The 'ridiculous' voice notes Alanna Kennedy was sending the Matildas physio to get back on the pitch

"What bone broth should I use?"

That was the level of detail Alanna Kennedy was after from one of her "rocks" - Matildas' head physiotherapist Jaclyn Benz - during her rehab.

It was one of many daily voice notes the Manchester City defender sent Benz over the last 10 or so months as she desperately tried to get back to the pitch in time for the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™.

It paid off.

Kennedy, who last took to the field in early February, earned herself a spot in Australia's squad to take on Canada, the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria this month.

Despite it being her third tournament, the 28-year-old was emotional given the journey she had been on to get there.

"I was emotional, I cried. I don't think I've ever cried being picked for a team, but I cried on my own later in the day," she reflected.

"This one just means so much more for so many reasons.

"There definitely was a moment in time where I felt extremely stressed and unsure of what my injury looked like, the timing of it ... it's really hard when some things you have to keep to yourself and you can't share.

"People were probably thinking, 'What's wrong with her?', 'What's going on?', 'Why hasn't she played?'. I'm not going to lie, that stuff was hard because I didn't have the answers either.

"Fast forward, here I am injury free, feeling fit, coming back into form and I feel good and I feel like given all the things that I've gone through and put myself through, I was always looking forward to being here at the World Cup."

In total this season, the City defender played just 448 minutes of football across seven matches for club and country.

It began in September, with a hamstring injury during the Canada series sidelining her.

Then, on the eve of making her return for Gareth Taylor's WSL side, she fractured her shoulder.

Next, it was her calf.

The most frustrating was her last because it was so hard to diagnose. In April, as she prepared to make the trip to London for Australia's April friendlies, she developed a tendon issue behind her knee.

"That was a little bit of a struggle to figure out exactly what it was," Kennedy admits.

"We got there in the end and I think that was probably the frustrating part ... trying to find a plan that actually works. It took me a little bit longer than what I would have liked.

"The last few weeks I've felt so much more confident in how everything's going.

"It's been like a good turnaround over the last probably six weeks. So my mindset has shifted back to feeling like I'm on the right path."

The former Sydney FC defender admitted how hard the last 10 months, in particular, had been, and how "isolating" and "lonely" rehab could be.

Kennedy leant on a lot of people in Manchester and virtually to counteract that feeling.

"My mum is someone I speak to all the time but then sometimes you like to distance yourself ... because you just don't want to explain certain things," she reflected.

"Jackie, our head physio [for the Matildas], I spoke to her every day. My voice notes to her are ridiculous. Like, 'What bone broth should I use?' ... and she's like, 'It's going to be okay'.

"She was a huge support for me, our medical staff is insanely amazing, and so she's been a huge rock for me throughout my rehab."

But there was never a moment she thought she wouldn't make the tournament Down Under.

Especially since she knows the chance to play a home World Cup is "never going to happen again" in her career.

The opportunity to play in front of family, friends and her nieces and nephews, who she "adores", on home soil was also a motivating factor.

"I would never give up on myself like that," Kennedy said.

"I knew that I needed to just be in the right place.

"I feel so much more determined now because I've had a shit couple of years, to be honest, and it has been up and down.

"So now, more than ever, I was so determined to get back to where I am and I was never going to just give up and let that be the end of my World Cup process.

"My friends and family are here, the whole of Australia can come to watch, there are so many positive things."

What role Kennedy will play in the Matildas tournament plans remains to be seen after her lengthy absence from the pitch, and the arrival of newcomer Clare Hunt on the scene, but whatever it is: she'll be ready.

Originally published for Optus Sport on July 12, 2023