Who could forget Alanna Kennedy’s reaction during Australia’s friendly encounter with New Zealand in 2022, when she caught a glimpse of her freshly broken nose on the jumbotron and shrugged?
She didn’t flinch — she just laughed it off.
Last Tuesday, Kennedy proved once again that pain is a state of mind. In the 32nd minute of a 2-0 friendly win over South Korea, she was involved in a crunching collision with teammate Tameka Yallop. The players clashed heads and lay on the floor before receiving treatment and playing on. Kennedy walked away with a massive shiner. Just another day at the office.
@attackingthird We’ve seen this before from @Alanna Kennedy 🤣 @CommBank Matildas
“As long as I was cleared for concussion, I was going to play,” she tells The Athletic over a video call from Houston. She’s back from international duty, perhaps still a bit jetlagged, but suited up for her new squad, Angel City FC, against the Houston Dash, with a shiner to match. “It was always going to bruise and once the pain happens then you just move on, keep playing. I watched so many women do the same thing.”
Kennedy posted pictures from the game and a video of the aftermath on Instagram, and the comments quickly lit up with praise for…
