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There will be no more friendly fire injuries in the Matildas camp ahead of their Women's World Cup semifinal against England, because there will be barely anyone on the track.
- Both Australia and England have gone to extra time and penalties once at this World Cup
- But more of England's players have been able to get some rest on the bench in the tournament
- Stand-in captain Steph Catley had a compression bandage on her right thigh the day after beating France
With a four-day turnaround between the draining quarterfinal triumph over France and Wednesday's final-four clash at Stadium Australia, recovery is on the cards.
Tired and bruised bodies will be spared any load beyond the 120 minutes plus penalties — three hours all told — players spent on their feet on Saturday night.
"We've got the best medical staff in the world," midfielder Katrina Gorry said.
"So we'll be doing a lot of recovery. We get to Sydney, sleep as much as we can, eat as much as we can, drink as much as we can and be ready."
Time on the pitch will be replaced by meetings, tactical work and treatment.
"What is good is that we have continuity with what we are doing and clear playing styles," coach Tony Gustavsson said.
"We don't really need to train to be tactically prepared.
"It is more about making sure we are mentally and physically prepared for the semifinal coming up. These players are on a mission."
The backline of Alanna Kennedy, Clare Hunt, Steph Catley and Ellie Carpenter, as well as Gorry, Caitlin Foord and Kyra Cooney-Cross have played at least 476 minutes of a possible 480.
Hayley Raso and Emily van Egmond have also been busy, while Sam Kerr played 65 of her 75 minutes to date against France.
The only changes to the Matildas' starting XI came in the second game against Nigeria, when Mary Fowler was concussed in a training clash with substitute defender Aivi Luik, and after that game, when Emily van Egmond replaced Cortnee Vine.
England only needed 90 minutes to complete a 2-1 comeback win over Colombia but previously went to penalties against Nigeria.
Between injuries, suspension and a formation change, England have rotated their squad more.
Only Alex Greenwood and Millie Bright have played every minute but Lucy Bronze, Georgia Stanway and Rachel Daly have also carried significant loads.
It makes who can go the distance, if required, an intriguing proposition.
Catley, who appeared to be slowing late in the France clash and missed her penalty in the shootout, had a compression bandage on her right thigh upon arrival in Sydney on Sunday.
On Saturday night, Cooney-Cross had one of her shins iced after a nasty challenge early in the game.
Catley hailed and backed her team's fitness and commitment.
"It's just using years of hard work, years and years of running and conditioning and everything that you know, you've put in the work and prepared for, it prepares you for moments like that," she told reporters.
"You can fall back on the work that you've done, and I've done plenty of it and so has every other girl out there and I think that's what it comes down to.
"It's the work you've put in and the understanding of each other and helping each other. If someone's struggling, someone else steps in and helps.
"So that's where we are as a team right now and everyone's there for each other — if one person falls down, the next steps up and it's very, very special."
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