{"id":132631,"date":"2023-05-25T19:26:03","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T09:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/?p=132631"},"modified":"2023-05-25T19:26:05","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T09:26:05","slug":"dual-code-dumont-making-most-of-missed-matildas-opportunity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/central.rookieme.com\/afl\/2023\/05\/25\/dual-code-dumont-making-most-of-missed-matildas-opportunity\/","title":{"rendered":"Dual code Dumont making most of missed Matildas opportunity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEW Hawk Casey Dumont<\/a> is not letting the frustration of missing out on the Matildas squad get to her and is instead focused on her new venture into the AFL Women’s. After a whirlwind few weeks, Dumont is not regretting making the switch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Renowned for her work as a goal keeper for Melbourne Victory in the A League Women\u2019s competition, Dumont’s strong season went unrewarded with no call up to the national side. When offered a chance in the brown and gold, Dumont jumped at it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even from since the international window back in February, Dumont has known where she stood in the pecking order in terms of making the Matildas team, and there were aspects of the process that really frustrated Dumont.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know what? I can only control what I can control,” Dumont said with a sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The talented soccer player said she had reached out to the Matildas about pressing her case for selection in the green and gold. While ultimately unsuccessful – other than being an injury replacement player – Dumont was still left frustrated by the reasoning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“They basically told me the keepers they\u2019ve got is the keepers they want, doesn\u2019t matter,” Dumont said. “They want to keep me on the list which I\u2019m happy to stay, as I tell everyone if I get that call up, and I really don\u2019t want it to be on an injury because no one deserves to be injured and I know how much injuries suck, but I am on that list in case due to injuries and that\u2019s literally what they told me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I\u2019m in that extended squad in case injuries occur but also at the time too they said they weren\u2019t picking from the A-League, so it\u2019s a bit contradicting with one of the selections happening, but as I say, I can only control what I can control.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though she might not be cracking into the national squad currently, Dumont has plenty of fond memories to look back on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I\u2019m loving playing and I\u2019m very thankful, it\u2019s taken me a while to get to this phase but I\u2019m very thankful, I\u2019ve already had nine years of Matildas when I was really young,” she said. “I was able to go to the Rio Olympics, I was able to go to the 2011 World Cup, I\u2019ve been to three Asian Cups and multiple tours and friendly games, I\u2019ve lived and breathed that opportunity so I\u2019m very thankful I at least got that chance.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dumont has not given up on her dream of representing Australia just yet, but has realised with more experience that it is better to cherish the moments as they happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The part that frustrates me is it\u2019s only now that I\u2019m thankful and grateful, whereas I wish when I was in it I really did grasp it and enjoyed that moment, because as every athlete says it\u2019s not until you\u2019re not there that you reminisce and reflect and go \u2018holy s*** what a moment that was\u2019,” Dumont said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“That\u2019s probably the frustrating part … I do have that little burning flame that is I want more, because of how amazing those opportunities are, but in saying that I\u2019m still getting amazing opportunities so it\u2019s a catch-22. I\u2019ve got to be grateful for what I can control, what I do have opportunities for, and I\u2019m proud of myself with how I\u2019m playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I don\u2019t need a Matildas call-up to cement that I\u2019ve been playing well I guess. It\u2019d be great to have that, but I\u2019m doing what I can for Melbourne Victory and thankfully it took us as far as it did. I wish it took us more, but it is what it is and I have a great life so anything added to that is just a bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Daniel Pockett\/Getty Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dumont described the phone call about her omission as “contradicting” which was “upsetting and annoying” for the keeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of it is contradicting but also the squad shouldn\u2019t be so cemented, it should be who at the moment is performing and getting game time and 90 minutes of game time,” she said. “I don\u2019t know, it\u2019s a weird set up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I know as well when I was in that set up, they do like to keep who they\u2019ve got because it is limited time that they are together so you want to make sure that squad gels then and there, because when the big tournaments come you\u2019ve got to switch on straight away so you should already know that squad rather than new players coming in and trying to gel with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even in her first few weeks at the Hawks, Dumont has already noticed differences between the A-League Women\u2019s and AFLW.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEven just the leagues and the clubs and the professionalism, it\u2019s just very different,\u201d Dumont said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can see why AFL has taken off massively in men and women and it makes me very proud that other sportswomen are getting that opportunity, but it also shows the A League has a very long way to go, especially what I\u2019ve only experienced in the last couple of weeks from the season ending to the Hawks integrating me into the club.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dumont said she was particularly impressed with what the Hawks had to offer from the very beginning. Though she described some of the doors that opened as “extras”, she conceded it should just be the normal programming in the life of a professional sportsperson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It\u2019s really nice to see that” she said. “(I) will definitely have a bit of feedback to the A-League and the club once I return to soccer that hey, the standards are set pretty high, you kind of need to start matching that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dumont is not the first former Matildas goal keeper to have made the switch to Aussie Rules, with Brianna Davey<\/a> having made the exact same move just prior to the start of the AFL Women\u2019s competition coming into existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dumont and Davey are former teammates, and Dumont said the pair have already made plans to catch up and talk about Davey\u2019s experiences crossing codes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBri and I played together back in Young Matildas and when she was in Matildas we went away together on a few trips, I remember we did an Asian Cup together and when I debuted we were in New Zealand together,” Dumont said. “I have actually messaged Bri to be like \u2018let\u2019s catch up for a coffee, it\u2019ll be nice to have another person who\u2019s transitioned and just have a better understanding\u2019, and she replied back in that once I got back from Bali we\u2019ll meet up for sure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It\u2019ll be good to hear her insights and help with all the extra stuff that comes with it, because I can\u2019t believe how much media, sponsors and everything have already come from this, which is an amazing opportunity, it\u2019s very, very different to soccer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep an eye out for Part II of Casey Dumont’s story in transitioning from the round ball to the native game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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