Ben Gilby continues his series profiling our Glory A-League Women’s squad with a feature on another Perth local, Tijan McKenna…
After a spell across in Victoria playing both A-League Women and NPLW, Tijan McKenna returned to WA and her home town club Perth Glory earlier this year and is determined to make the most of it.
“It’s very refreshing being home, being with family and friends whilst still making the most out of my football,” she said.
“There’s definitely some stuff that I’m keen to accomplish at Glory this season and I’m just grateful to have been given the chance to test it out.”
McKenna played a role in all 12 of Glory’s W-League matches in 2020/21 as a 16-year-old, but then found it harder to gain a spot in the squad in subsequent seasons.
Despite this, she was still called up to the Young Matildas squad.
The move across to Victoria followed, where she played two seasons of NPLW, was reunited with older sister Leticia at Melbourne City and was a member of their Grand Final squad last season.
It was an experience that the youngster believes was the making of her both as a person and a footballer.
“It’s scary at first,” she admitted.
“New places, new people; it takes a while to get used to at first.
“Moving interstate at such a young age really tested me as an individual.
“I had to grow up fast and find my bearings.
“I went from having my family helping me at home the majority of the time to relying on myself 24/7.
“Financially it was definitely very tough.
“You have to manage your spending and always think ahead.
“I became more mature, as a player and person.
“Taking ownership and doing things myself became very important.”
McKenna’s Head Coach at City was Dario Vidošić who is currently in the midst of his first season in charge of English WSL club Brighton and Hove Albion.
And she has nothing but high praise for her former boss.
“He was an incredible coach,” she said.
“His level of experience and intelligence within the game really showcased in his training sessions and tactics with how he wanted us to play.
“He taught me many tips and tricks as a player, but he really improved my mentality on the field and helped me gain confidence in myself which I found quite hard at the time as I tried to maximise minutes.”
After Melbourne City’s Grand Final appearance, McKenna made the move back to WA and duly enjoyed a successful NPLW WA campaign with Perth SC.
Part of the side which won the club’s first State Cup and also reached the Top Four Cup Final, she was given the chance to return to her preferred central midfield position and her ability in the role was immediately apparent to regular NPLW WA watchers.
McKenna relished the opportunity.
“It was very enjoyable being back in the centre of the park,” she said.
“I love the creativity that comes along with being a midfielder.”
Back at her home A-League club, McKenna is surrounded by her Perth SC colleagues Georgia Cassidy, Grace Johnston, Ella Lincoln and Charli Wainwright and it has really helped the re-settling in process.
“It’s been good having so many familiar faces at Glory this year,” she said.
“Everyone has come together so well, the environment that has been created is very uplifting and definitely something I’m looking forward to watching grow throughout the remainder of the season.”
The youngster’s return to the Glory has come under a new Head Coach, Stephen Peters and despite it still being relatively early days, McKenna is really positive about his impact on the squad.
“Stephen has slotted straight into his new role as Head Coach,” she said.
“He has a very positive outlook with his intentions for this season.
“Stephen has come into this environment and made it a very comfortable place for everyone which I believe has helped me as a player, due to the fact that in training I’m not afraid to give something a go and make a mistake.
“He would rather us make the mistake in order to learn and improve.
“He’s been very beneficial to my learning, helping me through the steps and guiding me in the right direction to the player and person I want to become.
“We’re obviously a whole new team with a whole new coaching staff but looking at the positives, it’s been very pleasing to see how quick and smoothly we’ve all come together off the pitch.
“The challenging side to this new season has definitely been the amount of ongoing injuries.”
The biggest positive for McKenna has been the chance to start regularly in a purple shirt for the first time, as well as the opportunity to showcase her abilities further up the pitch in midfield.
“A good season for me would simply be playing as many minutes as I possibly can and improving day by day,” she said.
“For us as a collective, I believe we’re all striving to make finals but also just ramping it up every training session and every game.”
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