Sydney FC defender Charlotte McLean insists the squad is in a good place to bounce back after missing out on playing finals football for the last two seasons.
The Sky Blues have undergone surgery to their squad in the off-season, with head coach James Slaveski bringing in eight new faces after bidding farewell to eight of last season’s squad.
One of those putting pen-to-paper on a new deal with the club was McLean who, after inking a short-term deal at the back end of the 2025/26 Ninja A-League season, has now secured her future at the club along with Panamanian attacker Riley Cohn (née Tanner) who has also returned to the club after initially leaving.
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A two-time Championship and three-time Premiership winner during her first stint with the Sky Blues, McLean insists the winning mentality that is so synonymous with Sydney FC’s women’s side is still present, despite their recent lack of success.
“We’re a successful club, we’re a winning club, and we have a winning mentality,” McLean said when speaking at the A-Leauges Sydney clubs launch on Tuesday.
“I don’t want to speak too much on what was happening when I wasn’t here because I don’t know, and clubs always have moments of transition.
“We had a lot of younger players, and you sometimes need to have change in order to establish growth. I feel really grateful that I’m maybe coming in now when some of these younger players are a bit older, and so I’m just maybe hopefully going to receive the fruits of that.
“Sydney has a winning mentality. I personally hate losing, and it’s something that we have definitely been having meetings about.
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“Kind of that mentality around what it takes to win, what it means to win trophies, and definitely, some of us older girls that have won some trophies and things in the past have been having kind of conversations with the group around the characteristics that we held in those years that were successful.
“So things like selflessness, things like that mentality off the ball, like all those sorts of traits, we’ve been having lots of conversations about. So yeah, I think we’re in a really good place.”
One player who could well be keen heading into the new season is returning captain Natalia Tobin.
The inspirational skipper missed the 2025/26 Ninja A-League season after giving birth to her son Charlie but is now back in the first team squad and working towards a come back this season.
“Yeah, massive,” McLean said when asked about the return of Tobin this season. “I think Nat, even when she was pregnant, was always a presence on and off the field.
“She’s a natural leader and just a beautiful person and a beautiful mother. So that’s really exciting to see her kind of in that process.
“She’s training. She’s on her way back, and of course, she’s a massive boost. She’s Nat Tobin, she’s the club.
“She’s been here for like I don’t know, 13, 14, years. She’s one of the best defenders this league’s ever seen. So, yeah, of course, we’re so grateful to have her back.”
Joining McLean and Tobin in the Sydney FC squad this year are also the likes of legendary goalkeeper Jada Whyman, who returns to the Sky Blues following a stint in Scandinavia, while midfielder Amy Chessari has also made the move from West to East after leaving the Wanderers.
Sydney FC kick off their 2026/27 Ninja A-League campaign with a home clash against Adelaide United on Sunday, October 18.
