In a season of ups and downs for Canberra United, Hayley Taylor-Young was a shining light. Participating in her third national league campaign, Taylor-Young was best known as a powerful and speedy winger. When Karly Roestbakken returned to Norway halfway through the season and defensive depth was tested with injury and illness, coach Vicki Linton turned to Taylor-Young to undertake an unfamiliar role in defence.
In an interview with Jeremy Magan, team-mate Margot Robinne best summed up how Taylor-Young met the challenge, counting her among the top three players who impressed Robinne the most at United.
“I did not see it coming. I was told, ‘she (Taylor-Young) is a winger; she scores goals’. Then I saw her defending skills. I called her the bulldog. I would hate to have her defending me.
“Her energy, her relentless efforts, were so important and impressive.
“I told her, ‘maybe you don’t love playing lower on the pitch, but wing-back, or full back, is your position’. The way she defends, her ability to go back and forth, everything about her screamed wing-back.“
In transitioning to defence, Taylor-Young’s determination – perhaps her defining characteristic – is front and centre.
“My family is very, very competitive, all of us like my brother, my mum, my dad, we’ve all played competitive sports. With me, I always try and put 100% in; I never half-arse a job. And I don’t want to ever change them [my family] and never want to change.
“I feel if you don’t put all your effort in, all your ability, why be there?”
Add to this her willingness to learn, her good nature and her gentle humour, and it’s easy to see how she was a popular choice for two members’ Player of the Match awards, alongside Linton’s praises in several post-match press conferences.
Taylor-Young’s efforts in the A-League Women’s season saw her named in Leah Blayney‘s Young Matildas squad for the two-game series against New Zealand, although an injury prevented her from seeing the field. With the Under-20 Women’s World Cup just months away, Blayney told the Canberra Times, “Taylor-Young, she offers us a versatile player. She can play multiple positions.”
All the more remarkable when you consider that Taylor-Young never played anything other than an attacking role in football growing up, although she did share her time between football and another sport.
“My mum was actually the coach, my first ever coach. From there, I played for Weston Creek or Weston Molonglo, I think they are called [that] now. So I stayed there until I believe I was 13. And then I moved on to CUA [Canberra United Academy] for three, four years, I think, and then I came into Canberra United.
“When I was in juniors, I was more of a nine [striker] but yes, I’ve always played up the front, like nine or winger. I also played OzTag [a non-tackling version of rugby league/union]. My family’s a very rugby based family, they played OzTag as well and they played touch [football], and so I kind of got into it from them.”
Mum Helen Taylor was also the first captain of the Australian women’s rugby team. Taylor led the inaugural women’s side in 1994 and her legacy lives on through the Brumbies’ Super W player of the year medal, which is known as the Helen Taylor Award.
In the recently completed A-League Women season both Taylor-Young and Sasha Grove were asked to play in positions unfamiliar to them. The on-field relationship between them goes back several years to an amazingly successful attacking partnership at the Canberra United Academy. In the 2019 NPL season, Taylor-Young scored 30 goals in 17 games, while Grove scored 9. Both have quite different playing styles; Taylor-Young would typically set up on the left wing, and Grove would either be on the right wing or sometimes as a 10 (attacking midfielder). What can’t be denied during that period was a really good onfield chemistry and relationship between the two.
“Honestly, I think when we got to know each other a little bit better, [the onfield chemistry] kind of came naturally. We both read each other and how we play – I think I’m more of a runner and Sasha is more a ‘playing off people’ player, so it kind of worked. I’d play [the ball], [then] she’d play off me and maybe play it through. It’s like we read each other and bounced off each other. As the years progressed, I think it all came naturally, [one of us would] make a run and you’d just see it straight away.”
It goes without saying given their friendship and playing history that Taylor-Young is proud of Grove’s progress this year.
“Yeah, I was so proud of that. I was so stoked. This year, I think was very, very good for her. There were starting opportunities. And I’ve honestly never seen her happier. She played so well, and [often] out of her own position. And she’s a fine impact player.”
When given a free rein in attack, Taylor-Young gravitates to the left wing and left-sided attacking plays.
“Yes, I enjoy playing on the left side more than the right side.
“I’m ambidextrous, I can use both feet. That’s why I swap sides all the time. But if I were to take a penalty or something, I would use my right foot. I’m more dominant on my right, but I can still use my left … I have more power on my left side. That’s why whenever I play wing, I’d always want to play on the left side because I can cross it in better, with more accuracy and power, from the left.”
Some commentators during the recent season made mention of Taylor-Young playing on an ‘unnatural’ left flank. “They’re like, ‘she’s not dominant on the left foot’, and I’m like, ‘man you know nothing!'”
Taylor-Young has been part of Blayney’s Future Matildas programme for the last couple of years. The programme was launched in 2018 to help develop the next generation of Australia’s elite female footballers, providing a tailored training environment for selected 15 to 20-year-old players.
So great to see @CanberraUnited‘s Hayley Taylor-Young as part of the Future Matildas group !!#GoHayley pic.twitter.com/Z3F6yAgvJU
— MobyOne (Steffen) (@ShmobyOne) September 30, 2020
“I went home early [from that particular camp] because I was injured during it. There’s been times when I would go up and maybe train a couple of times a week. Like Karly [Roestbakken]’s situation, I actually stayed with the same family and the same girl she was staying with – Charli Grant. [That] last time I went up was probably just less than a week.
