If you’re among the 95 per cent of Australians who only jumped on the Matildas’ bandwagon during the Women’s World Cup, you had probably never heard the name Michelle Heyman until this past weekend, when she made her long-awaited and well-earned return to the national team. And you probably still don’t know much about her, aside from the fact that she clearly knows where the goals are.
Firstly: you are forgiven. Secondly: you’ve come to the right place. This is everything you need to know about the Tillies’ new 14-year overnight sensation, who has surely locked in her spot for the Paris Olympics after a stunning four-goal burst against Uzbekistan on Wednesday night.
Just quietly, this might be one of Australian sport’s greatest comeback stories in recent memory.
Heyman is from Shellharbour on the NSW South Coast. She grew up as a mad Wests Tigers fan - hey, nobody’s perfect - and idolised Benji Marshall, played touch footy and rugby during her childhood, and finally got into football at age 11.
She made her domestic debut in what was then known as the W-League (now A-League Women) for Sydney FC in 2008 after starring in the local Illawarra competition. The following season she played for the Central Coast Mariners, where she won the golden boot and her first of two Julie Dolan Medals as the competition’s best player, but she’s most closely associated with the lime green jersey of Canberra United, where she has spent the vast majority of her career. It’s also where she tasted team success at professional level for the first time - they did the double in 2011-12 as she claimed another golden boot, won the premiership in 2013-14 and 2016-17, and also the grand final in 2014. Heyman is basically the face of the club.
Michelle Heyman is basically the face of Canberra United.Credit: Getty
That’s right. Heyman came off the bench on March 3, 2010 in a friendly against North Korea, played behind closed doors at Spencer Park, the humble home of NPL Queensland side Brisbane City. It finished 2-2. She had never represented Australia in any of the junior national teams before, forcing her way into then-coach Tom Sermanni’s plans through her terrific domestic form.
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