‘They played rough’: What the Australian papers made of Ireland’s first World Cup match

There is only one word screaming from the front of the New Zealand Herald on Friday morning: ‘TERRIFYING’.

The opening game of the Fifa Women’s World Cup was put starkly into contrast after a gunman killed two people and injured at least 10. The gunman, named as Matu Tangi Matua Reid (24), died in a confrontation with police.

In Australia, the shooting was not given front page coverage but was dealt with extensively.

Elsewhere, the defining story of Thursday’s Australian game was Sam Kerr. In the run-up to the opening Australian match of the Fifa Women’s World Cup against Ireland, it was about what she could do, the threat she would inevitably pose and whether she’d somersault when she scored – no doubt about it.

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Her absence is almost as much of a story as her presence would have been. ‘No Sam, no sweat: Matildas shake off Kerr plot twist to start wild cup ride with win’ reads the front page on the Australian the morning after the first game in Group B. “The show had to go on,” writes Will Swanton, “although for a moment the temptation might have been to turn out the lights and send everyone home”.

The Daily Telegraph notes the “Kerr–ve Ball” of her absence and that interim captain Steph Catley was the “steph of legend”, with her composure, confidence and, most importantly, her penalty in the 52nd moment made all the more impressive by stepping into Kerr’s shoes amid the pressure of the game.

Most noted the injured Kerr’s absence with resignation, but Dean Ritchie in the same paper appears to have forgotten that Kerr is one on a team, and not the whole team.

He was outraged at the “sneaky and deceitful” behaviour from the Matildas and the team officials: “If Kerr was injured, why not tell the nation, who spent Thursday promoting and lauding Kerr and her team-mates in anticipation of a global sporting extravaganza. We all feel pretty foolish now.”

The players opting not to tell the media the time and place of their prematch team walk, instead issuing their own video to TV stations, was an example of the “cunning lengths”, they went to, says Richie. “If this is how they treat their supporters, then they can go jump. Every supporter is entitled to feel duped,” he concludes.

Emma Kemp, in the Sydney Morning Herald, asks: “Who are the Matildas without Sam Kerr?” The question is answered with – what feels like – an interminably long list of the players and some significant moments throughout the game.

“They are Katrina Gorry running straight through Ruesha Littlejohn. They are Hayley Raso being an upstart on the wing and Ellie Carpenter saving a goal with her head.” She goes on: “They are the drums as the substituted Marissa Sheva, who conceded the penalty, cries on Ireland’s bench. [The Matildas are] the We Will Rock You beat kicking off in the stands as Lucy Quinn draws a stoppage time free kick. The heads in hands as it skims the crossbar.”

It was by no means a perfect game for the Matildas who “survived a nervy final few minutes” in the second half and “have a load of improvement in them after handling the massive weight of expectation” writes Martin Gabor in the Daily Telegraph.

Any earlier suggestion of Ireland being unable for physicality and aggression as a result of the behind-closed-doors, called-off Colombia game was immediately shot down with the physicality of the Irish display repeated across Australian media.

Swanton in the Australian remarks on the crowd volume at every “harsh, desperate, borderline egregious tackle from the Irish. They played rough”.

Martin Gabor of the Daily Telegraph wrote that the “World Cup rookies” frustrated the home side with their “physical brand of defence”.

In the same paper, Adam Peacock writes that Irish-eligible Mary Fowler, Kerr’s replacement, was “chaperoned” by Denise O’Sullivan and Ruesha Little John who “stuck to their responsibilities with the stoutness of a pint of Guinness”.

Ultimately, the Matildas had respect for the Irish debutants, but the expectation of them winning wavered only momentarily. With or without Kerr, Australia have made their case for why they deserve to make it out of the group leaving Ireland and fellow pool members Canada and Nigeria – whose game ended 0-0 – to fight for second place.