Dubbo junior Ash Sykes on what makes Matildas star Sam Kerr so special

Excitement is building ahead of the 2023 World Cup, which will run from July 20 to August 20.

Five cities in Australia and three in New Zealand will host matches in what many are expecting to be one of the biggest women's sporting events in history.

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Dubbo junior Sykes, who played at the 2015 World Cup for the Matildas, will be commentating for Optus Sport during the World Cup.

"This tournament is going to be the biggest and best ever and Australia certainly knows how to turn on top tournaments for the world. It's such an exciting time to be a fan," she said.

"It's so cool. It's about 120 days out now and we've just come off the back of 2019 when there was a massive edition of it [World Cup] in France and then the Euros in England had sold-out crowds and got massive attention on the broadcast as well.

"I'm really looking forward to it."

Australia will be one of the top contenders at the World Cup, with global superstar Sam Kerr leading the charge.

Currently leading the line for English club Chelsea, Kerr is undoubtedly one of the game's best strikers and finished third in the voting for the women's Ballon d'Or - the prize for the best player in the world - last season.

Sykes, who was an attacking threat throughout her own career, is all too aware of Kerr's talents and is well-placed to speak about what makes the Australian captain such a threat.

The former SASS junior often played second fiddle to Kerr at the Australian under 20s level while the pair did battle numerous times when they both played in the W-League and were members of Matildas camps at the same time.

"I got to play a lot with Sam as a junior, mainly sitting on the bench behind her," Sykes, 31, laughed.

"She's the full package and complete athlete. She's fast, she's fit and she's got repeat sprint ability, which is perfect for football.

"She's added on a great understanding of the game. Where to be, how to take advantage of defensive lines."

Having come through the ranks at Perth Glory, Kerr made the move to America and went on to become the all-time leading scorer in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) after hugely successful stints with Western New York Flash, Sky Blue FC and the Chicago Red Stars.

No player has scored more goals than Kerr in an Australian jersey and former Canberra United great Sykes is among those who has seen the evolution up-close.

"When she was younger she probably struggled a little bit finishing those chances," Sykes said.

"This is going back seven, eight years ago. She'd get in fantastic positions for herself and others but didn't quite have that lethalness in the final third.

"But in the last five or six years she's become dangerous everywhere on the field. She finishes a lot of her chances and creates space for others and that means she's one of the best players in the world."

Kerr and the Matildas will head into the World Cup as the 12^th ranked team in the world.

While there were a number of disappointing results under coach Tony Gustavsson in 2022, a win in the Cup of Nations in February created some optimism.

"I think they're hitting some form. I think they've been rebuilding and it's been a rough, challenging few years to go through that process with a new coach," Sykes said.

"We suffered a few losses in some challenging tournaments but, I think, this year they seem to have turned the corner and we're seeing the fruits of that hard work.

"I think we can be pretty optimistic about the team"

Australia kicks off its World Cup against the Republic of Ireland on July 20.

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