Viking Park, December 30, 2020. Canberra United have just defeated Adelaide United 4-3 to open their W-League campaign. It’s been a memorable contest as the hosts have come back from 2-0 down to secure victory, thanks in large part to a Michelle Heyman hat trick.
Given all the drama of that evening in the nation’s capital, it would have been easy to miss one of the late substitutions. A 21 year old from Sydney’s Inner West made her W-League debut in the closing stages, and while she may have only been on the pitch for a handful of minutes, her appearance on the national stage still has a lot of significance.
It definitely wasn’t easy for Bianca Galic to get to this point.
Apart from a stint training with Western Sydney Wanderers in 2019, this season is Galic’s first involvement with a W-League club. The long-time Sydney University player had strong ambitions of playing on the national stage, however she still described the call from Canberra coach Vicki Linton as “a shock”.
“Vicki Linton came to quite a few Sydney Uni games. Her watching me play led to her looking at me, more specifically in the midfield role for her team and what I could offer. I like 6 (defensive midfield), but anywhere in the midfield I’m happy with. When I got the phone call from Vicki, I was ecstatic because that was the goal. I thought I might as well take it because I’ve got nothing to lose and I can only grow as a player if I’m in the environment 24/7.”
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Like all W-League players, Galic had to overcome many COVID-related obstacles in order to be offered a contract. Sydney University had only played one game when the NSW NPL competition was originally paused in March, and months of uncertainty followed before the league eventually restarted in July.
“We haven’t had that time off in years. Normally in my summer season I play futsal, so it’s a straight transition from outdoor to indoor, and then indoor to outdoor. So every year, year in year out, I’m busy playing.
“It was interesting mentally because I was struggling to find my rhythm. Our rhythm is going to training three times a week, and knowing the schedule and also going to uni and work and stuff like that, and when all those factors change it’s hard to gather yourself.
“I started training with some players from the team. We did our own conditioning and tactical stuff with the resources that we had, and we got into our own sort of rhythm. I think having multiple preseasons as well was something that was just hard to do, both mentally and physically, because we got programs (from the Sydney University coaches), and then we did them and then the season got put on hold again. It was taxing on the body and the mind, because when you’re so used to something for years and that changes, it throws everything out of whack.”
That wasn’t the first time Galic had turned a negative into a positive. While in her early teenage years, she made the most of an unfortunate situation to catch the eye of Sydney University at a trial.
“Inter Lions (Galic’s previous club) were getting relegated. I wanted to play at a club that was Premier League 1 [the division now known as NSW NPL 1], and I knew I was good enough.”
In the following years, Galic would prove that she is so much more than “good enough”. The 21 year old has been at Sydney University ever since that successful trial all those years ago. The quality of coaching she has received is a major factor in her decision to stay with the Students, year after year.
“The culture [at Sydney University], it’s super positive. I’ve obviously had lots of different coaches over the years who have brought different traits out to life, and that in itself is self-realisation that there is more, you always do have more potential than you think.
“Amy Shepherd and Emily Husband at Sydney Uni, they coached me in U17s and both of them were just the most positive people that I have been coached by. Whenever anyone had their head down, they were right by to lift you up. The constructive criticism … it wasn’t like ‘you’re doing this wrong, fix it’, it was ‘you’re doing this wrong, let’s find a way to help you fix it’.
“Before I made it to Canberra United, they were always saying to me ‘next year B, next year, you’re going to be in it’, every time they spoke about the W-League, so this is the year I can finally tell them that I made it.”
Galic also has plenty of praise for Perth Glory head coach Alex Epakis, who she worked with for three seasons at Sydney University.
“Alex is a coach that definitely wants to keep developing and I’m happy that he got something at Perth Glory because he deserves it. He’s done really well in the NPL, and he’s shown what he can do with a team. The last three years that he’s been at Sydney Uni have been amazing.
“The environment that he created at Sydney Uni definitely pushed everyone to keep going and to keep proving why they should be there. The dynamic within the Senior Squad was great as well, because he always made sure that you knew you weren’t a permanent spot holder and that you have to fight for your spot every week. He’s a young coach, but he’s definitely developing into something big and I’m really glad that I got to be coached by him.”
Her progress has been aided throughout the years by futsal, a game that she (until this summer) played every NPL offseason. Futsal backgrounds are becoming increasingly common in up and coming players, and five of Galic’s futsal teammates have earned W-League contracts for this season (Sophie Magus & Bryleeh Henry from Western Sydney, Melbourne City’s Tori Tumeth, Newcastle midfielder Rhianna Pollicina and Canberra defender Jessika Nash).
When asked about how futsal has aided her development, Galic replied, “ … two things: your awareness on the pitch and your touches, because technically, you have to be up to speed. If you’re playing futsal and you’re taking a big touch it’s not going to benefit you, so you learn when you’re younger, to keep the ball by your side, to keep it close to you, to play the one-twos to get around players.
“It is definitely different to outdoor football, but I would suggest it as someone who played when they were younger, because your biggest growth is when you’re young, and I think that only benefits everything you do on the outdoor pitch.”
While W-League recognition had eluded her until recently, Galic has received representative honours, touring the United Kingdom and Ireland in 2017 as part of the Australian Schoolgirls squad.
“You obviously got people from all over Australia and you’re learning to play and bond with them, on the field and off the field, in a very short amount of time. It was definitely an interesting experience and one that I thoroughly enjoyed because I got to experience a little bit of Europe playing soccer.”
It was during the 2018 NSW NPL season that Galic established herself as a regular in the Sydney University 1st Grade side. She would play an important role for the Students – they won three consecutive Premierships and the 2019 Championship, while also going on a 32 game unbeaten run. Galic was well aware that being a 1st Grade starter did not mean she could relax, even as Sydney Uni’s unbeaten run kept growing.
“When I had my opportunity in 1st Grade I didn’t want to let it go to waste, I wanted to prove that I can stay there. It’s one thing getting there but it’s another thing actually staying at the top, and to be a consistent player week in week out, you need to work hard, not just for yourself but for the team now, because they’re relying on you in that position.”
“No one in the team actually counted the unbeaten run. It only really started getting big when it got into the late 20s and 30s, and I think that was actually beneficial to us. All we thought was ‘this is another game, we have to win this for the Premiership’, and that was the thought process throughout the whole season, ‘just keep going, just keep going’.”
That mindset has taken her all the way into the W-League. Galic was understandably thrilled to make her debut. However, she also realises there is still a lot ahead of her.
“Making my debut against Adelaide was really exciting because it was something I’ve been looking forward to for such a long time. Coming into a game at 2-2 and then the final result ending in a 4-2 win was just incredible. To be able to celebrate with the girls and share that moment was really special, and definitely made it an unforgettable debut. My next focus is working towards getting more minutes and making a difference every time I step on the field.”
Galic might have taken longer to get to the national stage than some of her peers, but given the determination she has shown throughout her career, don’t be surprised if that late substitute appearance at Viking Park is the first of many W-League appearances. She has some reassuring words for those younger players who feel they aren’t receiving the recognition they deserve.
“Just keep fighting. Keep proving why you should be around. Don’t let anyone tell you that you’re not good enough. Know that you’re good enough and keep pushing until someone does recognise you because someone will.”
