Ever since Louise Quinn kept Sam Kerr scoreless during Ireland’s 3-2 defeat of Australia at Tallaght Stadium in September 2021, the Chelsea striker has been busy becoming the most recognisable female athlete on planet Earth.
Kerr’s numbers tell the story: 90 goals for Chelsea in 116 appearances across four seasons sits snugly beside 63 international strikes from 116 caps since her teenage debut in 2009.
Need more proof? How about 29 WSL goals for Chelsea from 38 outings this season or 14 net rattlers in 16 matches for the Matildas since Quinn’s header helped Ireland snap a seven-match losing streak.
“It’s rare but I felt like I got one up on her with the Irish team in Tallaght and that is something that I will carry forward with me,” said Quinn after training this week but before Denise O’Sullivan was hospitalised after a challenge by a Colombian player. “But, as you say, she’s very impressive, she’s very strong, easily one of the best strikers in the world now.
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“For me, you concentrate on the whole thing but I definitely have an individual battle on my hands, that is essentially what I want. What I want to do is not let her score essentially. Keep her out of the game. She really creates moments out of nothing so it has to be 100 per cent for the 90 minutes.”
Kerr’s instinctive movement between centre halves and full backs tends to spark her trademark somersault and backflip celebration.
“Yeah, she runs off the back shoulders a lot,” Quinn continued. “She is so nippy that she can come off your blindside and make runs in behind. I can’t wait for the challenge to be honest, this is what you play for, to play against the very best in the world. And she is one of the best. We’ve proved before against Australia that we can put something up against her and she was on the pitch that day and had her chances.”
Maybe the Birmingham City skipper can bottle up the East Fremantle native like Paul McGrath silenced Roberto Baggio at the Giants stadium in 1994. An early introduction could be inevitable.
“Youse know me, I’m not a dirty player,” said Quinn. “You have to frustrate her, give her a really difficult day. And that’s what we all have our mind on, do what we do well, frustrate teams and then you know, put them under pressure. But for me we have an incredibly strong backline, every girl has each other’s back constantly. I have that in my mind but it can be passed on to one of the other girls. We want the challenge.”
It was Mary Fowler and not Kerr who scored the only goal against France in Melbourne last Friday night, a good half-hour after the 29-year-old had been wrapped up in cotton wool. Fowler is only 20, and while she sounds as Australian as they come, that Dublin night almost two years ago is remembered for the full-time embrace she shared with her Ballymun grandad Kevin Fowler.
“Listen, a team isn’t shaped around one player. We didn’t go out to say let’s piss [Kerr] off a bit [in 2021]. It’s how we play, it’s how we defend, how we stick together, close off players and threats from where it comes. And that means cutting it off at the source at times.
“We all know she is fantastic in the air so it is about cutting off the supply from crosses. It’s going to change every game. We’re not saying this is, she is the one to watch. They’re an incredibly talented team. It’s defending from the top, we start from there, and hopefully we do start from there.
“We know with [Arsenal duo] Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley, we can try and get as much info from Katie [McCabe] as possible on that. You see their qualities. We need to cut from the source, frustrate them and defending is one of our strong points and it’s what we do after that.”
Australia cancelled their open training session and media powwow on Sunday morning in Queensland.
“Already ready,” France manager Herve Renard told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Congratulations to Australia, they deserved to win. But it’s only a preparation game. Take it easy, stay relaxed. The competition didn’t start yet.”
