Matildas dealt Katrina Gorry and Clare Hunt double blow ahead of Paris Olympics

Matildas duo Katrina Gorry and Clare Hunt are both in doubt for the upcoming Olympics after picking up injuries just months out from the Games. Gorry was injured in West Ham's loss to Chelsea in the Women's Super League (WSL) last weekend.

She forced off in the 21st minute when Chelsea's Melanie Leupolz lunged in and caught her leg. The 31-year-old immediately clutched her right shin and ankle after the tackle and left the stadium with her right foot in a moon boot. The Australian midfielder was sent for scans and on Wednesday she took to social media to tell fans her WSL season was over.

"I've spent the last few days sitting with my emotions," she wrote. "Now it's time to face this next challenge and trust in my body to come back stronger." Five rounds of the Women's Super League remain, with the competition set to wrap up in mid-May.

Gorry has been an integral part of the Matildas midfield, forming a formidable partnership with Arsenal's Kyra Cooney-Cross. It is unclear exactly how long she will be on the sidelines but she will be racing the clock to return in time for the Matildas' first Olympics match against Germany on July 26.

Clare Hunt ruled out of PSG's clash with Montpellier with stress fracture

Gorry's potential absence is far from the only worry for Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson, with first choice centre back Clare Hunt currently sidelined with a stress fracture. Hunt, who has risen to prominence in the past 12 months, missed her club side Paris Saint-Germain's 3-1 win over Montpellier on Monday, with French media reporting she was out with a stress fracture in her foot.

The seriousness of her injury is currently unknown but she could also face a race against time to be fit for Paris. A Football Australia spokeswoman said there was "no current update" on Hunt's condition.

Hunt and Gorry have joined a growing number of Matildas players who are either out or in doubt for the Games. Most notably Sam Kerr has been ruled out of the Matildas' Olympic bid, after tearing her ACL during training earlier this year and she is expected to miss around nine months. While Holly McNamara's (ACL), Lydia Williams (ankle), Charlie Rule (hip) and Chloe Logarzo (hip) are also all set to miss the Paris Games.

Emily Van Egmond not concerned about Matildas tough Olympics draw

The Matildas face a tough task at the upcoming Games, drawn in the group of death with the USA, Germany and either Morocco or Zambia in Group B. The Matildas have only ever defeated the USA once in 33 meetings. Their last meeting was at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics bronze medal playoff where the USA won 4-3.

Paris will mark the fifth Olympic Games for the Matildas, having featured in 2000, 2004, 2016 and 2020 with fourth place at the Tokyo Olympics their best-ever finish. They qualified for Paris after defeating Uzbekistan 13-0 on aggregate earlier this year but their hopes of a maiden Olympic medal took a hit following the tough group stage draw.

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But Matildas vice-captain Emily Van Egmond isn't concerned about Australia's group. When asked about the challenge of facing Germany and the USA, Van Egmond said whoever they play at the Olympics will be a tough match.

"I think you saw our hard it was for the European teams to qualify with England and Sweden missing out. For us, it is just about focusing on ourselves," she added. England made the 2023 World Cup final but failed to qualify for the Olympics. Sweden defeated Australia in the third-place playoff at the 2023 World Cup, but also failed to qualify for the Olympics.

with AAP