Fresh injury blow rocks Matildas camp

Matildas young gun Mary Fowler will miss Australia’s second group match at the FIFA Women’s World Cup after suffering a concussion at training on Tuesday.

Fowler sent a scare through the Matildas’ camp when she received a knock towards the end of the team’s closed training session. Teammate Aivi Luik was also concussed in a separate incident.

Both Fowler and Luik have fully recovered and entered Football Australia’s concussion protocols.

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Under the organisation’s graduated return to play protocol, Fowler was limited to light running and walking on Wednesday and is unable to play against Nigeria in Brisbane on Thursday night.

With a six-day stand down period from Tuesday, both players will be available for selection for Australia’s final group match against Canada.

The 20-year-old underwent precautionary tests on Tuesday before Football Australia later said that Fowler was OK, but protocols will rule her out.

Australia’s inner circle has played mind games with injuries during the tournament after coach Tony Gustavsson and captain Sam Kerr last week stated that the squad was fully fit in their pre-match press conference before Kerr was ruled out with a calf injury just before kickoff the following day.

Already ruled out of the Matildas’ clash with Nigeria, Kerr once again did not train with the main group on Wednesday.

Despite walking laps with staff, the absence of a compression band on her left calf was a good omen.

It remains to be seen if Kerr will step onto the field at all in the group stage, or whether a further seven-day break before a potential round of 16 meeting will be deemed more beneficial in her recovery.

Despite having her training load managed in recent days, defender Alannah Kennedy trained with the main group on Wednesday in a positive sign she will hold her starting spot in the side over Clare Polkinghorne.

Injury-plagued player Kyah Simon was also seen walking laps with staff.

Simon tore her ACL in October while playing for Tottenham Hotspur and looked unlikely to recover in time for football’s pinnacle competition.

Having only played a limited amount of football since May last year, Simon’s training load has been constrained.

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