Alleway ‘buzzing’ as Westfield Matildas begin preparations for Cup of Nations

It's probably safe to assume Westfield Matildas defender Laura Alleway is enjoying herself as the team gathers in Brisbane for their first camp of 2019.

Speaking to matildas.com.au from Lions Stadium, Alleway said she couldn’t wait to get going ahead of the 2019 Cup of Nations, which begins on 28 February.

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“I loved it [Saturday’s session],” Alleway said.

“You couldn’t take the smile off my face. I was really enjoying it and I think everyone is buzzing to be here, it’s the first session, first camp [of 2019], and we are all so excited.”

Having just won a historic Westfield W-League premiership with Melbourne Victory, Alleway revealed the camp was crucial for players to keep ticking over after a competitive season.

“Everyone has come in today from different areas of Australia so we we're just trying to get the flights out of our legs and just get moving again after a bit of a break, or some people played last weekend, so there were various standards,” Alleway said.

“We just wanted to work on our technical [side] and get the ball rolling.”

The Westfield Matildas are preparing to host the inaugural Cup of Nations, a four-team tournament that will showcase some of the best emerging talent in world football.

Australia will take on old enemy New Zealand, as well as Argentina and Korea Republic, taking games to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne in the process.

The tournament, which also serves as head coach Ante Milicic’s first time in charge, would test the depth of the squad according to Alleway.

“They [Cup of Nations matches] are very thick and fast,” she said.

“Three [matches] in a week we haven’t done at all over this W-League season, so I think that you would expect to see a rotation of players. It will be good for Ante [Milicic] to see different faces, different people, and everyone is pumped for it.

“I think this is probably the first time that we have ever had this before. Obviously, we have games, usually two in a row and we play the same team, so this is a massive step for Australian football to actually be bringing three nations out and having our own tournament.”

You can buy tickets to the Cup of Nations here.