The Matildas have thrown their weight behind Mary Fowler and Caitlin Foord to spearhead their World Cup attack in Sam Kerr’s absence, citing the expansive game of next opponents Nigeria as fruit for the picking.
As Kerr’s injured left calf continues to dominate the headlines, the rest of Australia’s camp insist it is business as usual three days out from a second group match that, if won, will guarantee progression to the knockout stages.
Kerr was a shock 11th-hour scratching from the Matildas’ opening 1-0 defeat of Ireland, having picked up a calf strain warming up for training the day prior.
The Chelsea striker is already ruled out of Thursday’s Group B clash against Nigeria at Suncorp Stadium and will be reassessed before the July 31 fixture with Canada.
The question now is whether coach Tony Gustavsson will risk rushing her back if his side have already sealed their spot in the round of 16 – a genuine possibility after Nigeria’s 0-0 draw with Canada on Friday left the Matildas top of the group on three points with a chance to make that six.
The turnaround between the second and third games is only three days, but the schedule allows a full week between the end of the group stage and start of the knockout rounds on August 7.
Sam Kerr watches Matildas training on an Esky at the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre on Sunday.Credit: Getty
“I don’t get to make those calls,” midfielder Tameka Yallop said on Sunday. “We’re all just hoping Sam’s back as soon as possible. I guess that’s up to the coaches. We’ll just keep trying to win.”
Kerr was the media’s sole focus on Sunday at the Matildas’ training base, the Queensland Sport and Athletics Centre.
The 29-year-old was walking normally and without the compression bandage she wore the day after the Ireland match, meeting and signing autographs for young club players from Mt Gravatt Hawks FC before sitting down to watch her teammates warm up.
Her strike partnership with Foord has been at the forefront of Australia’s upturn in results over the past nine months, and her absence was felt against a physical Ireland side that sat back and defended in a block.
The Matildas train on Sunday.Credit: Getty
Even under those circumstances, Fowler – one of the youngest but most talented members of Gustavsson’s squad – showed flashes of brilliance as her replacement. Fullback Charli Grant believed the 20-year-old and Foord would be offered more openings against a higher-pressing Nigeria.
“We’ve still got top-class players as our forwards,” Grant said. “Yes, Sam is one of the best players in the world, but I think it just gives the opportunity for Cait and Mary to shine.
“They took that really well against Ireland, and we’ll probably have a bit more of an open game [against Nigeria] on Thursday. Because Ireland do sit in and Nigeria like to press, so I think it might give them more of an opportunity to shine.
“Sam gives so much energy, but that just means we need to step up and provide that energy. We’re doing really well, and we’ve just got to stay positive. These things happen in a big tournament, so we’ve just got to adapt.”
Yallop said Gustavsson moves the magnets so much during training that they did not even feel the loss of Kerr.
“TG does very well at training,” she said. “We do a lot of rotations, so there’s never really the same team out on the field at one point in a session. So I think the girls already knew what they were doing when they had to. If we were rotating a player or one was coming in and one was coming out, it was kind of just second nature.”
Yallop revealed her mystery injury during the 1-0 friendly win against France 10 days ago was just a corked thigh and, while she had it strapped, trained normally and has been cleared to play.
“Physically I think I’m fully recovered,” she said. “It was not such a serious injury, it was really just about the process and letting it recover. I’m fighting and ready to go.”
Defender Alanna Kennedy only walked laps while Clare Hunt sat out training completely, with both central defenders’ loads being managed after a taxing opening match. Kyah Simon, meanwhile, is on her own program as she continues to recover from her ACL injury.
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