Roger Kerr has delivered some shattering news for his daughter and Matildas fans alike.
The superstar footballer and Australian captain will not feature at this years Paris Olympics in July.
Speaking on ABC radio, Roger Kerr said Sam was “definitely” out of the running for the 2024 Games.
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“Yeah, definitely out of the Olympics,” Roger Kerr said on Friday.
“So she’ll miss that and be ready for the start of Chelsea’s new season.”
Sam Kerr is obviously still recovering from knee surgery after she ruptured her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in January.
But according to stand-in captain Steph Catley, Kerr is still very much a part of things … albeit from the other side of the world.
“I’m still very much leaning on Sam and she’s very much involved in a lot of the decision making and things that we talk about,” Catley said this week.
“She’s an incredible leader and someone that’s very, very important to this team.
“I did ask her right at the beginning if she ever feels like it’s too much and she’s got obviously so much to deal with, and so much to focus on with the her injury and getting back (and) she doesn’t want to be involved at whatever point, she’s more than welcome to step away.
“But she cares about this team so much. So she’s definitely very much on top of everything and I’m still leaning on her for a lot of things.”
The Matildas punched their ticket to the Olympics with a 10-0 hammering of Uzbekistan on Wednesday night, and a Matildas spokesperson said they had not officially ruled a line through Kerr.
The Matildas will give their champion as much time as possible before they make that call, and will rely on advice from medical officials.
But Roger Kerr was pragmatic while delivering the bad news.
“Naturally everything will be very disappointing, but it’s usually the life of a sportsman, your best player goes down,” he said.
“But (the Olympics is) a real good thing for the Matildas, they’ve developed really well. Sam’s part of the team but it’s the whole team and it’s a very successful team at the moment, so hopefully they bring home a medal.”
On Thursday night Kerr won her third WA Sport Star Award and that three-peat has put her alongside the all-time greats of WA sporting champions.
She is now the fifth person to win the award at least three times, joining giants of Australian sport such as tennis great Margaret Court, cricket legends Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh, and hockey immortal Ric Charlesworth.
“It’s just a sensational effort for her … It’s sensational company,” Roger Kerr said.
– With AAP