let alone twice is quite a feat, but there she was, popping it about for, you know, rep after rep.

So that's just a kind of play issue. She's joyful when she plays. And I think that was just a little insight to the playfulness that's behind her.

But you used to play soccer. How many of those headbumps could you do before you get a headache?

Not that many. Definitely, definitely not as many as Sam can do.

Now, I'd probably avoid heading ahead in the ball if I'm honest.

Now, I know this is more something happening off the field and it's gotten quite political, but I just love to know, Grace, because you have been on the sidelines.

How has it felt seeing kind of what's unfolded with the Iranian women's soccer team? Obviously, it's quite a harrowing situation.

I could imagine this would have had quite an effect on the players.

And I think the players themselves have acknowledged how difficult a situation that the Iranian women are in.

And I think all I can really do is echo that and my admiration for those women is paramount.

It's unbelievable what they've gone through, what they continue to go through.

And it's a sort of unprecedented situation that is playing out under a very clear spotlight in the realms of football.

And I think we're lucky in that we can bring those stories to life and do our part to support them.

But it is absolutely an unprecedented situation that.

And what does the day look like for you as a commentator?

Like, how do you prepare? What do you do? What do you eat? What time do you get up?

Like run us through what you do in the lead up to the game.

Right. I'm so glad you've asked because like game day prep is pretty consistent.

So I like to get up in the morning and have some sort of movement whether it's a walk or a run and depending what the weather's doing.

Just enjoy outside, get out for a little while.

My prep has begun days ago. So it's not just the cases on the day getting things together.

It's lots of research, lots of homework, heaps of notes around both teams and the situations that they're in.

And then I grab a coffee, of course. And after that, it's really just all narrowing down my focus on last minute preparation.

So reading any new articles, looking at a bit of social media to understand what both the players and the teams have been doing in the last 24 hours.

You watch the press conferences from the coaches, just a last minute gathering of information.

And then we head over to the stadium for the hours, hours before kickoff.

So if kickoff is tomorrow evening, I'd be there probably five hours ahead of kickoff, going through hair and makeup if I'm on screen for the day.

And then we're down to the broadcast area and all systems go when we're live on telly.

Can I just say that's probably the best answer we've ever got to that.

Usually people just go, oh, you know, I get up and get to the ground.

I was there with you.

Yeah, I loved it, Grace. And this is why you're such a great commentator.

You can even commentate your own life.

Well, luckily there are, and it's hard to believe, still tickets if people do want to see the Tilly's live in action.

I've been lucky enough to do it a couple of times and they just play so phenomenal.

And also, where can people watch this if they do want to catch it, Grace?

Yeah, absolutely. This one's on Network 10 and Paramount Plus.

And can't wait to get it underway. It's going to be a huge, huge game.

If you can get to it, absolutely get down to the game in person because the atmosphere is going to be incredible.

But otherwise, everything on Network 10 and Paramount Plus.

Grace, Gil, good on you. Thank you very much for joining us today.

All the best for your job on Friday and hopefully the Tilly's have a win.

Thanks so much, guys. Really appreciate it.