Kim Carroll has long been a familiar face in the Westfield W-League and for the Westfield Matildas, but now after seven seasons playing for Brisbane Roar, the defender has made the big switch across the country to Perth Glory.
At 28, Carroll is one of Australia’s most experienced players earning 55 international caps over a ten-year period. However, after the Roar experienced an unusually indifferent season, Carroll, who hails from Tully in north Queensland, decided to freshen things up with a move to Perth Glory.
Here the tall centre-back talks about her move across the Nullarbor, the new set-up in the west for the premiers, and returning to Brisbane for the first time this weekend in the Fox Sports/ABC TV match.
How have you settled in Perth after making the big move?
Kim Carroll: I have settled in having been here for a while now. It is similar to Brisbane, but a bit smaller and not as congested and the beaches, which are beautiful, are slightly closer.
How have you settled in a football sense under new coach Bobby Despotovski and assistant, and your former Australia teammate, Collette McCallum?
It has been good, but we have had our challenges. We haven’t had our full squad yet, with injuries and Aussie girls away. Hopefully we will have everyone available this weekend for the first time. Bobby didn’t come in until not long before the season started, so it was a bit of a rushed pre-season. Bobby is a good coach and pushes us hard. Colly obviously has a lot of knowledge behind her as well, probably more working on individuals which is good as well.
It seems the Glory is close to getting results but not quite getting over the line?
We lost 1-0 on the weekend which was from a penalty. Then again we need to take our chances when we get them. Four games in now so a third of the way through the season, so it is time to turn that around.
How will you feel going into this week’s game against the team you played with for so long?
It will definitely be a weird one. I have never played with anyone else, and Brisbane will always be home. I am still close to the girls, and (Roar coach) Belinda (Wilson), and I worked in the office so I will know a lot of people working at the game. Suncorp provides a good atmosphere, and it will be an interesting one, but I’m actually looking forward to it.
Has the change of scenery freshened things up for you?
It has thrown some different challenges at me, which has kept me motivated as well. I’m enjoying the football and training so hopefully the results come on the back of that.
Is a return to the Westfield Matildas set-up always in the back of your mind?
It always is but I don’t know where that chapter is going in at the moment. It is Olympics next year, so if anyone is playing W-League and not thinking about that, they would be crazy.
Can the Glory reach the semis?
We need to start turning things around, and it just about a must-win this weekend. You need to start well or finish strong.
