It will go down as Australian football's Michelle Payne moment.

After Payne's improbable triumph at the 2015 Melbourne Cup, the jockey famously told those who had doubted her because she was a woman to "get stuffed".

In 2019, after the so-called "miracle of Montepellier", Matildas captain Sam Kerr had a similarly blunt assessment for Matildas "haters": "There was [sic] a lot of critics talking about us, but we're back, so suck on that one!"

Staring down the barrel

But while Payne had spoken openly about the "chauvinistic" nature of horse racing before uttering those defiant words, for Kerr the link to gender inequality was more oblique.

Many assumed that Kerr was referring to ongoing criticism of the team in the wake of the FFA's controversial choice to sack former coach Alan Stajcic, a decision remarkable for its ability to make headlines months later, despite the players' and others' firm assertions that they have moved on.

Indeed, as recently as last week, Chip Le Grand continued to argue that a "destructive, gender-based campaign" had been the reason for Stajcic's departure, while the slur "lesbian mafia" was repeated in reference to a group of "influential" women Le Grand blamed for Stajcic's demise.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Watch Duration: 29 seconds 29 s Matildas captain Sam Kerr after win over Brazil (Photo: Reuters)

Kerr had apparently had a gutful, and the 3-2, backs-against-the-wall defeat of fearsome opponents Brazil opened the floodgates for the captain to stare down the barrel at those intent on continuing to derail the Matildas' quest for glory in France.

Kerr faces hostility for the comments after the Brazil victory.

A more sinister reference

But while Kerr may indeed have been referencing ongoing criticism around Stajcic's removal, there was another, more sinister layer to her reference to "hate".

By Friday, the Australian striker was forced again onto the back foot after a chorus of critique at her apparent "immaturity".

As one prominent example, Canberra United coach and Matildas champion Heather Garriock said she was "disappointed" by the Australian striker's choice of words, attesting that they came "from a bitter place" and were not "humble".

Another former Matilda, Cheryl Salisbury, appeared to agree, saying she "would've chosen a few different words", while ex-Socceroos captain Mark Schwarzer mused that the Matildas were unused to the level of critique that came from the spotlight of international interest and coverage in the wake of the growing profile of women's soccer.

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Kerr, for her part, indirectly responded by tweeting a photo of a homophobic comment directed at her which read "By the way your dyke ass was off side".

The Australian captain, who is openly in a relationship with another woman, captioned the screenshot: "For people getting upset about there being 'no' haters."

Women in sport face daily abuse

Kerr's tweet is revealing of the abuse faced by women in sport on a daily basis, where misogynistic comments online are not uncommon.

Research released by Plan International this year revealed that on Facebook, more than a quarter (27 per cent) of all comments directed towards sportswomen are either sexist, sexualising, belittling of women's sport or otherwise negative in nature.

Indeed, the analysis showed that sportswomen face three times as many negative comments as men (27 per cent vs 9 per cent) and that 23 per cent of all negative comments directed towards our elite female athletes are sexist (referring to traditional gender stereotypes, belittling women's sport, their athletic abilities or skills).

Homophobia and sexism abound against women in sport like Sam Kerr (left). ( AAP: Dean Lewins )

Although Plan's research did not go into sexuality, homophobic and transphobic comments directed towards women in sport are also very common.

As high as 48 per cent of lesbians reported being personally targeted, with 84 per cent of those having heard verbal slurs such as "faggot" or "dyke".

Homophobia is an issue for sport broadly, with Australian data suggesting that 80 per cent of LGBTI sportspeople have witnessed or experienced homophobia in sport.

This includes 57 per cent of gay men who report being personally targeted, while more gay men (41 per cent) than lesbians (16 per cent) said they had been bullied because of their sexuality.

Freedom of sexuality is clearly an issue for both men and women in sport, and men arguably have to contend with an even deeper culture of homophobia.

This is clear in the vast difference in how many "out" sportspeople there are in women's sport compared with men's.

Brazil's Marta, right, battles for the ball with Australia's Ellie Carpenter in Montpellier. ( AP: Claude Paris )

The difference for women is that their "outness" leaves them open to a range of targeted abuse that is often overlaid by sexism and this context should be considered when female sport stars respond defiantly, as Kerr did.

It's not that she or the Matildas are incapable of handling criticism, as some have suggested, but that they are subject to various forms of marginalisation of which sexism and homophobia are common underpinnings.

Don't forget the message

If Kerr's comments are to go down in Australian sporting folklore, they should be remembered as a time when one of our brightest stars shone a light on the continued sexism and homophobia faced by women in sport.

Kate O'Halloran researches women in sport at the Institute of Health and Sport at Victoria University, and is a former Victorian cricketer.