ABC Sport journalist Samantha Lewis is at Sydney stadium forward of the Matildas first World Cup match on residence soil.
The importance of Sam Kerr‘s absence from this opening recreation towards Republic of Eire cannot be overstated.
She is not simply the staff’s all-time main goal-scorer, whose expertise enjoying in large video games like FA Cup finals has taught her easy methods to present up in large moments like World Cup openers, however she’s additionally a important chief on the sector.
The work she does when no one is watching — the runs she makes, the area she creates, the channels she opens for others, her menace within the air — is a giant a part of why the Matildas have change into who they’re. She is the one participant who’s virtually irreplaceable.
What does head coach Tony Gustavsson do from right here? Teenager Mary Fowler appears to have been picked as Kerr’s understudy at centre-forward, however whether or not she has the gravity to her that Kerr does — and is ready to push and pull defenders fairly in addition to her captain — is an actual doubt.
This places much more stress on the staff’s different forwards like Hayley Raso, Cortnee Vine, and Caitlin Foord to step up and take their alternatives as quickly as they arrive, as a result of their opposition will not be giving them many in any respect.
