If not for a sliding doors moment in 2016, Hannah Keane would already be a Liberty A-League Champion.
It was a Google search that first led the American Down Under seven years ago. Keane had just graduated from San Diego University, and Australia was the “random pick” for where the striker would play her football next.
A rampant season at Alamein FC in NPL Victoria led to a trial at Melbourne City. Keane spent pre-season at the club, playing friendly games for Joe Montemurro’s side, but was overlooked for a spot in the squad at the 11th hour.
City would go on to win the then-W-League Championship that season.
It took until 2022 for Keane to get her first contract at a Liberty A-League club. In her first season, she’s shown what City missed out on all those years ago. Signed by expansion side Western United, Keane scored 13 regular season goals to win the league’s Golden Boot, and was the difference-maker in Western’s 1-0 Semi Final win over Sydney FC.
Now, as Western face the Sky Blues in Sunday’s Grand Final, she’s finally on the cusp of that maiden Championship title.
“I graduated university, and I knew I wanted to play abroad,” Keane tells KEEPUP, recalling her first experience in Australia. “I pretty randomly picked Australia to look for teams, and I Google searched women’s soccer teams in Australia – and NPL Victoria came up.
“The first team that popped up was Alamein.I think I sent messages to Heidelberg and one other club, but only Alamain responded. I talked to the coach and within a few weeks I got a ticket and came and played for them in the NPL.
“It started off really good, then I got injured. I ruptured my plantar fascia, so that was rough. I missed about three months of the season. But healed, came back and then did well into the finals and got offered a training spot with Melbourne City. I thought I had a spot until a couple of weeks before the season started – but they decided to bring in another international, because the international spots are so few.
“So I didn’t get a chance that time. I could have stayed as a train on (player) but I decided to go somewhere else and get some more game time… maybe if I had gotten into the A-League in 2016, maybe I didn’t have as good a balance of things then, so maybe it would have been different.
“I think over the last four to five years I’ve learned how to separate the different parts of my life, and how it can be really beneficial in the soccer area.”
The 29-year-old has applied that very philosophy to her life since returning to Australia in 2022. While competing for silverware with Western, Keane balances her life with art, photography and voluntary work at Melbourne’s Second Chance Animal Rescue.
The significance of the animal shelter’s name is not lost on the Western star, as Keane relishes her own second chance in Australia after being overlooked by City all those years ago.
Keane says her time spent caring for the animals has become a vital tool in her preparation for the pressure cooker environment of top-flight football.
“I really get in my head after a bad game,” she says. “I think about it way too much.
“I know it’s good to look back on your mistakes and see what you need to do better and be critical, but I think I probably take it a little bit too far sometimes, where I can’t sleep because I’m thinking of my mistakes and what I could have done better.
“I think having other outlets to take your mind off of it completely is so helpful for me; I can’t speak for everyone but I think it is really important, especially in our line of work and how much stress and pressure we’re under to be perfect every single day. You need something else where there is none of that pressure, where you can do exactly what you want, and no one is telling you right or wrong.
“That’s how I feel with animals. They don’t know I had a bad game, so they’re not going to treat me different… I love it. It’s a very good outlet for my stress.”
“Maybe it’s a nurturing thing,” she adds, “that I just want to take care of something. But also, I just love how I know (the animals) can’t talk back. Sometimes I can sit there and tell them my worries, and my stress, and they just listen. Not that they have a choice! But I feel like they listen and can understand me a bit better. I just love the emotional support they bring me in stressful times, just the comfort of it.”
How fascinating it would be to be a fly on the wall of the Second Chance Animal Rescue this week, to hear Keane’s musings to the animals ahead of Sunday afternoon’s Liberty A-League Grand Final.
In a defensively-resolute Western side, Keane is the key attacking outlet who her teammates will look toward for at least one goal in the title decider.
Mark Torcaso’s side have often shown that a slender lead is all they need to secure victory. Premiers Sydney FC are oozing attacking talent and are expected to boss possession and chances at CommBank Stadium.
In the Semi Final, Sydney took 26 shots to Western’s eight, putting 12 shots on target to Western’s three. Keane’s 26th-minute strike was the only goal of the game.
“I am starting to feel the pressure a little bit more,” Keane admits, “because I know how important it is for the club in their first finals, we want to do well.
“I remember when I scored that (Semi Final) goal – that was probably the biggest celebration I’ve done in a while.
“I’m pretty terrible at celebrations, but it’s more of a natural what it means to me. In that moment I knew that was very important.”
Keane adds: “I think a lot of people just didn’t believe in us (this season), or were so surprised we did anything. But we know exactly how hard we worked in the pre-season. We know the players we have know what they’re capable of, so nothing really was a surprise for us. We knew exactly what we were doing every game, and how to win games.
“We weren’t perfect – I still wish we got the Premiership – (but) we still believed in ourselves, even if everyone else was like: ‘Oh, they’re just getting lucky at the start, it’s not going to be consistent’.
“I think that’s our game: that they don’t expect us to do well, we’re the underdogs, and then we shock them. And it works.”
WHERE DO I BUY TICKETS?
Tickets for the Grand Final are available via Ticketek – with general admission ticket prices from $20 adults, $15 concession, $10 children and $40 for a family.
Liberty A-League Pass holders can get free entry and redeem a complimentary general admission ticket.
The Liberty A-League Pass was a new initiative for the 2023 season designed to give under-16 football participants the opportunity to attend Liberty A-League games for FREE at their local club.
SIGN UP FOR THE LIBERTY A-LEAGUE PASS
HOW DO I WATCH THE FINALS?
The Liberty A-League Grand Final will be broadcast live and free from 3.00pm AEST on 10 Bold and 10 Play, and live on Paramount+.
GRAND FINAL FIXTURE
Western United v Sydney FC
Date: Sunday, April 30
Venue: CommBank Stadium
Kick-off: 4.00pm (AEST)
