Australia striker Sam Kerr pays tribute to Wales “icon” Jess Fishlock

Australia’s Sam Kerr has sung the praises of Wales icon Jess Fishlock, as the midfielder prepares for international retirement.

Kerr, who played against Fishlock in both Australia and the USA, reminisced about how the Wales star was a nightmare to play against.

The Aussie admitted that going into every match Fishlock was involved in, her team knew they would be in for a long game.

“Jess is a legend of the game. In the W-League she’s so highly regarded because she was amazing out there. She was an absolute pest to play against.

“I never got the opportunity to play with her, but you knew every time you were in a battle, and everyone knew that she was going to destroy all of our midfields.

“In the NWSL, she was playing in a midfield with Kim Little when I was there and they were a nightmare to play against.

“I know what she means to Wales, and I know how much she’s done for the game here. It’ll be nice for the girls who know her on our team like Steph Catley to be here for her final game, and it’s fitting her final game is against Australia.”

Australia manager Joe Montemurro coached Fishlock at Melbourne City.

The former Arsenal and Lyon coach waxed lyrical about the impact Fishlock has had across the footballing landscape and was hopeful the centurion would stay in football beyond retirement.

“Jess is an idol, an amazing footballer, an intelligent person, and I could go on.

“I’ve had the pleasure of knowing Jess as a person and she really helped me through a journey with Melbourne City when we were building a team from scratch. Her intelligence and ability to understand people and the game are amazing.

“I don’t need to sit here and give you all these explanations about her, because every accolade she gets tomorrow, she deserves, and many more.

“I hope she still contributes to the game, because I think there are very few big role models in world football that have done so much. I hope Jess stays in the game for a long time.”

Wales forward Ffion Morgan praises Jess Fishlock ahead of her retirement

Kerr’s return

Chelsea striker Kerr is back in the national team after almost 20 months away from football.

The Australia forward suffered an ACL injury back in January 2024 and suffered plenty of setbacks. Now she’s back with her country, and she is relishing the prospect of wearing the yellow shirt once again.

“I’m really excited and happy to be back with Australia. It’s been a long rehab, but I’m excited to be back with the girls.

“It’s the biggest honour to be able to play for your national team, and I’ve grown up with most of these girls. It’s an amazing environment and I couldn’t be happier.

“I haven’t let my mind wonder too much towards what being back on the pitch wearing the jersey would mean. I’m just focusing on training and trying to learn what I can this week, but I’ll probably sit in bed tonight and think about it, but I’m excited.

“It’s been a long time, and I guess when you’ve been in the national team for a long time you can take things for granted, but when that is taken away from you, you realise just how special it is to play for your country.”

During her lengthy time away from the pitch, Kerr did question if she would ever return to the national setup. Plenty of doubts crept in, but the positives in her recovery spurred her on.

“I always knew that I wanted to come back. I always had that drive, but there were definitely days where I doubted if I would come back.

“When you’re injured and out of the game for a long time, there’s always that element of doubt that creeps in. I had a lot of moments where I had setbacks, but there were a lot of good times as well.

“I had six or seven weeks of good training, and I had a buzz, but then there would be a setback. I was very unfortunate with my setbacks, but along the way, there was a lot that happened that made me realise that I love what I do.”

Wales icon Jess Fishlock explains decisions behind international retirement

Wales test

Saturday will mark the first ever meeting between Wales and Australia in women’s football.

While Cymru are playing in their first game back from the Euros, the Matildas are gearing up for an Asia Cup on home soil.

The two teams are at different stages in their development, but Kerr says there are some similarities between Australia’s journey and what Wales are trying to achieve.

“Wales are a developing team, but they’ve had a lot of success lately with qualifying for the Euros. They’re a great team, and in a way, they’re similar to the Matildas.

“Similar in the way they are going through their journey and the fact they’ve got some great players.

“I’ve obviously played with Sophie Ingle, and they are a team that we can’t underestimate. They are on the start of their journey of becoming a great European team for sure.”

After facing Wales, Australia will face England in a friendly in Derby.

Montemurro says he will tinker some tactics for these games, but his priority will be on the performance of his team tomorrow afternoon.

“We’re going to focus on us tomorrow. We want to focus on what we need to do better, and Wales is a top-level opponent who can help us do that.

“We need to be confident in what we do and believe in it, because that needs to be the platform. We will tinker with tactics for every team we play against but tomorrow will be about us.”

(Featured Image: John Smith/FAW)