Ash Barty's huge call on Sam Kerr ahead of Women's World Cup

Ash Barty may have been supplanted by football superstar Sam Kerr as Australia's most adored athlete, but the retired tennis champion is proudly on board the Matildas bandwagon, ahead of the Women's World Cup. Kerr and her Aussie side open their home campaign against the Republic of Ireland in front of what is expected to be a full house of more than 82,000 fans at Sydney's Accor Stadium on Thursday night.

The hype and expectation around Kerr and the host nation is massive, with Friday night's friendly against France at Marvel Stadium setting a new attendance record of 50,629 for a Matildas home game. That record will be smashed against Ireland on Thursday night, with Kerr very much seen as carrying the hopes of a nation, much like Barty did in tennis before sensationally walking away from the sport as World No.1.

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Kerr has taken the baton from Barty as Australia's most popular athlete and will be the country's most watched, idolised and scrutinised player on the planet as the Aussies look to win one of the few remaining World Cups that has eluded a sports-mad nation. Barty has only met Kerr once, but believes if anyone can deal with the pressure and intense glare of the world's spotlight, it's the Matildas' all-conquering captain.

"I've only met Sam once, in Tokyo at the Olympics, but have admired her for a long time," Barty told AAP. "Her drive and tenacity to be successful in every team she plays in is special.

"The way she has taken control of her own career, her sheer talent and what she has done to inspire Australian kids to play football is amazing. I wish Sam and the team the best of luck for the World Cup. I love watching the Matildas play and will be cheering loudly from home."

Kerr is one of the undisputed superstars in world football, having won the Football Writers' Association Women's Footballer of the Year for two years running, delivering her club side Chelsea a raft of silverware in the process. The Matildas captain admits Barty - who just gave birth to her first child Hayden recently - is also someone she has admired and taken inspiration from over the years.

Sam Kerr has taken inspiration from Ash Barty

"When I look at people like Ash Barty I'm like 'man, that girl's sick'. She literally wins everything, she's so humble. I'd probably put her at the top right now - only because I want to have a Barty party," Kerr told AAP in 2021.

"That's for other people to decide. I do everything I can to be in that conversation and win as many trophies and be talked about by people for years to come. I'm not going to say 'I'm as good as Ash', because I just can't ever see myself doing that.

"But I'm really proud to be leading the way with all of those athletes. I saw Ash at the Olympics and our whole team was fan-girling over Ash. That's such a cool thing to have now in women's sport, that there's all these different people that young girls and boys can look up to."

Tameka Yallop under injury cloud for Matildas

While Kerr has brushed off any concerns after the France friendly - having sported an ice pack on her hamstring - concerns still remain over midfielder Tameka Yallop. The midfielder faces an uphill battle to be ready for the Ireland game after hyper-extending her left knee against France, little more than 10 minutes after coming on as a second half substitute.

It has since been confirmed that Yallop is actually dealing with a thigh issue. Matildas staffers and players have maintained that Yallop is fine, but on a modified program.

Yallop, who has had a wretched run with injuries over the past year, was injured just 12 minutes into her first appearance since injuring her ankle in April. Charli Grant (illness) also didn't train on Tuesday, but is on the mend.

Australia don't have any standby players in camp, with neither Yallop and Kyah Simon, who is on a modified program after recovering from an ACL tear, likely to be replaced. The deadline to replace a player is Wednesday 8pm (AEST), 24 hours before Australia's opening match kicks off.

with AAP

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