Matildas launch fierce defence of Sam Kerr amid criticism of captaincy call

Sam Kerr's teammates and coach have rallied behind their star after a backlash at her reclaiming the captain's armband for the Matildas' friendly match with England.

Teammate Caitlin Foord said Kerr's critics "don't know who Sam is as a person", while coach Joe Montemurro said Kerr being captain was the best scenario for the team.

During Kerr's two-year absence with injury, she was involved in a high-profile court case in London, during which video was released of her arguing with a Metropolitan policeman.

Kerr, who admitted she was very drunk, was seen talking about involving lawyers from her club Chelsea and acting in a way that many perceived as "don't you know who I am?'' behaviour.

Less attention was paid to the fact that the following day she reported to the police station as asked, on her own without any lawyer.

The charges against her were dismissed by a jury within four hours of deliberations, but memories of the case have lingered.

After the Matildas were beaten 3-0 by England in Derby, Montemurro was incredulous when asked what he had to say to people who don't think Kerr should be captain.

After having the question repeated because he thought he'd misheard, he said: "We've made a decision internally for what we believe is the best for a football performance and for the group.

"As far as we're concerned, we just kept the status quo. Going forward we're happy with her continuing on as captain.''

Foord also dismissed the argument that Kerr should not be skipper.

"People don't know who Sam is as a person, so that's probably where that comes in,'' she said.

"She's a leader. If Australia is watching football, it's pretty clear what she brings. And the real football fans would be able to see that. For us internally, we know what that's about."

Chelsea teammate Ellie Carpenter also backed Kerr.

"Sam's always been our captain,'' she said.

"She was out for a very long time. Having her presence back in this squad is very important for us.

"She's a big player, she's very important to the team, she brings a lot of experience.

"She's changed football in Australia. For us having her on the team is a massive boost for us."

Carpenter stressed Kerr would need time to get back to full sharpness.

"She's just coming back from a long injury, so she's trying to find her feet, hit the ground running again," Carpenter said.

"Having multiple minutes in the national team, she's probably very happy with that and hopefully can build on that for the next game at Chelsea."

Foord said she expected Kerr to have a renewed hunger for the game.

"She's had a long injury, she's had a lot of time to miss the game," the Arsenal forward said.

"She won't take a game for granted now when she puts on the green and gold, any shirt in general, because it can be taken away from you very quickly.''

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