‘The world has seen what we can do’: Matildas prove it’s not Sam Kerr or bust
By Vince Rugari
As Sam Kerr took another small step on the road to recovery, her Matildas teammates believe they have taken a giant leap by proving their attacking capabilities do not wholly depend on the presence of their superstar captain.
Kerr appears to be on track for her long-awaited return in Monday night’s World Cup round of 16 clash with Denmark, joining what was only a light training session with the team on Thursday at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre after two days of rest and recovery.
She was also spotted with a ball at her feet for the first time since suffering her left calf injury on tournament eve, performing a few juggles and walking with the rest of the group before the media’s 15-minute window to watch elapsed, and all prying eyes were kicked out.
Whether Kerr is capable of running, and for how long, remains a mystery.
“Yep. She has her own individual plan that she’s doing with the doctor and the physio, getting her ready to join in with the team, and what she had to do, she looked like she was quite comfortable doing it,” said goalkeeper Mackenzie Arnold, when asked if Kerr had completed the session with the team.
“I assume it all went well.”
Sam Kerr had a ball at her feet on Thursday for the first time since her calf injury.Credit: Getty
But the sense that the 29-year-old absolutely needs to be fit and firing for Australia be in contention to win the World Cup - if it ever existed within Camp Matilda - has evaporated.
That is how utterly convincing they were in their 4-0 demolition of Canada, as Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley’s brilliant combination on the left helped repeatedly open up the reigning Olympic champions, setting up chances that were duly converted by Hayley Raso and Mary Fowler.
Kerr was available to play if needed, but would have risked further injury had she taken to the field. Tony Gustavsson revealed post-match that the team was partly inspired to win the match without her so she could have another full week to recuperate.
Now to be able to potentially throw her into an attack that is once again firing on all cylinders - be it off the bench or from the start against world No.13 Denmark, who the Matildas beat 3-1 the last time they met - is a mouth-watering prospect.
Mackenzie Arnold speaks to the media in Brisbane.Credit: Getty
“I think the world has now seen what we can do,” Arnold said.
“Obviously, we always want Sam on the field - she’s a world-class striker. But I think we’ve shown now that we have the depth, and we can play any combination up front, that we can still score goals.
“If she plays, she plays. If she doesn’t, she doesn’t. We have our plan.”
It is not only on the field where Kerr’s influence has scaled back. Kerr is usually in charge of the Matildas’ training playlist, Arnold said, but on Thursday that responsibility fell to strength and conditioning assistant Georgia Brown - and her opening gambit, Shania Twain’s Man I Feel Like a Woman, set the tone for a light-hearted and jovial session, reflecting a positive mood within the team despite all the pressures of a home World Cup.
“We just told her to put on some tunes, and that was what she came out with, so thankfully it was a banger - otherwise it could have been a little bit embarrassing for her,” Arnold joked.
“We try not take ourselves too seriously - but tomorrow, it’ll be a lot more serious, and we’ll start focusing on Denmark.”
The only absentee at training was Kyah Simon, who is towards the tail end of her rehab from an ACL injury and is earmarked for minutes off the bench later in the knockout phase, presuming the Matildas first progress past Denmark.
The team will shift operations from Brisbane to Sydney late on Friday ahead of a return to Stadium Australia, where another 75,000-strong crowd awaits.
“I think we’ve experienced a bit of everything this World Cup - obviously the massive crowd [against Ireland], then the disappointing loss against Nigeria, and then obviously the feelings that we had against Canada,” Arnold said.
“Whatever comes on Monday night, we’re going to be ready for it. If we end up selling out the stadium again, that’ll be unreal.”
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