Fishlock ‘at top’ of list of Welsh sport’s greats

Wales vs. Australia: friendly on a global scale

Cardiff City Stadium Date: Saturday, October 25 Kick-off: 14:00 BST

With captain Angharad James claiming Jess Fishlock to be “at the top” of the list of the nation’s sporting greats, Wales bid farewell to the midfielder this weekend.

When Wales take on Australia in a friendly on Saturday at the Cardiff City Stadium, Fishlock will play her 166th and final game.

The 38-year-old, who is also the most successful player in her country and has scored 48 goals in each game, announced earlier this month that this would be her final appearance for Wales.

Fishlock will be remembered as a player who “changed the game massively” with her contribution over the course of her 19-year career as an international footballer.

“I think what Gareth Bale and she have accomplished over the years in Welsh sport is incredible,” she said.

Jess will leave the same kind of legacy as Bale did for the [men’s international] group, according to Bale. She has worked so hard for us, worked so hard for the environment, and worked so hard for it in the past.

In the team’s first game since their exit from the European Championship in the group stage, she will bid her farewells to Wales.

Fishlock will start the game, according to head coach Rhian Wilkinson, but he suggested that he might substitute her for a while so that “we can appreciate her appropriately.”

When asked where she believes Fishlock should be on the list of Wales’ greatest sportspeople, Wilkinson responded, “I thought you were going to say not just Welsh.

Jess is one of the most admired Welsh sportspeople you’ll ever see, but she would have been fantastic wherever she was from.

The accolades, however, would never come to an end if she had played for a larger country.

In this international window, Wales is without the addition of Soffia Kelly, Josie Green, Ella Powell, Rhiannon Roberts, Lily Woodham, Rachel Rowe, and Esther Morgan due to injuries.

Given that there are five brand-new faces, including Amy Richardson, Gwen Zimmerman, Scarlett Hill, Amy Richardson, and Mia Ross, the film “feels like a transitional camp”

In Newport on Tuesday, Poppy Soper, Teagan Scarlett, and Tianna Teisar are also hoping to win their first senior caps, either against Australia or in a friendly against Poland.

“We have a fantastic group of players entering,” said 31-year-old James.

“I think one of the things we were disappointed with at the Euros was that perhaps we weren’t playing the three games that were there.

I believe that returning, having had time to reflect, and having a new and exciting group and a group committed to the future are all positive things.

Australia, which defeated England in the semi-finals of the 2023 World Cup, is 15th in the Fifa world rankings, 17 places higher than Wales.

Sam Kerr, a Chelsea striker, will miss the Matildas’ first game since 2023 due to injury issues.

We’ve played Nations League A and the Euros, so we’ve been playing some fantastic opposition, and Australia is one of those [top sides],” Williamson said.