Alanna Kennedy explains her three pre-game rituals ahead of her first WSL game for Manchester City

The Matildas defender, like many other athletes, has things she needs to do when she steps onto a soccer pitch wearing the green and gold or her new club Manchester City's colours as part of her preparation.

It begins with her first run on to the field, the 26-year-old must cross the opposite line of the field with both feet, can not cut any corners or cones, and must be at the back for the warm up.

However, unlike Ronaldo and Williams, Kennedy's spot in the warm up and no cone cutting rituals have some practical reasoning behind them.

"I've been doing it at least the last four or five years," Kennedy said.

"I think it's because I'm more experienced, I know my body and what I need in the warm up. So I like to take my time with certain things and there's nothing worse than having people right behind you when you're trying to take that extra little bit longer on a stretch or something like that, so I'm always like 'you guys just go ahead, I prefer to be at the end'.

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"Another one ... is never cutting a cone in the warm up. It's almost like a mentality, I don't want it to feel like I'm cheating the system kind of thing, so I just had to make sure I go around the cone every time."

And her Australian teammates seem to have accepted it. Kennedy recounted a time retiring defender Laura Brock was carrying a knock during a previous World Cup and jumped at the back of the line before realising.

She said she was not the only one in the Matildas who seemed to do it, with Tameka Yallop also always at the back with her.

"Loz is really good with it because she was injured throughout the whole World Cup, not injured, but she was carrying a knock and so she tried to go at the back a couple of times. And then she realised and was like 'I'm so sorry, I'll make sure'," Kennedy laughed.

"Bless her, she's so nice."

This type of camaraderie - down to respecting each others pre-game rituals - seems to have been engrained in the Matildas culture over the last few years.

In Tokyo, they made the decision as a team - driven by Indigenous players Kyah Simon and Lydia Williams - to unfurl the Aboriginal flag for their pre-game photo before their first match to personalise their anti-racism message, and show their support and solidarity for Indigenous Australians.

As many players had been away from Australia, friends and family for more than a year before their Olympic campaign in Tokyo, Kennedy said the bittersweet moment of walking away without a medal, but creating history, was made easier by being with her second family.

"As much as we make friends wherever we are. There's nothing like ... the Matildas family," she said.

"There's been so many things that we've gone through to bring us closer together over the years and then obviously just the years in itself, the time that we've had together, makes us so close. So if it's not my immediate family, then the next closest thing to my family is the Matildas, so it's quite nice."

The Canberra Times spoke to Kennedy ahead of her side's first WSL match against Everton on Saturday.

The Campbelltown-born defender was released by Tottenham Hotspurs last season and signed with City, after the Olympics, on a two-year deal, but she said she had been in contact with them earlier.

"Over the last couple of years I have had contact with the club a couple of times. And it's been a case of I've gone elsewhere, they wanted something different ... but after the Olympics they reached out again," she said.

"So that was exciting for me, because I want to be somewhere that's obviously a great club, but also where I have a little bit of time so I can sort of settle, feel comfortable and focus on my football."

Kennedy began her W-League career back in 2010, and since 2016 was spending her off-seasons in the NWSL, before she signed last year with the Spurs to kickoff her English league stint. Tottenham finished seventh last season in the WSL, with her new club City finishing second.

Kennedy provided some insight into why female players often only sign season-long and short term deals with clubs, and why she was excited about the two year deal with City, as it gave her stability.

"In previous years, with the way that football is progressing and different teams at different times, in different leagues, are doing better than others. It's always changing. So, I never wanted to lock myself in for too long somewhere and feel like I was stuck," she said.

"It's quite normal in the men's to sign for a longer period of time. Two years seems quite short you when you look at it with the men's but even for me, locking in a second year is something that's exciting because ... as of late, I've sort of locked in one year deals."

With her usual 14 jersey already taken in Manchester, the defender will take the field at Academy Stadium wearing the number 33 to honour her father's favourite number, which she has tattooed on her arm.

"I was given a list of a few other numbers that were available, but number 33 wasn't on that list, but I asked if they would mind me wearing a higher number," the more than 90 cap Matilda said.

"I've kind of like adopted that as one of my favourite numbers over the last few years as well. My mum's favourite number is eight, so I wore 18 at Tottenham last year because it was the closest thing.

"It's nice to share and add them into my journey somehow, because our parents are such a huge part of our journey. So I know my dad was excited when I told him."