Matildas coach Joe Montemurro ‘happy’ to have Sam Kerr captain the national team
Having the returning Sam Kerr as Matildas captain is “best” for the team, according to coach Joe Montemurro.
Matildas coach Joe Montemurro has made no apologies for reinstating Sam Kerr as Australia’s captain, saying it’s what’s “best” for the team.
In just her second appearance back after an injury-enforced international absence of almost two years, Kerr captained a Matildas team that was outclassed in a 3-0 loss to England in Derby on Wednesday morning (AEDT)
During her time out of the game as she recovered from a knee reconstruction, Kerr was in a London court facing a charge of racially aggravated harassment after calling a police officer “f--king stupid and white”.
Kerr was found not guilty of the charge, but her image suffered, with large sections of the Australian public calling for her not to regain the Matildas captaincy on her return to action.
And while she wasn’t the skipper in her first game back, Australia’s 2-1 weekend win over Wales in Cardiff, where Hayley Raso captained the team in honour of her 100th Matildas appearance, Kerr wore the armband against the Lionesses and will seemingly continue to do so.
“We’ve made a decision internally for what we believe is the best for football performance and for the group,” Montemurro said after his team’s loss.
“I make football decisions. I’m not going to make any political decisions, they’re purely football, and Sam is an important part of what we’re trying to do.
“As far as we’re concerned, we just kept the status quo going forward and we’re happy with her continuing on as captain.”
Matildas star Ellie Carpenter, who is also a teammate of Kerr at club level with Chelsea, backed Montemurro’s leadership decision.
“Sam’s always been our captain,’ Carpenter said.
“She was out for a very long time. Having her presence back in this squad is very important for us.
“She’s a big player, she’s very important to the team, she brings a lot of experience. For us, she’s changed football in Australia, and having her on the team is a massive boost for us.
“She’s just coming back from a very long injury, so she’s trying to find her feet and hit the ground running again.
“Multiple minutes in the national team, she’s probably very happy with that and hopefully can build on that for her next games for club and country.”
Kerr was on the field for 70 minutes in a disappointing Australian performance that wasn’t helped by the dismissal of the experienced Alanna Kennedy after just 20 minutes for a professional foul on England star Alessia Russo.
“We didn’t start well … and then the game changed with (being reduced) to 10 players,” Montemurro said.
“They’re a world-class side. They started well, even before the sending off. We take it as a massive learning curve for us.”
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