Inspired by star Michelle Heyman, teenager Sienna Saveska is making an ALW statement this season
Only a teenager, Sienna Saveska is making a statement on the ALW. Now the rising Wanderer opens up on her full circle moment and how it all started with her hero Michelle Heyman.
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Sienna Saveska spent her childhood trying to follow in the footsteps of her hometown hero Michelle Heyman and plenty are comparing the two after her remarkable hat-trick.
Saveska, 18, grew up in Wollongong and spent her weekends watching Heyman’s home games for the Illawarra Stingrays.
It was a much-needed victory for the club but a bigger boost for Saveska, who has worked tirelessly for three years to get a break in the A-League.
Her social pages have since been inundated with messages and her phone hasn’t stopped pinging.
She received hundreds of new followers, hundreds of comments and thousands of likes on her pages and clips of her insane goals.
One in particular from the A-League’s most prolific goal scorer made her heart skip a beat.
“I turned my phone on and there was a notification, ‘Michelle Heyman has mentioned you in a story’,’’ Saveska said.
“I clicked on it and it was a photo of us when I was young. It was a special moment.”
Saveska couldn’t recall the exact year the photo was taken but it was when Heyman played in the NPL for the Stingrays.
At the time, Heyman was due to depart on international duty.
Saveska got in the ear of her junior coaches and asked if she could walk out as Heyman’s mascot for the Stingrays game.
“I went there and I gave her a little kangaroo with an Australian flag and I got to take a photo with her in the change room,” Saveska said.
“I used to go and watch the Stingrays quite a lot and I always wanted to be like Michelle.
“She’s an amazing person and amazing footballer, and to eventually do what she’s done would be amazing.”
Accompanying the post and photo from Heyman was a message to Saveska.
“She told me to keep going and keep scoring goals,” Saveska said. “Hopefully I can do that and challenge her a bit.
“It’s amazing that she was so supportive, especially because I’m such a young player.
“Having someone of Michelle’s calibre supporting me is an amazing feeling. It’s a bit surreal.”
THE JOURNEY
Saveska’s road to the ALW hasn’t been easy.
She signed with the Western Sydney Wanderers for the 2021-22 season but played just seven games.
Saveska joined Sydney FC the following season in the hope the move would lead to more time on the pitch but she played fewer than 60 minutes across four games.
She had been in and out of the youth national team but the lack of game time with the Sky Blues robbed her of a chance to play at the Under-20s World Cup.
It was a difficult time given Saveska had been part of the Young Matildas team for the tournament qualifiers.
“It was very frustrating but I was happy for the girls there and it was amazing to see them go and do that they love doing and what I would have loved to do,” Saveska said.
“It’s my goal. I can qualify for the next one, so that’s what I want to push for.”
The drive for more game time led the dedicated youngster back to the Wanderers.
She dropped out of Year 11 to focus solely on football and drives almost two hours each way from home to training each day.
Her incredible hat-trick in front of interim Matildas coach Tom Sermanni won’t have gone unnoticed.
“I’m really enjoying it, I’m comfortable,” Saveska said. “I can perform and not be under pressure. It’s a good thing.”
NEXT STEPS
The win against Western United was the Wanderers’ first of the season.
They hadn’t scored since Saveska’s goal in a 2-2 draw against Newcastle Jets in the opening round.
“It was a big confidence boost,” Saveska said. “All the girls loved it.
“We hadn’t scored in five weeks, we hadn’t won a game. So to be able to win and win by that margin was kind of amazing.
“It proves to us that we can do it and we do have the players that can perform and get wins for us.”
Western Sydney hosts Perth on Friday night at Wanderers Football Park at 7pm.
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