A leading Australian physiotherapist has declared the Matildas should play Sam Kerr off the bench in their World Cup round-of-16 clash against Denmark at Stadium Australia. Best known for his 45,000-strong Twitter following under the handle @nrlphysio, Brien Seeney urged coach Tony Gustavsson to be cautious when it comes to his captain and star striker, who missed all three group games due to a calf complaint.
‘Calves are put under most pressure under fatigue,’ he said. ‘Sam theoretically could last for the whole match but she’s going to be at high risk of aggravation towards the end of the game. ‘The feeling I get is that they might start her on the bench to get the best out of her.’
Seeney believes Kerr suffered a ‘minor’ calf strain at training ahead of Australia’s tournament opener against the Republic of Ireland because the striker was able to walk around relatively freely 24 hours after the injury occurred. Come August 7, it will have been 19 days since the 29-year-old was ruled out.
‘The usual return-to-play range for minor calf strains is one to three weeks,’ he told News Corp. ‘So with three weeks you’re looking at 21 days worst case, usually. ‘Calves are put under the most pressure under fatigue.
‘She theoretically could last for the whole match but she’s going to be at high risk of aggravation as she gets fatigued towards the end of the game. ‘She’s more likely to get through the first half-hour than she is the last half-hour.’ Denmark coach Lars Søndergaard is well aware Kerr is capable of being the match-winner.
‘She can score goals, she’s fantastic in the air, and she’s quick,’ he said. ‘She’s also perhaps the best striker in the world, you have to have an eye on her if she’s fit.’ Captain Pernille Harder a former teammate of Kerr’s at Chelsea believes all the pressure will be on the Matildas as tournament co-hosts.
‘Australia is a good team,’ she said. ‘And it will be a full stadium with a lot of Australians in it. ‘It will be an experience for us and something we all look forward to. ‘I will just imagine they are cheering on Denmark instead of Australia.’ Kick-off on Monday in Sydney is 8.30pm.
