Matildas sweat on stalwart’s hamstring scans before Cup
Anna Harrington |
Matildas stalwart Tameka Yallop is nervously awaiting scans on a hamstring injury that could pit her in a race against time to be fit for the Asian Cup.
Yallop was in tears after she re-injured her right hamstring and pulled up abruptly when chasing down a ball just 40 minutes into Brisbane Roar’s 3-1 win over Adelaide United on Sunday.
The 34-year-old spent six months on the sidelines, despite avoiding surgery, after suffering a serious hamstring tear on the same leg in Brisbane’s final game in April last season.
Yallop punched the ground in frustration after her injury and had scans late on Monday with results expected Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.
The Roar and Football Australia’s medical staff are expected to work together on a plan for Yallop going forward, given featuring at a home Asian Cup in less than three months’ time is her priority.
Matildas coach Joe Montemurro will also be sweating on the severity of the veteran’s injury, as he considers Yallop to be one of few genuine line-breaking midfield options in his squad.
Yallop and Mary Fowler, who is yet to return from an ACL tear, are the two regulars under injury clouds ahead of the tournament.
The popular, versatile and vastly experienced Yallop had been building minutes and momentum for Brisbane and returned for the Matildas in their recent friendlies against New Zealand.
As a teenager, Yallop was a member of the Matildas team that won the 2010 Asian Cup in China and is desperate to repeat that feat in Australia.
“I would love to lift that trophy again, and to do it on home soil with people actually watching would just be a whole new level,” she told AAP in October.
The Matildas kick off their campaign against the Philippines on March 1 in Perth.
AAP
