Sam Kerr has celebrated the end of her glittering Chelsea career with no tears, just the steely-eyed recognition that it's time for her to move on to her next soccer adventure.
Amid the obvious sadness at saying farewell to the club she’s graced with such distinction for six-and-a-half years, Kerr smiled after her final match at Stamford Bridge: “All good things must come to an end — and I feel like it's the right time."
Kerr finished on Saturday just as she’d always performed for the Blues, playing the part of a great goalscorer who scores great goals.
Her 116th made her the joint-top scorer in the club’s history alongside her old partner-in-defence-destruction Fran Kirby and it was another beauty for her collection.
The first-time volley, though, was also a reminder of what Chelsea will be missing as Kerr, in the last couple of months of the season since returning from the Matildas' Asian Cup near-miss, has gradually begun to look like her old self after fighting back to near full fitness following her long ACL-injury absence.
Realising she's not going to be a guaranteed starter in Sonia Bompastor's Chelsea any more, the 32-year-old, who still finished easily the club's top scorer for the season with 17 goals despite being used as a sub in most of her WSL matches, must believe she still has much to offer elsewhere.
It's expected that she'll be soon be announcing a move to ambitious new franchise Denver Summit in the United States' NWSL, a transfer she denied when it was first reported last month.
Denver, currently seventh in the NWSL, are looking for marquee signings to go with the waves they're making in the league, having attracted a record crowd of 63,004 to the Mile High Stadium for their opener against Washington Spirit in March.
"Of course, it's sad. It's been my home," she said of her farewell after six-and-a-half years at Chelsea.
"I love playing here. It's one of the best leagues in the world. I play with the best players every day. So there are a lot of hard things about leaving, but all good things must come to an end, and I feel like it's the right time."
But she didn't feel any need for tears. "Everyone who knows me knows I'm not much of a crier," smiled Kerr.
"I always like to see the positives in things. I honestly just feel really happy. I feel really honoured and lucky to have been a part of this and to have had six-and-a-half years here. So yeah, it's just happiness."
