When the Matildas were instructed to meet with coach Tony Gustavsson last Wednesday evening, a week out from the Women’s World Cup, they expected another session of the astute tactical analysis that has become the Swede’s hallmark.

“We thought, ‘all right, Tony and tactics, here we go,’” veteran midfielder Aivi Luik recalled on Tuesday. The Matildas sat down as a group, only for Gustavsson to surprise them.

“He mentioned that while these types of tournaments require a lot of tactics, it also requires a lot of belief and a lot of heart,” Luik said. “So we were going to take a little bit of a turn and do something a bit different.”

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That something was a replay of the highlights of Aboriginal runner Cathy Freeman’s iconic gold medal win at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Wearing her green and gold bodysuit, and with the weight of the nation on her shoulders, Freeman rounded the final bend level with her rivals before powering away in the final 50 metres.

“By the end of it, there was a lot of emotion going around in the room,” Luik said.

Only Gustavsson had something else up his sleeve. “When they turned the lights on, we turned around, and there she was,” Luik said. “So it was a huge surprise to us.”

Freeman is not only one of the all-time Australian sporting heroes with her Olympic victory etched into the collective memory, she is also the individual inspiration for many members of the Matildas.

A few years ago the national team were surveyed about their sporting heroes. More than half of the Matildas listed Freeman. The background staff took that as a prompt to try to secure the 50-year-old ahead of the Women’s World Cup.

“And bless her heart, she came in – she doesn’t do a lot of public speaking, but she did that for us,” Luik said. “So a big thank you to Cathy and her family.”

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Luik, at 38, is the elder stateswoman of the Matildas team. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, with barely 48 hours until the biggest game in the team’s history – the opening match of the World Cup before a capacity crowd at Stadium Australia – Luik cited Freeman’s talk as the inspiration the team needed.

“Obviously, everyone knows she’s one of the biggest Aussie sporting heroes,” said the midfielder, who plays in Sweden with BK Häcken.

“We had a bit of a chat to her and talked about how she dealt with pressures, because she had the weight of the nation on her shoulders. She was just one – and we’re a whole team. So I think we’re quite lucky, we have our friends and teammates here to support each other.

“We came away from that feeling a little bit of a weight off our shoulders.”

For now, the Matildas’ own version of Freeman’s 400m gold medal race is still a month away – the Women’s World Cup final. Despite Freeman’s inspiration, they are trying to remain focused on Thursday’s clash with Ireland.

“It’s important to not get ahead of yourself,” Luik said. “And that’s why we’re focused on the Ireland game, and just the Ireland game. Everything in the lead up has been towards that. So staying in the moment is very, very important – so that’s what we’re trying to do.”