Fremantle-born Matildas superstar Sam Kerr has stepped out to train with the squad in Perth for the first time during the national side’s four-game stint in Perth.

Kerr has not played a competitive game since rupturing her ACL during a Chelsea training camp in Morocco in January 2024.

Her road back to the pitch has been long and full of hurdles, including a second round of surgery earlier this year and a UK court battle.

However, fans will be buoyed by the star Aussie’s inclusion during training at a wet HBF Park on Monday afternoon.

The Matildas will face Panama in their final clash of the four-game stint on Tuesday, eager to make amends for the shock defeat to the No.56-ranked visitors in a historic Bunbury clash.

The Matildas’ captain is not part of the 33-player squad for the four friendlies, but the West Australian has been making the most of her homecoming.

During Australia’s first match against Slovenia at HBF Park, Kerr sent fans into a frenzy, and for their running shoes, with a pre-game signing session.

The striker was the darling of the game’s youngest fans as she gave everyone a taste of Sam-Kerr time with kids packing the eastern terrace and clamouring for their soccer hero’s coveted signature, calling her name from the moment she entered the arena.

Over the weekend, the 31-year-old also stepped out with her fellow soccer star partner Kristie Mewis and their new baby Jagger.

The pair were spotted enjoying a relaxed brunch with Kerr’s parents on Sunday morning, with Mewis pictured holding their two-month-old in a carrier.

Kerr and Mewis began their relationship around 2020 before confirming they were a couple on social media in August 2021.

They got engaged in September 2023, announcing it publicly two months later. Their engagement was followed by the news that they were expecting their first child in November last year.

Kerr announced the arrival of Jagger Mewis-Kerr in May, writing “Our little man is here” alongside a picture of the family of three.

The proud mums have both shared pictures of the newborn on social media, including one that featured him in a onesie with a Vegemite print on it.