Sam Kerr ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament. Devastating. Devastating for Kerr, devastating for Chelsea, devastating for the Matildas and devastating for Australian football.
Kerr was injured during the Chelsea training camp in Morocco; The remainder of the Women’s Super League season, the UEFA Women’s Champions League campaign and the Matildas’ Olympic qualifying play-offs against Uzbekistan in February have been ruled out. No timetable has been set for his recovery by either Chelsea or the Matildas, but it is incredibly difficult to understand why this does not guarantee the absence of Australia’s record goalscorer at the Olympics – assuming they qualify.
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The Paris tournament starts in just over seven months. The minimum ACL recovery provided by modern medical science is six; Elite athletes almost inevitably need a longer period of time to return to near full fitness. It took Ellie Carpenter nine months to return and even longer to start resembling her pre-injury self. Kerr is a 30-year-old dynamo, not 22 like Carpenter, and his game has risen to world-class levels thanks to his explosive movements and ability to dominate opposing defences. Paris’s timely comeback would be one of the most miraculous recoveries ever seen in the sport, even before any disclaimers were added about the level of play he could reach.
Even after the most extensive rehabilitation, players who sustain an ACL injury are at higher risk of suffering another injury, and rushing a return only increases that risk. We have recent evidence of Kerr’s rapid return from a calf injury during the Women’s World Cup; but it does suggest that this is a once-in-a-lifetime event and Kerr has already been cast. This time, on the part of Australia’s coach Tony Gustavsson and his sports science team, there is a greater responsibility and obligation for his health; This requires not only his ability to contribute to the Matildas long-term, but also the talismanic role he plays. she plays for football on a global scale, especially women’s football.
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The Olympics remain a major tournament with Australia eager to claim its first medal; but it doesn’t exist in the same kind of all-encompassing vacuum as the home World Cup. Kerr will be relied upon as a key contributor in the run-up to the 2027 Women’s World Cup (if she wants to) and Australia is likely to host the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup; This is another opportunity to lift a big trophy on home soil.
The fact that another global superstar is away from the field due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury once again reveals the fact that women’s football is facing this trouble. The injury has wreaked havoc on Kerr’s former A-League Women’s home this season. Nat Tobin, Chelsea Blissett, Grace Kuilamu, Grace Wisnewski and Marisa van der Meer are among those who lost their lives, as well as Matildas attacker Holly McNamara, who suffered her third anterior cruciate ligament tear at the age of 20, just after being called up for the match. senior national team.
McNamara’s absence gives Gustavsson an even tougher task in his efforts to plan for Paris without the top starter on his 18-player roster. Assuming she maintains a 4-4-2 formation, a forward line of Caitlin Foord, Emily van Egmond, Mary Fowler and Hayley Raso shapes as the most likely deployment; The same one that made Canada miserable on the field during the World Cup. After defeats against Canada in their last friendly showed the Matildas’ frailty in possession without Kerr, they are likely to return to the strengths of high-speed transitional football to an even greater extent. (Kerr’s injury will almost certainly give Football Australia even greater determination to keep Gustavsson, with the Swedish men’s team reportedly showing interest to avoid further disruption.)
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But more importantly, Australia still have the talent to challenge, assuming it is used correctly. Steph Catley is one of the greatest leaders in Australian football history and has already proven his ability to bring this side together in Kerr’s absence. Foord is truly a world class player. And then there’s Fowler.
There was always something about Mary; That’s why she went to the 2019 World Cup at the age of 16, without even playing a professional club match. Such is the cruel nature of football’s stubborn march; Kerr’s absence could see Fowler take the next leap forward in his still young but remarkable career as he looks to fill the abyss-like void left by his captain.
Kerr’s injury is very sad. The team will rally around him, and in time he will rally around them. But as Paris approaches, a team that has captured the hearts of Australia must chart a route for its audiences to enjoy a new moment.