Matildas respond to 'unreal' World Cup injury curse

Matildas young weapon Mary Fowler volition miss Australia's 2nd radical lucifer astatine the FIFA Women's World Cup aft suffering a concussion astatine grooming connected Tuesday.

Fowler sent a scare done the Matildas' campy erstwhile she received a sound towards the extremity of the team's closed grooming session.

Teammate Aivi Luik was besides concussed successful a abstracted incident.

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Both Fowler and Luik person afloat recovered and entered Football Australia's concussion guidelines, but questions stay astir however 2 concussions were sustained successful 2 abstracted accidents, each successful 1 grooming league 2 days retired from a important match.

Mary Fowler has been ruled retired for the Matildas' 2nd World Cup crippled owed to a concussion. (Getty)

Fronting the media aboriginal connected Wednesday, Matildas caput manager Tony Gustavsson said determination was "no carnal contact" progressive and that interaction with different teammates was not the origin of either incident.

"I wholly recognize if you didn't spot the training, if I were you sitting retired determination I would go, 'What the heck is happening astatine training?'," helium said.

"But it was a wholly mean training. Two days retired (from a game) you ever person a high-intensity, medium-sized game.

"We played astatine a precocious strength and everything was bully but we were unlucky with unluckily 2 caput knocks.

"It was axenic unlucky what happened during the game, and with 2 abstracted incidents, a spot unreal to beryllium honest. I've ne'er experienced thing similar it.

"We didn't bash thing antithetic to mean and we were a spot unlucky this clip ... the aesculapian squad took attraction of the players and the players took attraction of the crippled and they conscionable kept playing and were focused.

"The players are connected a ngo and focused connected what they tin control, truthful recognition to the players successful yesterday's grooming with however they responded."

Gustavsson failed to sanction "the caller player" who would travel into Australia's starting XI for Fowler.

Under the governing body's graduated instrumentality to play protocol, Fowler was constricted to airy moving and walking connected Wednesday and is incapable to play against Nigeria successful Brisbane connected Thursday night.

Mary Fowler was brought into the Matildas starting XI successful the World Cup opener aft Sam Kerr's wounded (Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

With a six-day basal down play from Tuesday, some Fowler and Luik volition beryllium disposable for enactment for Australia's last radical lucifer against Canada.

The 20-year-old underwent precautionary tests connected Tuesday earlier Football Australia aboriginal confirmed that Fowler would miss the Nigeria clash owed to the concussion protocols.

Australia's interior ellipse has played caput games with injuries this tourney aft Gustavsson and skipper Sam Kerr past week stated that the squad was afloat acceptable successful their pre-match property league earlier Kerr was ruled retired with a calf wounded conscionable earlier kickoff the pursuing day.

Already ruled retired of the Matildas' clash with Nigeria, Kerr erstwhile again did not bid with the main radical connected Wednesday.

Sam Kerr was connected airy duties during the Matildas' grooming session. (Chris Hyde via Getty Images)

Despite being restricted to walking laps with the aesculapian unit staff, the lack of a compression set connected Kerr's near calf was a affirmative motion for the Matildas.

It remains to beryllium seen if Kerr volition measurement onto the tract astatine each successful the radical stage, oregon whether a further seven-day interruption earlier a imaginable circular of 16 gathering volition beryllium deemed much beneficial successful her recovery.

Gustavsson reiterated that Kerr's wounded would beryllium reassessed betwixt Australia's matches with Nigeria and Canada, but said a last determination would astir apt not beryllium made until the time earlier the last radical match.

"We privation to hold until the past infinitesimal to spot wherever she is astatine with availability," helium said.

Kyah Simon sits retired Australia's Group B lucifer against Ireland astatine the FIFA Women's World Cup. (Cameron Spencer via Getty Images)

Despite having her grooming load managed successful caller days, defender Alannah Kennedy trained with the main radical connected Wednesday successful a affirmative motion she volition clasp her starting spot successful the broadside implicit Clare Polkinghorne.

Injury-plagued guardant Kyah Simon was besides seen walking laps with the aesculapian staff.

Simon tore her ACL successful October portion playing for Tottenham Hotspur and looked improbable to retrieve successful clip for football's pinnacle competition.

Having lone played a constricted magnitude of shot since May past year, Simon's grooming load has been constrained.

Asked if helium felt immoderate regret towards selecting Simon - a subordinate Gustavsson antecedently admitted would not beryllium firing physically until the backmost extremity of the tourney - successful hindsight of the team's wounded crisis, the Swede backed his decision.

Tony Gustavsson has nary regrets implicit picking Kyah Simon contempt the seasoned guardant inactive being sidelined (FIFA via Getty Images)

"I'm ne'er going to regret picking Kyah," helium said.

"I picked her for antithetic reasons - 1 was that we knew she going to person constricted minutes but her game-changer prime was what we picked her for what she showed successful grooming the past mates of weeks earlier selection.

"We knew it was a hazard but you ne'er cognize what it volition beryllium like.

"The different happening is what she contributes to the radical successful the locker country and disconnected the transportation with her acquisition and her personality.

"Also coming in during large unit moments similar other clip oregon a punishment shootout wherever she has travel up large successful large games before."

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