Sam Kerr available for Australia's group-stage finale: 'I'm going to be ready'
Sam Kerr delivered co-host Australia a massive boost ahead of its all-or-nothing Women's World Cup matchup with Canada (Monday, coverage begins at 5:30 a.m. ET, with kickoff at 6 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app), announcing Saturday she will be "available" to make her first appearance of the tournament.
Kerr, widely considered one of the best players in the world — if not the best — was forced to sit out the Matildas' first two games after sustaining an untimely calf injury on the eve of group play.
Her absence was sorely felt, with Australia being stunned by Nigeria on Thursday, meaning that anything other than victory against Olympic champion Canada in Melbourne would lead to elimination. No host nation has ever failed to make the knockout phase at a Women's World Cup.
"I'm definitely going to be available, but how we decide to use that is not to be given to the opposition," Kerr told reporters at the team's training facility in Brisbane.
"I'm going to be there. I'm going to be ready. And, like we said at the very start, the plan was to miss the first two games and reassess. That's where we are now."
Kerr is one of the highest-profile women's players on the planet, a cover star of the FIFA 23 Ultimate Edition video game, recipient of a lucrative contract with Chelsea, and a national hero in her homeland.
There are numerous options for how the Aussies could use her against Canada. Given that the first time she donned cleats in training since the injury was Saturday, the possibility of a role from the substitutes bench looms large for the 29-year-old.
This browser does not support the Video element.
The Australian public has responded strongly to the Women's World Cup and the Matildas' stuttering play without Kerr in Group B has been a major disappointment.
Nigeria currently tops the group and will be guaranteed a place in the round of 16 provided it avoids defeat against already-eliminated Ireland.
That leaves the Australia-Canada showdown looking like a winner-takes-all blockbuster, in what will be one of the most anticipated games of the event so far.
Kerr's announcement only adds to the drama and the dynamic goalscorer will carry the hopes of an expectant nation at Melbourne's Rectangular Stadium – whatever role she plays.
Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider newsletter. Follow him on Twitter @MRogersFOX and subscribe to the daily newsletter.