WORLD CUP: ‘The best four weeks of our lives’
Sam Kerr was being totally honest when she said the World Cup was ‘the best four weeks of our lives’.
Look at Caitlin Foord. Crestfallen. Head swathed in a bandage. A shiner. That’s what sport can do to you, kids. Give you a black eye and break your heart.
She was beaten-up and bruised. Like every Matilda. Exhausted and empty-handed. Like every Matilda. “We want to do something special,” Foord said. “We haven’t won anything yet. We want to win something. Until we do that, I don’t think we’ll be satisfied.”
Let’s be fair and dinkum. Australia’s comprehensive 2-0 defeat to Sweden in the bronze medal game on Saturday night was a bummer of a way to finish the World Cup. It was thoroughly and comprehensively outplayed. Having overachieved in the tournament itself, the Matildas underachieved in a game that still bleeds against the Swedes. The only silver lining was that no longer could we lament the Matildas’ failing to win the tournament. They were fractionally yet significantly off the pace when push came to shove against more physical and skilful sides in the final four.
No shame there. It was a brilliant and beautiful campaign. They won hearts and minds. They triggered $200m in government funding for women’s sport. They made you proud to be Australian, eh? They pulled 6.2 TV million viewers against Sweden. On top of the 11.2 million viewership for the semi-final loss to England, they’re astonishing numbers. A soccer side has stopped the nation like the Melbourne Cup never has. Every off-field achievement is important and to be given a standing ovation. And yet we have remember what the Matildas are at their core: professional athletes, fierce competitors. Players like Foord and captain Sam Kerr – all of them – they’re in it to win it.
Which is why for the second time in four days, Kerr cut a miserable figure at full-time in Brisbane. Asked how long it would take to recover from the disappointment of a missed bronze medal, she said: “A while. It took me a while to get over the bronze medal match loss to the USA (at the Tokyo Olympics). The sadness comes from just feeling like you missed an opportunity. What we’ve done for the country is amazing but the bronze medal, really, for us as individuals, as a team, would have been nice. So it’s a bit sad.”
Kerr was more chipper on Sunday. The Matildas received the keys to Brisbane for finishing fourth. What a ride it’s been. Highs, lows, dramas, four wins, three losses, delirium, disappointment. The whole kit and every kaboodle.
“It’s been a dream come true,” Kerr said. “Me and the girls definitely felt the love. We see everything, we appreciate everything. It’s been an emotional rollercoaster but it’s been the best four weeks of our lives.”
Kerr’s goal in Sydney was as great and thrilling as you’ll see at any World Cup. More than your regulation strike. A lightning strike. What a superstar. What a shame for the tournament, for Australians, for the Matildas and for the two-billion strong global audience that we didn’t see more of her. And what a bemusing fact this is. She played two games from the start, and the Matildas lost both. Funny old game.
An enduring memory? Two hours after the Matildas’ loss to the Lionesses in Sydney, a gloriously sassy girl of about 12 was refusing to get into her parents’ car. She was pouting in the corner of a parking station near the GWS Giants’ AFL ground. A kind-hearted security woman had a chuckle and asked the girl if she was OK. The girl shouted back, “No!” Her mum inquired as to the problem. Her daughter shot back, “I didn’t know they were going to lose!” There’s the complete lesson for younger folk perhaps diving into sport for the first time. Don’t ever count on results. It cannot be the reason to play. Sport can give you the best four weeks of your life – but it can still break your heart in the end.
The Matildas haven’t won anything yet. As Foord says, that’s the frustration. The winners are the grinners. Kerr and company want a World Cup triumph. They want an Olympic gold medal. Here’s another thing sport does. It forever dangles the next carrot. The Matildas’ first Olympic qualifier is in Perth on October 26. Here we go again.
Third senior exit at CFMEU administration
The exit came as confidential documents show the union’s national office was in deficit and the SA branch insolvent.
Flood warnings issued as Cyclone Zelia downgraded
Tropical cyclone Zelia has been downgraded but heavy rainfall continues to lash parts of northwest WA, where severe weather and emergency warnings remain in place.