ot long after the Matildas’ historic victory over France on Saturday night, after she had helped take Australian sport to a place it had never been, Sam Kerr went back to her roots. To her 1.4 million Instagram followers, the Western Knights junior posted a photo in quadruplicate. It depicted herself arm-in-arm with teammates Caitlin Foord and Emily van Egmond at each of the previous four World Cups. This trio, shining treasures of the Matildas’ golden generation, have been rightly recognised as the fuel for Australia’s attack. The whole squad is tight, but the strength of bond between these three is something else. One that has been forged over more than a decade in the fires of international football. Allow Instagram content? This article includes content provided by Instagram. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. To view this content, click "Allow and continue". Allow and continue The three enjoyed their first major international tournament together at the World Cup in Germany in 2011, where the Matildas went out to Sweden in the quarter-finals. Former Matilda Heather Garriock was a senior player and quickly recognised something distinctive about the trio. “They were cheeky, they always got up to mischief, and had plenty of swagger,” she said. “But when they crossed the white line, then obviously it was business.” The Matildas celebrate Charlotte Grant’s goal during the friendly win over England before the World Cup semi-final at Stadium Australia on Wednesday. ‘Just another opponent’: Matildas play down England rivalry ahead of World Cup clash Read more Each brought something different to the team. Van Egmond, the daughter of former Socceroo and coach Gary, had pedigree, athleticism and determination. Foord was the scintillating winger whose talents secured her the 2011 tournament’s best young player award. And Kerr was, well, Kerr. “Caitlin was more the quiet one that was super keen to follow,” Garriock said. “Emily was the ringleader most definitely, and Sam was just hilarious. Constantly cracking jokes and smiling and laughing, and she always had that charisma.” Success, however, was not immediate. While Kerr was part of the victorious 2010 Asian Cup side, the other two arrived during a period of uneven results. “It hasn’t been all roses,” Garriock said. After the respectable run in 2011, Australia failed to qualify for the 2012 Olympics after Kerr missed the qualifying tournament in China with a knee injury. Japan ousted the Australians as continental champions at the Asian Cup in 2014. As Kerr’s Instagram post chronicles, the group went on to share the field at World Cups in Canada in 2015 – another quarter-final loss – and 2019 in France when Australia went out to Norway on penalties in the round of 16. “They leaned on each other,” Garriock says, “and have done so ever since.” Sam Kerr, Emily van Egmond and Lydia Williams. Sam Kerr, Emily van Egmond and Lydia Williams. Photograph: Dean Lewins/EPA Goalkeeper Lydia Williams has been a constant presence. Five years older, she has had a front-row seat to their development, from those tentative first steps in 2011. She recognises how privileged her perspective has been. “They were just coming into it, it was exciting for them,” she said. “It’s exciting knowing that, being around for everyone’s first [World] Cup and seeing how they’ve come through to 100 caps, four World Cups. It’s really quite remarkable the shift from a talent to a superstar.” Over this time the trio has moved from the Matildas’ upstarts, to the team’s core. Kerr is now a global football leader – the cover star of the world’s biggest football video game – and the team’s skipper. Van Egmond has been instrumental in both midfield and attack, and has also worn the captain’s armband. And in Kerr’s absence through injury in this tournament, it was Foord who carried the attacking load, highlighted by her spectacular performance against Olympic champions Canada. If the three arrived in a group on the team’s periphery, today the Matildas’ circle spreads out from them.