As he fielded the first question of his press conference on Monday, Matildas coach Joe Montemurro reached into his pocket, grabbed a pen and scribbled something onto his left palm.

“I was just waiting for the Sam Kerr question,” he said. “I lost a bet. It took two minutes.”

Actually, it took less than that: one minute, 15 seconds, by our count. And the next three questions were about her, too.

Nature is healing.

The purpose of the press conference was for Montemurro to unveil his 24-player squad for Australia’s upcoming friendly series against New Zealand – their final matches before next year’s Women’s Asian Cup. The matches will be played in Gosford on November 28 and Adelaide on December 2.

Naturally, the squad includes Kerr, who is set to represent her country on home soil for the

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