A-Leagues Womens 2024: Mackeznie Hawkesby thriving back at Sydney FC, Kat Smith is leading Western United up the table

Mackenzie Hawkesby says returning to Sydney FC was the best decision of her career while Kat Smith has Western United humming. Read the latest from the A-Leagues.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 14: Mackenzie Hawkesby of Sydney FC controls the ball during the A-League Women round 12 match between Western United and Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium, on January 14, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images)

From zero minutes in a season to playing six full games in a month – Mackenzie Hawkesby said she has no regrets about leaving the WSL and returning to the A-Leagues.

Hawkesby, 23, signed with Brighton & Hove Albion in July last year – just after winning her third title with A-Leagues’ side Sydney FC.

The midfielder said it was difficult to pack up and leave her family and friends behind – but you don’t turn down an opportunity to play in the WSL.

Hawkesby struggled to break into the side – playing just one cup match in her six months with the club.

SYMackenzie Hawkesby of Sydney FC and Cassidy Davis of the Jets compete for the ball. Picture: Mark Evans/Getty Images.

“Obviously going into it I knew I wasn’t going to be playing a lot but the environment was unreal over there,” Hawkesby said.

“Their training facilities and training every day full time was good but as a player you need to be playing some game time and I wasn’t really getting that at all.

“As a footballer you just want to play, so I saw a chance to come home and I think it was the right decision.”

While the experience in the WSL yielded less game time than expected Hawkesby said she still learned plenty from the venture.

“A lot of it was resilience,” she said.

“It’s not easy to go overseas to play and be away from friends and family and everything but I’ve learnt what it’s like to play overseas and got a taste of the WSL, which is an incredible league.

“I watched some of the best players in the world play and was able to see where I am compared to where I want to be in my career.

“Technically I’ve been able to improve my game, I took a lot of different things from it and now I’m trying to translate that into the A-League.”

The move certainly got Hawkesby back on the field, with the midfielder playing 90 minutes of all seven games – six of which have been played in the past four weeks.

It was a “shock to the system” that caused plenty of sore muscles but Hawkesby said she was loving it.

“It’s honestly been the best,” Hawkesby said.

“I’ve had a lot of support from Ante (Juric), he’s just been so good with helping me transition into coming back and it feels like I never left.

“It’s been a pretty hectic schedule, but that’s what you want.”

Hawkesby is throwing all her focus at Sydney’s A-Leagues campaign and efforts to win their third title in a row.

But her ultimate dream is to earn a call up to the Matildas. She got a taste of it in 2022, when she was called in to camp for the friendlies against Portugal and Spain but didn’t take the field.

“It’s a competitive environment and I think it’s one of the biggest honours, playing for your country,” Hawkesby said.

“I’ve played with a lot of the girls in that squad and it was unreal seeing the World Cup and what they went through.

Mackenzie Hawkesby hasn’t missed a beat since returning to Sydney FC. Picture: Brett Hemmings/Getty Images.

“That’s the ultimate goal for me is to try and get myself there in any why, shape or form I can in the future.”

Hawkesby, who was named Sydney FC’s Player of the Year in 2022 and finished joint third in the Julie Dolan Medal rankings, has been quick to have an impact at Sydney FC.

With Sydney FC’s rankings moving from sixth to equal second since her return.

The Sky Blues will play Perth Glory on Saturday – who sit just one point behind them on the ladder.

“We had a lot of injuries at the start of the season and the girls have done incredibly well,” Hawkesby said.

“To get to where we are at the moment, sitting equal second, is huge. At the moment we are in fighting form, we are getting more players back, and doing quite well.”

Sydney will play Perth at Leichhardt Oval at 7pm (AEDT) on Saturday.

KAT SMITH IS THE FORCE DRIVING WESTERN UNITED

In the two months since Kat Smith took over the reins at Western United they have gone from being outside chances of playing finals football to championship contenders.

The experienced coach said all the pieces were there, it was just a matter of getting them to fit together efficiently on the field.

Smith, took over from Mark Torcaso – who left so he could put more focus to his new role as coach of the Philippines national women’s team – in December.

Western United are just in their second year in the competition. In their first season they were practically unstoppable – narrowly missing out on being the minor premiers before losing the grand final to Sydney FC.

But their 2023/24 season got off to a bumpier start – with just two wins from their first five games.

When Smith walked on to the training field for the first time Western United were placed eighth on the ladder – two spots outside finals contention.

Western United coach Kat Smith. Photo: Supplied

In two short months they have moved up to equal second. Last weekend they celebrated their first back to back wins of the season defeating competition leaders Melbourne City 3-1.

Smith, who has coached Western Sydney Wanderers in the past and was part of Western United’s Women’s Development Squad, was a familiar face to many of the squad.

She said the existing relationships made coming in midway through the season easier.

“I won’t say it was easy, it was definitely hard, but it made it easier,” Smith said.

“Without pumping my up my own tyres, if you are not reaping the rewards of your hard work and seeing the results shown on the scoreboard or taking three points each week – change is welcomed.

“It was an interesting transition where there was a lot of familiarity with myself and the key players and I had a lot of backing from the club and outgoing coach Mark, to help them through the transition.”

Smith said the recent results reflected how things were going.

But sitting in second doesn’t guarantee Western United a spot in the finals just yet.

Three points separate the teams placed second to sixth. Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory are each one point behind the top six, with Brisbane Roar and Newcastle Jets just one win away from the group.

“It’s a privilege to be in a position where we’ve got control of things in terms of the ladder but any given weekend you can be anywhere from second to seventh,” Smith said.

“Every week counts for everything.”

Smith said the key was to stick to their principles and processes.

One of the biggest challenges Smith said she faced as a coach was helping players balance their work-life balance – with many of the squad juggling part-time jobs or study with their football career.

Smith said instead of coaching staff talking about how to maximise high performance outcomes they are instead focusing on how to minimise the damage.

Western United coach Kat Smith. Photo: Supplied

“When it comes to scheduling training for a certain time of day because it’s the best fit for the majority of our players rather than making the decision because it’s the optimal time to train for performance and development,” Smith said.

“That’s the space we are in at the moment. While other environments, clubs and leagues are having conversations about how to enhance high performance … we are talking about how to minimise or limit compromising high performance.”

Smith said until the league had more financial backing it wouldn’t be able to support players on 12-month long contracts, like those offered to the men.

Western United will face Central Coast Mariners on Saturday – another club making a swift rise up the ladder.

Smith said the plan was to “focus on themselves”.

“We know we’ve got good structures that can nullify individuals,” she said.

“If we make sure we have a good understanding of our roles and responsibilities of how we execute a game plan that can hurt the opposition as well.”

The game will kick off at 2.15pm (AEDT).

Originally published as A-Leagues Womens 2024: Mackeznie Hawkesby thriving back at Sydney FC, Kat Smith is leading Western United up the table