One of the key tasks Football Australia gave to Matildas coach Tony Gustavsson was to not only get results but to flood the national team with a large talent pool to select from come the FIFA Women's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in 2023.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Figtree's Mackenzie Hawkesby is one of these players on the fringe of making the World Cup squad come winter next year and by all accounts she is doing everything right.
After starting as a youngster at Sydney FC, she is now a mainstay in Ante Juric's side at just 22 years of age.
She was crucial to their minor premiership success last season, scoring five goals from midfield which included a hat-trick against Wellington in front of her family in Wollongong in 2021.
As a result, she picked up the player of the season at the club's 'Sky Blue Ball' at years end.
Hawkesby was rewarded for her stellar form with a call up to the national team for friendlies against Spain and Portugal in June of this year, however did not register any appearances.
Hawkesby told the Mercury she believes that she has all the right ingredients to make her World Cup dream come true.
She said hard work and consistency would be her main frame of mind coming into the new A-League Women's season.
"To play in a World Cup is something that I am working at," she said.
"My first priority is to play well with Sydney and it's definitely a squad that I would love to make."
Hawkesby said the best way for her to make that World Cup team with the likes of global superstars Sam Kerr and Shellharbour's Cailtin Foord is to produce another season with her club like she did last year.
Just one week into pre-season and Hawkesby is already feeling confident of avenging their heartbreaking loss to rivals Melbourne Victory last season.
"It's pretty exciting to be back," she said.
"We have a bit of a long pre-season this year which is exciting with a couple of new faces in Kirsty Fenton from the Jets and a couple of young girls.
"The new group is looking really good at the moment and we can't wait to get into proper pre-season after a couple of weeks but it's been good so far.
"Our aim is to win the premiership and the grand final. That is something that we always talk about but it is not necessarily on our minds all the time. I think we've lost a couple but we've also gained some squad members so we're looking strong.
"It's an exciting year [of A-League Women's] heading into a World Cup," Hawkesby said.
It's an exciting year [of A-League Women's] heading into a World Cup.
- Figtree's Mackenzie Hawkesby
The A-League Women's will enter a new era this season with two new teams being added to the competition in the Central Coast Mariners and Western United.
It was a move that was met with great appraisal from football fans in the country as a step forward in the women's game in Australia.
Hawkesby said it was exciting to see the competition continue to grow and it would only boost the push to make the A-League Women's a fully professional competition.
"I think it's great," she said.
"Obviously you can see from Melbourne the two teams Victory and City, both had great seasons last year and it's important to see another team down there in Western United because there are a lot of good players down there.
"Adding two more teams especially before a World Cup and having a full home and away season next season is crucial.
"I think the expanding of the league and [the competition] getting bigger is really good," she said.
The A-League Women's season begins on 19 November with the Australian Professional Leagues hoping this season will be bigger and better following a few disrupted campaigns due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sydney FC will begin their season away to Adelaide before two big games against rivals Victory and Western Sydney at Marconi Stadium.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say.
Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on the Illawarra Mercury website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. Sign up for a subscription here.
To read more stories, download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Jordan Warren
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
Illawarra Mercury sports journalist. Feel free to get in touch jordan.warren@austcommunitymedia.com.au.
