Sam Kerr’s selfless Matildas act revealed after ‘most heartbreaking moment’

She was struck down in the most heartbreaking circumstances but Sam Kerr’s response highlighted the pure class of the Matildas leader.

This was supposed to be Sam Kerr’s moment, the crowning occasion of her legendary career.

Instead she was stranded on the sidelines, sitting, waiting, wishing she was part of the action.

But after Australia opened its World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Ireland, Kerr’s teammates have revealed the selfless role she played in their triumph.

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Instead of wallowing in her own situation, Kerr was still front and centre for her country.

She delivered a memorable pre-game speech to the team, before taking her place on the bench and handing out drink bottles to her fellow players.

It was everything we’ve come to expect from Australia’s greatest player.

After the match, the Matildas opened up about what it was like to play without their regular captain and stalwart forward in arguably the biggest game in the nation’s history.

Facing the task of one of the world’s top set-piece sides playing five at the back — a combination that the Matildas have in the past struggled to break open — the absence of Kerr to a calf injury shocked the Australian football world, and left fans and pundits alike at a loss for how the Matildas would recover.

Steph Catley stood up to replace Kerr as captain, slotting a penalty (Kerr’s usual duty) to send the Matildas 1-0 up in the 52nd minute, while Mary Fowler replaced Kerr off the bench.

Sam Kerr delivers water bottles for her teammates. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Both players spoke about how difficult the news was to receive, but that the team had come together.

“Yeah, it was tough,” Catley said.

“I think it was probably one of the most heartbreaking moments of my career.

“To be fair, you know, Sam’s one of the best players in the world. She’s our spiritual leader.

“She means so much to this team. So to have her go down a day before was pretty awful.”

Despite the news, Catley said it added “fire” in the bellies of the Matildas who knew they had an even more difficult task against a steely Ireland outfit.

“I think as a team, it added something to us it added a fire, added a little bit of extra fire,” she said.

“I think everyone looked at it and said, ‘well, I’ve got to step up now because we don’t have Sam’ and I think we spoke about that.

“And we did that really well. And she’s still around, you know, she’s still going to reflect on the team.

“She’s in every meeting. She’s in there at halftime talking to everyone. She’s doing the pre-game talk.

“She’s Sam and she’s still with us. So we’ll do everything we can to get as far as we can.”

Catley’s coolly slotted penalty was one of only two shots on target for the entire match. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)

Fowler replaced Kerr and said she wasn’t feeling the pressure of filling the boots of the greatest player in the nation’s history.

“It was such an honour to be able to get out there and start for your country at a World Cup,” Fowler said.

“I was really proud to be able to get that, obviously feel for Sam because it‘s such a big tournament and she means so much to the team and to this country.

“But yeah, there’s just been love from the teammates towards her and from her towards us.”

Asked whether she was feeling any extra weight heading into an expected shootout against Nigeria in Brisbane, Fowler remained composed.

“I think I feel ready and everyone else feels ready,” she said.

“So whoever’s out there and we just, you know need to do when we get out there you just play?”

Defender Ellie Carpenter said Kerr was with the team in spirit and in person.

She was with us the whole game and we did this win for her,” Carpenter said.

“She’ll be back soon.”

Kerr is expected to miss the Matildas’ next fixture against Nigeria in Brisbane before being assessed in hopes she will be fit for a blockbuster final group game against Canada on July 31.