Barbieri not the retiring type

At 31 and after 80 matches for her country, including last year leading the Matildas to Australian soccer’s first major international trophy – the Asian Cup – the diminutive shot-stopper has nothing left to prove on the pitch.

Wanting to one day start a family with her husband of almost five years, Geoff Hudson, the proud Victorian could have taken the turn of events as a sign the time was right to focus on challenges outside of soccer.

But Barbieri was never going to let it end like that.

After Victory’s shock decision last month to go with 16-year-old Brianna Davey as their No.1 keeper, foundation captain Barbieri was immediately on the search for a new club.

The decision to play on was never in doubt, despite the knowledge any move would be interstate – many miles from family, work and home – without the lure of big dollars on offer to male counterparts.

Her new team are the Newcastle Jets, who she will lead into battle for the first time on Saturday, against Adelaide United at Adamstown Oval in round two of the W-League.

‘‘I never thought that I wouldn’t play, because I thought I don’t want them to get the last laugh,’’ Barbieri said while on her way to her Adamstown digs after watching the Jets A-League side beat Central Coast 1-0 on Sunday.

‘‘You don’t want to finish on a note where ... you’d assume that if I’m not playing in the W-League, I’m retiring, but I’m not retiring yet.

‘‘It’s just one of those things. I pushed through and looked for another club straight off the bat really.

‘‘I got emailed addresses from the national team coach and basically got a gist of who had signed goalkeepers already.

‘‘I was just fortunate that not every team had signed their No.1.

‘‘The Newcastle Jets were speaking to goalkeepers at the time and they were good enough to make me an offer.’’

Although upset and shocked by the Victory’s decision, Barbieri said she moved on as soon as she signed with Newcastle.

But it still hurt, especially after she had turned down a deal overseas to stay home and support the W-League.

‘‘I’d already said no to playing in France,’’ she said.

‘‘Paris Saint-Germain had made me an offer but because of the Champions League over there – you are going to miss four or five games of the W-League – so I said no, because I want to play W-League, I want to play for the fans who don’t have a chance to watch us live.

‘‘They support us so I want to get out there for them, but then I got told, you know ...

‘‘They call you for a meeting to discuss your W-League and you assume you’re just talking about your options for the season and what sort of deal, because it’s 12 weeks at a time, it’s not like you go and get signed for three years.

‘‘It’s not a nice way to be treated so it’s something that I’ll always remember for future reference, but it’s not something I sit around and think about all day, it doesn’t bother me that way.’’

The episode has fired a determination in Barbieri that has already served her well.

In 2000, Barbieri, a wide midfielder who had attended national team training camps, was told a back injury would curtail her dream of representing Australia.

Unfazed, she simply switched to a position that required little running, and two years later she made her Matildas debut as a goalkeeper.

Determination also helped her in 2007 to become the first female to play in a professional men’s football code, when she turned out for the Richmond Eagles reserve-grade side in goals.

Her resolve will be tested again this W-League season as she juggles work and home life in Melbourne with Jets training and playing commitments.

A first aid officer at Roxburgh Park Primary School, Barbieri has cut back her working week from five days to two but faces more than 10 trips back and forth to Newcastle over the 12-round W-League campaign.

‘‘It’s definitely a strain on the relationship,’’ she said of her marriage.

‘‘Getting into your routine without each other is not good, it puts on a lot of pressure, but hopefully we’re strong enough to ride the bumps of it.

‘‘You’d hope that when it came down to playing in your national league that you’d be right staying with your home town and playing away only every second weekend, whereas now I’m playing away every weekend and that quality time is not there any more.

‘‘So it’s dangerous for home life but hopefully it doesn’t cause too many problems.’’

She said the move to Newcastle came about because of her husband’s support.

‘‘He’s one of those guys who’s very supportive and says the right thing to get you back on track. I was very upset when I found out and he’s just like, ‘They don’t want you, go somewhere where you’re appreciated,’ and he’s very good like that.’’

And she said the support of Newcastle had made the shift easier.

‘‘I’m better treated here and I’ve got a better deal here than I’ve had for three years put together at Melbourne Victory,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s a whole, rounded thing.

‘‘The coaching clinics, the opportunity to grow as a leader and a player, the housing situation, I’m being looked after with a car – we have to share it as players, but that’s better than I’ve ever had before.’’

Barbieri is one of four internationals recruited by the Hunter Sports Group-backed Jets for this season. Her Matildas teammates Lisa De Vanna and Emily van Egmond will join dual World Cup-winning German Ariane Hingst in a line-up featuring six Young Matildas.

The signings have raised hopes of a championship season, but Barbieri was cautious.

‘‘You’ve got to put it all together,’’ she said. ‘‘It’s how you play on the day not what names you’ve got on the sheet.

‘‘Hopefully we can perform to what we are capable of. That’s all that really matters.’’

The only negative in the Jets’ pre-season has been the shock walkout of local product Hayley Crawford, who captained Newcastle for the past two seasons.

Crawford was to retain the captaincy but said she no longer felt comfortable representing the new-look W-League Jets, which had been run by Northern NSW Football before this season.

Barbieri was disappointed Crawford would not be playing, but was full of respect for her.

‘‘I was looking forward to playing behind Hayley,’’ she said.

‘‘She’s a great captain and I would have loved to have her captain me, because we can learn off each other and she knows the team very well.

‘‘Look, I know Hayley off the field quite well and she’s still there to help. She wants the best for her players and that’s why she’s not playing for any other W-League team, because she’s got that loyalty to the younger girls she’s grown up with.

‘‘She said it was very personal to her, and that’s got to be respected because she is very honourable.

‘‘She doesn’t want to disrespect anybody or bring anybody down. That’s just the type of person Hayley is, and she has to be commended for that.’’