Tom Sermanni has announced his first Matildas squad of 2025 ahead of the SheBelieves Cup.
After casting a wide net for the four-game window to end 2024, the interim coach has named an exciting albeit much more familiar squad for the tournament.
Sam Kerr's national team return will have to wait a little bit longer, but there are plenty of names worth highlighting.
None more so than Holly McNamara, who has ticked off yet another box in her ACL recovery after being named to the squad; she has not featured for the Matildas since Jan. 27, 2022, when she played 58 minutes in a group stage match against Thailand at the AFC Asian Cup.
The Melbourne City forward had already ticked off completing her rehab, notching her first minutes, first assist, first goal (and then two more), and first start back for her club side. The 22-year-old has shone in her nine appearances this season, and given Matildas fans another tantalising glimpse at what she could be in green-and-gold.
While dreams of unleashing her against the United States, Japan, and Colombia are held by many, getting her through her first national team camp back will be the priority considering her injury history.
But any minutes we get to see her on the pitch will be exciting, and the prospect of seeing her combine with the likes of Caitlin Foord, Mary Fowler, and Kyra Cooney-Cross should be a teaser for what fans could see at the home Asian Cup next year.
McNamara isn't the only player returning, with the likes of Katrina Gorry, Fowler, Clare Wheeler, and Kaitlyn Torpey all named after missing the final international window of 2024 through injury or rest.
Fowler, in particular, is in career-best form -- a ceiling she will no doubt surpass considering how new her career still is -- with three goals and four assists in five games for Manchester City to start the year.
A handful of players are also returning for more national team action after stellar performances against Chinese Taipei at the end of 2024.
Winonah Heatley retains her spot after impressing across games in Queensland and Victoria. She is currently out of season with her Danish club so minutes might be limited.
Tash Prior is another who took her Matildas opportunity with both hands, but she has not played since she was subbed off in the 19th minute against Canberra on Jan. 25 after a clash of heads. Chloe Lincoln is the only other young or fringe player who took to the pitch against Chinese Taipei who has kept her spot in the squad.
It wouldn't be a Sermanni Matildas squad without at least one potential debutant, and that comes in the form of a maiden call-up for Laini Freier.
The Brisbane Roar attacker burst onto the A-League Women scene this season with hat tricks in back-to-back games, and she is equal first in the golden boot standings with seven goals.
It's a bittersweet call-up for Freier who gets the nod in place of her twin sister, Sharn, who is out with an ankle injury.
Sharn -- who recently signed for Wolfsburg in Germany, and will make the move at the conclusion of her the A-League season -- has come into her own at Matildas level over the past few matches; there isn't much more of a like-for-like replacement than literal twins, but she will be missed not just by the rest of the Matildas forward line but by her sister.
Part of what has made Laini so devastating at club level is the obvious connection with Sharn; the duo regularly provide the assist for one another's goals. If she takes to the pitch, seeing what pockets of chemistry might be present will be fascinating.
It is these pockets of chemistry and the potential of new combinations that will underscore this window for the Matildas. Especially since there is still no new permanent manager's tenure to start analysing.
Victories against the three opponents will be the aim, but the more interesting plot point at this moment in the Matildas cycle is watching how newer, younger players potentially work their way into starting XI contention.
Can the likes of Heatley and Prior slot in seamlessly with squad stalwarts Steph Catley and Ellie Carpenter? How does Daniela Galic look in a midfield with Gorry? Are Fowler and McNamara the future of the Matildas' goal-scoring?
There's only one way to find out.