Sydney FC enter the weekend sitting in 7th, the sort of position that looks worse than it feels. They’ve drawn twice—0–0 with Adelaide United and 2–2 with Melbourne City—an unbeaten start that still somehow reads like a step behind. Their possession numbers are dreadful, averaging just 35%, but that’s the trick with Sydney FC games: they don’t need the ball, just the moment. Juric’s side remains an organised, counter-attacking engine disguised as an underdog. They’re structured, drilled, suffocating when the press lands right.
And then there’s Perth Glory W—sitting 5th, which is not spectacular but significant. They beat the Wanderers away for their first road success in nearly two years, then lost 3–2 to Brisbane Roar in a defeat that stung but didn’t embarrass. Their attack is the brightest it has looked in years: 5 goals in two matches, a team “brave on the ball, dynamic in movement”, as described by their own coaching staff.
But the numbers tell the truth nobody in purple enjoys reading:
Three of the four goals they’ve conceded came from set pieces. Corner, throw-in, throw-in. Not a tactical flaw — a psychological one. Switch off once, you suffer. Switch off twice, you collapse. And Sydney FC score first in 80% of fixtures analysed. The Sky Blues don’t just smell weakness. They circle it.
Which is why Perth’s ambition to “fix our away record from last year” isn’t a casual season goal. It’s an internal oath. A promise whispered in meeting rooms. A vow reinforced on training pitches. Because if you want to reach Finals football—as they openly do—you have to slay the monsters blocking the path. Sydney FC aren’t just a team. They are the recurring nightmare.
Since February 2020, Perth Glory Women have not beaten Sydney FC.
Five years and counting.
And yes, they call it a hoodoo.
Coach Stephen Peters calls it something else:
“They’re a very proud club… it would mean a massive amount if we were to win at Leichhardt.”
That’s not coach-speak. That’s desperation dressed in respect.
A Match Played Under a Shadow: Hana Lowry and the ACL Epidemic
Some football matches begin before the whistle. This one begins in grief.
Hana Lowry should have been the headline. Perth’s prodigy, Sydney’s marquee midfield signing, the rising Matilda whose feet were supposed to script this season. But the football gods intervened with brutality: an ACL tear. Season-ending. Momentum-ending. Life-pausing.
Her words were heartbreakingly simple:
“A big high, then a big low in an instant.”
And the support she received—Nat Tobin, Kirsty Fenton, Kyah Simon—shows how widespread the ACL plague has become in women’s football. Sydney FC players know this road far too well. The league knows it. Fans know it. If you support the A-League Women long enough, you inevitably become familiar with the purgatory of rehabilitation updates.
Sydney coach Ante Juric said it plainly:
“We’re devastated for Hana… she is family.”
Her absence ripples through the Sydney FC players list. Her presence would have changed the midfield’s balance, the tempo, the transition patterns. Instead, Sydney carry her spirit into every match as an emotional undertone.
And for Perth Glory Women, this match brings a cruel twist:
Lowry came through the WA system.
Cockburn City. Football West NTC.
She grew up in the purple.
She now watches, injured, as two parts of her identity collide without her.
Rola Badawiya: The Return, The Freedom, The Fire
If Lowry is the shadow over the fixture, Rola Badawiya is its spark.
Fresh from a brutal lesson against Brisbane, the American-born forward walks into Leichhardt with two goals from two games and a reputation that grows every week. She is quick, two-footed, direct, and almost confrontational in how she attacks space. She is unpredictable in the way defenders hate.
And she returns to her old city.
Sydney, where she won the Premiership-Championship double in 2023. Sydney, where her story could easily have ended. But she left for Portugal, learned the European rhythms, returned to Australia, and chose Perth for a simple reason:
“The staff believed in me… all you want is people who trust your ability and give you the freedom to play your game.”
If Perth Glory score this weekend — and they usually do — she will likely be the reason. The Sky Blues know it. Their defenders know it. The analysts know it. This is not an ordinary return. It’s a statement game.
And if Peters is going to vanquish that hoodoo, it might be Badawiya who carries the torch.
Sydney’s Steel and Sydney’s Century: The Hawkesby Moment
For all the tactical talk, Saturday belongs first to Mackenzie Hawkesby.
100 games.
One hundred Sky Blue battles.
Her celebration takes place at 2:30 pm AEDT, a quiet ceremony before a loud afternoon. She is a heartbeat player, not a headline player—yet the sort fans recognise instantly as the glue. The kind you only appreciate fully when she is missing.
There will be applause, photos, a framed jersey, and a moment of reflection. And then the match will begin, and she will shift into killer mode, because Hawkesby’s midfield work is Sydney’s metronome. If Sydney FC score first—as the stats suggest they will—it could be her pass that lights the fuse.
The Tactical Clash: Press vs Purpose
Sydney FC:
4-3-3.
Aggressive, compact, hungry for transition moments.
Perth Glory:
Fluid.
Forward-thinking.
Leaning on instinct and mobility.
The battle will be fought between Sydney’s counter-attacks and Perth’s self-inflicted defensive chaos. One knows exactly what it is. The other desperately wants to believe.
Add in the youth factor—Willa Pearson, aged 14, starting again for Sydney, and Tanika Lala, promoted to Perth’s squad—and the match has that rare mix of legacy and next-generation fire.
This is why the Sydney FC standings don’t matter as much as they seem. This is why the Perth Glory W defensive numbers matter more than ever.
The Culture Clash: Leichhardt’s Charm vs Perth’s Pilgrimage
Leichhardt Oval will open its gates at 1:45 pm, fanzones scattered across the grounds, misting fans running, trophy museum open, kids grabbing autographs from non-playing Sydney FC players before kickoff.
Sydney fans expect to win.
Perth fans expect to suffer.
Both sets expect goals.
This match means something different in the east and west.
For Sydney, it’s about authority.
For Perth, it’s about identity.
WA football prides itself on pathways — producing fighters, not finishers. And this is why they travel. Why they believe. Why they still chase the ghost of that 2019 Grand Final victory.
Prediction: The First Punch Wins
With the historical patterns, the tactical setups, the form lines, and the emotional landscape… this match screams drama.
If Sydney score first, they take control.
If Perth score first, the hoodoo shakes.
It will be tight.
It will be heated.
It will be decided in transitions and moments.
But one truth rings louder than the rest:
Perth Glory Women didn’t come east just to survive.
They came to rewrite a story.
And Sydney FC didn’t build a dynasty just to share the script.
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