Is Sam Kerr about to become Australia's not-so-secret bench weapon at the World Cup?

She may be one of the best strikers in the world, but it seems like the best place for Matildas' star forward is the bench – something few pundits could have predicted going into the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup. 

Indeed, a Kerr-less Matildas squad was given little chance of escaping the group by many underestimating media outlets when Kerr was ruled out with a calf injury at the start of the tournament. But what seemed like a monumental disaster may have actually helped Australia's chances.

The Matildas not only topped Group B without her, but they also eliminated Denmark in the last-16 with Kerr taking to the field for the final 10 minutes with Australia up 2-0. It seems the Matildas squad has gelled better than many could have hoped and are not short of attacking options.

Since the Matildas were forced to reshuffle with Kerr ruled out, the combination of Caitlin Foord and Steph Catley has been formidable, while Hayley Raso and Mary Fowler have both stepped up their attacking game, with Raso in particular on a bit of roll with goals in the last two games, including a brace against Canada. 

Given how well the side is playing right now, the return of Kerr has caused a bit of a headache for coach Tony Gustavsson. “Who should play?” he asked at a press conference following the win over Denmark, as reported by the Guardian. “I have more than 11 players that deserve to start.”

While there’s no denying Kerr on her best day could break pretty well any backline, given her lack of minutes it would be more of a risk to start her and risk losing her in the first half should her injury flare up.

“When do we use her, if we use her, maybe she needs some minutes to mentally and physically get ready for the next game,” Gustavsson said. “But that means a risk as well. How much are we willing to risk?”

Instead, having the world’s best out-and-out striker on the bench could be the best possible option, firstly providing a premium attacking option once fatigue has set in, not to mention a psychological boost that could help turn the game against the best sides.

Purely hypothetical, of course, as nobody can predict just what’s going to happen in the next few games, and while having Sam Kerr back on the lineup sheets may be causing some problems for Gustavsson – it’s a problem that bodes well for the Aussies.

Let's not forget exactly what Kerr brings. She has been named the Golden Boot winner seven times on three different continents, an award for the league’s top scorer. She has been voted the Most Valuable Player five times in three separate leagues and is the all-time leading goal-scorer for the nation she now proudly captains. Let's take a look back at her career so far. 

Will she get to add 'World Cup winner' to her list of titles? We'll have a better idea on Saturday.