Sam Kerr could potentially become 'a more balanced athlete' once she fully recovers from her knee injury, as fans looked for a silver lining after the Matildas star's shock news.
Kerr, 30, is in serious doubt for the Paris Olympics after suffering a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament while playing for English club Chelsea overnight.
The knee injury typically requires eight to twelve months of recovery time. With the Paris Games just six months and 16 days away, Matildas fans are increasingly worried they won't see their star striker.
But there are reasons to be hopeful. In an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Matildas team doctor Brandi Cole said athletes typically return “more balanced” than before the ACL injury.
“Often, especially with ACL injuries, one of the risk factors is that you have too high a quad-hamstring ratio,” she said. 'That means your quads are too strong and your hamstrings are not strong enough.
There is a silver lining for Matildas and Chelsea fans following Sam Kerr's knee injury
An expert claims Kerr could become “a more balanced athlete” after her injury
'When we do ACL rehabilitation in the initial phase, it is often mainly focused on hamstring rehabilitation, especially if you have had a hamstring transplant. We actually don't let the athlete get past a certain point if his ratio isn't good enough. So we look at the strength of that injured leg compared to the strength of the other side, but also at the ratio between front and back.
'Whereas if you already come in with that (imbalance), we will not take you out of training until you correct that deficit. We often do an annual screening, and if you notice that the quad to hamstring ratio is greater than, let's call it a 10 to 15 percent difference, then you really want to work on that during training with them to reduce their future risk to reduce injury. ACL injury – but you're still training and playing during that time.
“Whereas once you have the injury, once you have that deficit, your only focus is on fixing that deficit. It doesn't happen quickly, but because it is the focus, the athlete ultimately becomes a more balanced athlete.”
Ellie Carpenter, Kerr's Matildas teammate, has also been sidelined due to a long-term cruciate ligament injury and recently admitted the setback was actually 'a blessing in disguise'.
“Honestly, I think this is the best thing that happened to me,” she said in March last year.
'I really needed this break. I was very tired, I have played a lot of football over the past year and a half. I was actually on the verge of burnout.
“The injury came and it was obviously disappointing, but at the same time it was the perfect time for me to reset, get stronger, rest and have an off-season that I never really had. I think I really, really needed it and I think I'm better for it.”
Regardless, Monday's news was described as 'devastating' by Matildas manager Tony Gustavsson.
Ellie Carpenter says her ACL injury last year was 'a blessing in disguise'
“Given how hard Sam has worked over the past six months to get back to playing, this news is a devastating blow for everyone,” Gustavsson said.
“With her ability to lead by example, Sam's guidance and influence on the team is significant and as a result this will be an incredible loss for the national team.”
Fans have also been devastated by the news that Kerr could be ruled out of the entire Paris Olympics campaign.
“This is horrible and something needs to be done about the number of women suffering from this injury,” one fan wrote.
'The sooner they investigate female ACL injuries, the better! Devastating for any athlete.”