“The players here have a unique mindset.”

The only French player to play in the Australian Premier Division in recent years, Margot Robbin Took time to answer Fooduse’s (many) questions. First part.

Margot Robinne, after starting your career in France, you came to Australia, why didn’t you leave?

I became Australian in January. When you come French, you know how it goes, you have a “working visa”, you don’t have the best living conditions for your first year, you have everything figured out, and actually, a lot of people immigrate. Stay inside because… it’s not too bad of a life!

I’m alone here, but I have my family near Versailles, I go to France once a year and a half, my father comes, my brothers it’s a bit complicated. You should go at least two weeks when you come here, especially with the time difference.

How did it go when you arrived? Do you have a fixed term contract?

When I arrived, I played at Montigny, Rouen, TFC, which made me a bit ‘stuffy’ and I became a crusader. I had a friend here from the French university futsal team. Everything here is business. There are academies, you build one-on-one with a player, you build players like that, we’ve built a business for women. I was at the end of a cycle and when I came here, I found everything friendly and wondered how to stay. There was a moment when I was watching the Pro League on TV and said, ‘I can play.’ For the last three years I have played in the Pro League.

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When I came here, I loved the culture, the people are friendly, and this is reflected everywhere in the community. Then I started playing in the equivalent of the second division, just below the closed, American-style Pro League.

So, are there differences based on the game with France?

The second division is regional. The difference in position was tactical and technical, worse than France. On the other hand, in terms of athleticism and mentality, it is a bit American, it fights to the end in all directions. Then I saw the Pro League on TV, I told myself I can do it, I played there, it was the same feeling. Although advanced and structured, the technical and tactical level is lower than in Europe, on the other hand, the mentality … Although losing 3-0 in 82.^e Minute, you see them running like crazy. They still believe it. And this mentality is seen in all championships in the country.

“The technical and tactical level is low… but what a mentality! »

Based on contact and the referee blows the whistle, it’s a little “butchery” and that’s okay. Gotta get used to it. At impact, once you have the ball, in France, you know we’re going to delay. Here, you can’t hold the ball for more than a few seconds because you know it’s going to come hard. Physically, you run a lot. Katrina Corey ran a lot during the World Cup, but that was the case with her all year.

Speaking of the World Cup, what did you expect from the Australian selection?

They prepared… well, it’s relative, because the years before the World Cup weren’t very glorious, but this World Cup, domestically, had a huge cultural challenge. For example, an important place was placed on the development of women, and they talked a lot about it. “We want to change history and we’re going to do everything on the ground so that things evolve” is an idea.

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On paper, I don’t see the players as unusual, but this mentality… Before, the match against France, I didn’t feel it. I have a friend who plays for Australia and I write to her before matches. “Okay, we need to talk. If Australia win I will be sad because give me your jersey. » (laughs)

There were few French people in the stadium and it was yellow everywhere. On the other hand I predicted that they will fall against England in the semi-final because you have to spend a lot of energy in the way you play, so matches every four days, at some point, you can’t. But 11 per team^e In the world rankings, the last four is not bad! And it doesn’t surprise me. They were confident that they would win. Something we should learn from this.

Continued interview…

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Photo ©Margot Robbin