'Their heads are so far up their bums': has the Matildas' bubble burst?

The nation jumped on the Matildas bandwagon after their success at the 2023 World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand. Now many are asking if the ride can continue.

The team captured our hearts last August, with Matildas fever sweeping through every corner of the country. Television ratings were high. More than 7 million people watched their quarter-final win against France. They were getting support from Prime Ministers and young schoolgirls ready to pull on their first pair of football boots. Sam Kerr, who's missing from Paris, became a household name.

It was a landmark moment for women's sport in Australia, but for those of us who'd been following women's sport for decades, we wondered if the hype around the Matildas was justified. At the end of the day, they finished fourth.

Controversial Brisbane radio host and former Wallaby fullback Greg Martin might have said what everyone was thinking on Triple M on Friday morning.

"The Matildas have become the Brisbane Broncos. Their heads up so far up their bums they've believed their own hype," Martin said.

"Every single photo I've got [on Instagram] is of them drinking a cocktail on either a beach or a nightclub in the last six months and haven't been doing the hard work.

"They think you've just got to turn up and what happened at the World Cup, those performances will just replicate themselves.

"The harder you work, the luckier you get and it appears that the Tillies are (not) working that hard."

The Matildas must now beat Zambia in their next match on Sunday or their hopes of making the quarter-finals could be quickly over, given the perennial powerhouse US women's team awaits in the final group stage game. The US beat Zambia 3-0 Friday morning (AEST) to join Germany at the top of Australia's group.

Captain Steph Catley said the opening game was a "huge wake-up call". Let's hope so.

And let's not forget about the other Australian women's teams, some of them perhaps a more realistic chance for a medal. Some of them might even be asking why the Matildas are getting all the attention.

The women's rugby sevens team start their campaign on July 29 at midnight local time against South Africa. They might have finished a disappointing fifth in Tokyo but they've been in great form during the international sevens season, finishing only two points behind New Zealand in second place.

And the Opals are currently ranked third in the world behind US and China. Their opening game is against Nigeria at 7pm on July 29.

The Hockeyroos might surprise a few people, too. Their opening match is July 28 at 8.45pm against South Africa.

Our women's water polo team, the Stingers, have an experienced squad and could also upset more fancied teams. Their first game is July 28 at 4.05am against China.