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This will be the second-last window that Tony Gustavsson has to fine-turn the squad he’ll take to Paris in the hopes of winning Australia’s first-ever senior medal in Olympic football.
The big question — as always — is can they do it?
Two fourth-placed finishes in the last two major tournaments they participated in, the World Cup and the Tokyo Games, suggest they’re in with a shot. We know they’re capable of competing with the best of the best on their day.
(Especially with this gal on the field).
But they’ll have to do it without Sam Kerr, who Football Australia finally confirmed last week will miss the Olympics as she continues her recovery from an ACL tear.
While we’re kinda used to Kerr’s absence from the Tillies these days, starting with the calf strain that kept her out of most of the World Cup, looking back at the huge role she played at the last Olympics – scoring six goals in six games, over half of the team’s total — the question is really quite glaring: where are the goals gonna come from this time around?
Not that bagging heaps of goals is necessary to win a medal: heck, Canada won gold in Tokyo after scoring just six over the whole tournament (excluding two penalty shootouts), so it can be done.
But are the Tillies ready for that? What do you reckon? Log into the comments and let’s share our anxieties.