‘We weren’t honest’: Matildas coach confirms Sam Kerr plot

Matildas manager Tony Gustavsson has revealed his team planned to hide Sam Kerr’s big secret and is thrilled the Matildas pulled it off.

Tyson Otto

@tottodtsport

4 min read

July 23, 2023 - 3:06PM

Sam Kerr of Australia is seen prior to the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia & New Zealand 2023 Group B match between Australia and Ireland at Stadium Australia on July 20, 2023 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Matildas manager Tony Gustavsson has revealed the team planned to deceive the world to protect Sam Kerr’s injury secret.

Gustavsson had plenty of reasons to smile after Australia held on for a thrilling World Cup opening win against Ireland on Thursday night.

In front of a record crowd of 75,784 – the biggest ever crowd for a women’s football game in Australia — fill-in captain Steph Catley stepped up to score a thunderous penalty goal which sparked wild scenes inside Stadium Australia.

Kerr was seen smiling with teammates at the end of the game, but had earlier cut a devastated figure and was in tears while standing with teammate Kyah Simon on the sidelines in the minutes before kick-off.

Kerr, and the Matildas, shocked the footballing world an hour before kick-off when the team announced she had suffered a calf injury during the team’s final training session run on Wednesday.

The team kept the secret for more than 24 hours, but rumours were beginning to emerge in the hours leading into Australia’s tournament opener.

Tony Gustavsson and Sam Kerr during Wednesday’s press conference. Photo by FRANCK FIFE / AFP.

Gustavsson after the match admitted his team had not told the truth about Kerr’s injury.

Kerr herself faced the press for the final pre-match press conference on Wednesday — after having already suffered the injury — and never mentioned that she may have been in doubt to play.

Gustavsson said one of the reasons his team did not come clean is that he wanted to protect Kerr from having to answer questions about the injury at a time when she was still very emotional about it.

“First of all I hope you and the media understand the position not to say,” he told Channel 7’s Adam Peacock.

“Some people might wonder why we weren’t honest in the press conference. We didn’t have all the information either. We were waiting for the scans at that moment too.

“A lot of it is tactics and you don’t want to give away anything. Sam is a massive part of our game plan and Ireland’s game plan. We wanted to protect Sam and the team emotionally not to have to answer all the questions.

“It was a tough 24 hours mentally for the team. I think they handled it magnificently. The way Sam led the team speech in the locker room and today as well, she means a lot for the team, even though she is not on the park.”

Sam Kerr was all smiles by the end of her night, despite the personal anguish. Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP.

The team’s subterfuge clearly paid off with Ireland coach Vera Pauw confirming they only found out about Kerr’s absence when the Aussie team sheet came out.

The deception has received mixed reviews with some sporting commentators hitting out at the way the team treated its fans.

Many fans, however, have been quick to show support.

Former footy journalist Mark Stevens wrote on Twitter: “Looking forward to some hard questions in presser re silly Matildas selection games. They need to be held to account.”

The Daily Telegraph’s Dean Ritchie also said the team’s actions were “sneaky”.

Matildas players after the game said they had learned about the seriousness of Kerr's injury on Wednesday afternoon and knew she was not going to play against Ireland the same day.

The 29-year-old now has just 11 days to recover before the final pool stage game against Canada on July 31.

Gustavsson said Kerr is no chance to face Nigeria in the second pool match in Brisbane on Thursday.

Sam Kerr of the Matildas will miss the first two World Cup games. Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images.

“Unfortunately I sustained a calf injury yesterday in training,” she said in a statement.

“I wanted to share this with everyone so there is no distraction from what we came here to achieve.

“Of course I would have loved to have been out there tonight, but I can’t wait to be a part of this amazing journey which starts now.”

Arsenal defender Catley stepped up as captain against Ireland, with Mary Fowler starting up front in place of Kerr.

The team said their medical staff will re-assess Kerr following their second group-stage match.

Kerr made her Australia debut aged just 15 and has gone on to become one of the best players in women’s football, with her profile soaring to new heights since moving to Chelsea in 2020.

She has been shortlisted for the women’s Ballon d’Or and nominated for the Best FIFA Women’s Player consistently since 2017.

In 2019, Kerr became the first Australian, man or woman, to score a hat-trick at a World Cup, but winning a major trophy with her country has eluded her.

Australian sport commentators were stunned when news of her injury came through.

Matildas star Elise Kellond-Knight told Channel 7: “My heart really breaks for Sammy. I know she wants to be out there, I know she wants to be a part of these two games.

“Luckily there’s another 22 players on this team. The team isn’t just Sam Kerr. We saw that on Friday night, so I think we can all be really confident that we can go into this game with plenty more opportunities where we’re going to create really good attacks.

“I think for the average fan out there, they’ll be shocked. I mean, a lot of people only know Sam Kerr for the Matildas, but I can guarantee you there are a lot of superstars in this team and I don’t think we need to be worried or concerned at all going into this game. We’ve got so much depth. If anything, it’s kind of great that we can rest Sam and afford to put her on the sidelines and then look at our other players and create our attacks through those players.”