Midfielder Katrina Gorry is brimming with excitement having joined up with the West Ham United squad in her native country for their tour to Western Australia.
The 32-year-old has enjoyed a busy summer away from the Hammers camp, shaking off an ankle injury sustained in March to represent the Matildas at the Paris Olympic Games, shortly after her partner Clara Markstedt gave birth to their son Koby.
Following three appearances at the Games in Paris, Gorry has now turned her full attention back to the domestic scene, somewhat closer to home than usual.
West Ham arrived Down Under for a ten-day trip on Sunday evening, where they are set to contest two matches in the inaugural Perth International Football Cup, and will first take on French outfit Paris Saint-Germain on Thursday at HBF Park (6.15pm AWST).
“It’s crazy to be here in Australia with West Ham,” said Gorry, who was born in Brisbane and has featured for Australian sides Melbourne Victory, Adelaide United and Brisbane Roar throughout her storied career.
“When we were first told that we were coming here I thought it was a joke, and it’s just so special to be in my home country representing my Club. It’s a good six hours from where I’m originally from, but there are loads of nice places in Perth and I can’t wait to get out on the pitch.
“It’s been a bit of a whirlwind summer, but my family are all doing really well. My daughter, Harper, is three now and is at the stage where she’s being really funny and cheeky, and then Koby is sleeping and feeding really well. Clara has been brilliant, and she’s been a wonderful support to me as well.
“I was really looking forward to being back with the team, and it’s been great to see everyone. I kept up with everything when they all returned for pre-season, so now to be back involved is really exciting, and hopefully it’s going to be a great trip.”
With PSG first up in match action in two days’ time, Gorry and her Irons’ teammates will then contest a second game back at HBF on Sunday 1 September, against one of their fellow Barclays WSL sides Manchester City or Leicester City, in either the tournament final or third-place play-off.
And while there will be numerous technical benefits to playing against two high-class opponents, Gorry insists that West Ham’s off-field activations will also serve as a big boost to their prospects ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.
“There are going to be lots of challenges in the games, but playing against two good teams, outside of the UK, is a really exciting opportunity for us," added Gorry, who made eight appearances in Claret and Blue last term after signing on in January 2024.
“The PSG game is up first, and we’ll definitely learn a lot from competing against a side we don’t normally play, which should stand us in good stead for the new season.
“Tours are a great way to get to know your teammates, and different communities and cultures as well. We’ve already met some of the fans at the training session on Monday, and were Welcomed to Country there as well, so we’ll continue to embrace these experiences."
Tickets for West Ham’s games against PSG and either Manchester City or Leicester City are available HERE. We will be providing regular updates from Perth during the tour here on www.whufc.com, and on the Club’s official app.
