A year after a blood clot turned Sienna Saveska’s world upside down, the Melbourne Victory gun is making up for lost time.
Former Western Sydney starlet Saveska, then 19, crossed to Victory last season, keen to kick on with her bright career.
Then suddenly everything was on hold.
“In pre-season, I got diagnosed with a blood clot, a pulmonary embolism, and it was just crazy from there. I had no clue what caused it,” Saveska told AAP.
“It was probably long-haul flights, stuff to do with that, but it was just very random for me.
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“Suddenly I had chest pain and we got it checked out with the team doctors and everyone and that’s what it ended up being.”
All of a sudden, Saveska, considered a future Matilda, was doubting everything.
“I thought, ‘Oh my god, am I going to be able to play football ever again? Like, will I have to be on blood thinners forever? Is that something that has to happen?’” Saveska said.
Thankfully it was only three months on the sidelines.
“Which is a long time for us but it wasn’t a lifetime thing,” Saveska said.
“So I tried to look at the positives of that and just work as hard as I could to get my body back to where it was before that.”
Saveska knows there is nothing she could have done differently, but the “very scary” experience made one thing clear: she didn’t want to lose football again.
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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – NOVEMBER 01: Sienna Saveska of the Victory celebrates after scoring a goal during the round three A-League Women match between Melbourne Victory and Newcastle Jets at AAMI Park, on November 01, 2026, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
“Knowing that I just want to be a footballer – that time away helped cement that in my brain,” she said.
When Saveska finally returned, she suffered a foot injury.
But the off-season delivered a fresh start.
Saveska stayed with Victory for the NPLW season to keep working under coach Jeff Hopkins.
She has reaped the rewards with a stellar start to this season in a new holding midfield role, with Hopkins likening Saveska to a “little pitbull”.
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Victory have procedures in place for longer flights to ensure Saveska avoids a repeat of her pulmonary embolism.
“I can be on a blood thinner that lasts 24 hours if we’re going on a longer flight, say, to Perth,” she said.
“Then I can play in competition without having to worry about the blood thinners like that and then just take one on the way back.”
The 20-year-old has lofty ambitions, hoping to head overseas when she’s ready and one day reach the Matildas.
But one thing comes first.
“Winning some silverware with Victory this year would be great,” Saveska said.
That bid continues when Victory host Adelaide at the Home of the Matildas on Saturday.
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