Sydney FC midfielder Mackenzie Hawkesby believes it will not be long before her new-look Sky Blues begin to fire in the Ninja A-League.
The Sky Blues came into the new Ninja A-League season off the back of a disappointing 2024-25 campaign, which saw them miss out on playing finals football for the first time since the competition was formed 17 seasons ago.
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Following that disappointment, head coach Ante Juric and the club’s football department made a raft of changes which saw a total of 12 players move on to pastures new, whilst 13 new faces joined the first-team squad.
But despite all that change, Hakwesby – who celebrated her 100th Sydney FC appearance last weekend against Adelaide United, believes the side’s unbeaten start to the season courtesy of draws against Melbourne City and Adelaide United respectively, is evidence of a squad that is well positioned to bounce back this season.
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“I think it’s been pretty pleasing,” said Hawkesby when speaking to media ahead of this weekend’s clash with Perth Glory in Round 3 of the Ninja A-League season.
“I think defensively, we’ve been excellent. We just need to score more goals in attack. We need to just be a bit more fluid in the front third.
“But again, we have a new team, and we’re unbeaten, which is good, so we just need to score more goals.”
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She went on to say: “I think we were talking about the other day. We have only two people in the starting lineup from last year.
“So it’s a lot of change, and a lot of new players, a whole new midfield, a whole new front line, nearly a whole new back line too.
“So I think we’ve done pretty well so far. Again, there’s a lot to work on. It’s only early days.”
Surprisingly key to the Sky Blues’ solid start to the season has been 14-year-old defender Willa Pearson, who in Round 1 became the youngest ever player to play in the Ninja A-League.
No stranger to the Sydney FC first-team having trained with the Sydney FC first-team, Pearson has nonetheless shone since being thrust into the first-time spotlight by head coach Juric.
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“I’m not surprised!” said Hawkesby, when asked about her impressive young teammate on Friday.
“She’s been training on with us for the last year, and this year she had a really good pre-season.
“She’s very mature and wise for a 14-year-old, like you wouldn’t think she’s 14 when she’s playing.”
Hawkesby continued: “She has a really good head on her shoulders and I think Round 1, I think she was really, really good against City.
“You could tell she was a bit nervous, but she really brought that into the game, and she was excellent. She’s been doing really well, especially for her age. I mean, she’s quite an unreal player for her age.”
The Sky Blues come up against a Perth Glory side who have recorded a win and a loss so far this season, after they were beaten 3-2 at home by Brisbane Roar in Round 2.