“[Future Matilda sessions are] very often spontaneous, maybe once a month.
“I honestly was terrified at the start. I was so nervous coming into it and seeing all those people … players for the Matildas and the like. It was just a bit scary, but the girls are so lovely. I feel like I mixed well with them. And yeah, I learned so much from Leah. It’s a great environment to be a part of.”
Linton made Taylor-Young aware during Canberra United’s preseason that some time in a defensive role may be a possibility for her, but it was Roestbakken’s mid-season return to Norway that made the positional switch a reality.
“It popped up in pre-season; we had so many attackers, so [we talked about how] she could transition me into the fullback position. That kind of disappeared at the end of pre-season so I just stuck with the winger role for the first few games. And then I think one day at training, she [Linton] threw me back in at fullback – it was after the Adelaide game – I think because Karly was leaving.
“When Karly was there we had wingbacks, with five at the back at one stage. That’s when I think was [my] transition – winger to wingback to fullback. It fitted in quite nicely, not gonna lie. Like it just kind of shuffled down.
“All the girls I had around me were talking to me 24/7, especially Keeley [Richards] and Ally [Haran] and Loz [Lauren Keir]. I’m still learning but it really helped having players like that talking to me – Grace [Maher] was talking to me, Ash [Sykes] was talking to me. Getting all that communication did help me feel comfortable in where I was playing.
“The first game [in defence] I was a bit nervous … but after that first game I felt fine. I feel like I’ve built a lot of confidence off this season playing fullback. I don’t get as nervous as I usually do when I play winger. I was pretty chill this season.”
Taylor-Young agrees that it was one of the most important seasons she has ever had as far as her growth in football is concerned.
“Definitely. I think I have found my new position. I’m still cool with the other ones, but I really enjoyed playing fullback this year. I don’t mind if it’s on the left or the right.”
After only one appearance in green during Canberra’s last four A-League Women games and no games since then, Taylor-Young is looking to get her body right for the NSW NPL season with new club Illawarra Stingrays.
“Before the game on my birthday, I strained my hamstring tendon. That took me out for the Wellington game and the Wanderers game. I was recovering through that patch and was better for the Newcastle game, and tweaked it again. I’m still not 100%.
“Anthony [Guido] is the head coach, he reached out to Rachael [Goldstein] to pass on my number. And so we kind of got talking … it just seemed like the best environment for me to go to. And for the three of us [Goldstein, Keir and Taylor-Young], I think it was good that we all went our separate ways, we stuck together a lot [at Macarthur Rams in 2021]. And so this is a bit new to us, but it’ll help us grow … I’m going to miss our road trips though [laughs].
“I’m hoping I’ll play fullback. He [Guido] kind of gives the A-League Women’s players a choice, but I’ll do whatever’s best for the team. So yeah, I’ll either play fullback or winger.”
Taylor-Young makes a point of clarifying her preference as a fullback rather than a wingback (recalling Robinne’s “everything about her screamed wingback” comment).
“Not as much wingback – I like fullback. They seem the same but they’re not. Wingback, you’re just doing doggies [Aussie vernacular for repeated runs up and down the wing a la Ellie Carpenter or Roestbakken] all day I swear. I can do that but I get to a limit where I cannot keep going, not for 90 minutes, can’t do it.
“I think I’ll go up twice a week to Stingrays. They’ll be training during the week and then the game on the weekend. Then I’ll train down here with the TSP boys [Capital Football’s Talent Support Program], maybe Belconnen as well just to get a few training sessions in. I also have an ACTAS scholarship, so I have gym sessions as well to squeeze in, but work’s pretty flexible [Taylor-Young works in after school care], they’re very understanding.”
Taylor-Young is complimentary of Linton’s time as Canberra United coach but agrees that the most recent A-League Women’s pre-season presented different challenges compared to the season before. The strong Canberra United / Sydney University connections during Linton’s first year in charge provided a head-start regarding everyone’s familiarity with each other, but some of that was lost in the player turnover following that season.
“I think Vicki was a brilliant coach, she helped me so much to develop as a player. In the last few years, I improved so much and she’s helped me find confidence within myself. She always gave great feedback and always tried to do the best for us. I really appreciate all she’s done for us.”
“In my eyes, we had such a short preseason that I didn’t think we had enough time to gel well as a team. We only had six weeks of preseason, I don’t think that’s enough for us to build that bond. As a playing group we got along so well, but as a performance group … as we progressed through the season, you could see us bonding and knowing how each other plays.”
Linton certainly remarked in the second half of the season that finally everyone knew what their jobs are. By then, the team was consistently closer to the desired level.
“I think [the] majority of us girls right now, we want to have the same team … for the next year, because we’ve bonded so well, we don’t want to lose that. It’s always so hard going back into the next season when it’s a completely different team. You’re just kind of doing the same thing over and over again, when we can make it consistent … well, if they wanted to.”
The 2020 Canberra United Academy NPLW season under coach Scott O’Donnel, while not Taylor-Young’s favourite, gave her an early taste of a leadership role, and life on the park in something other than an attacking role. Playing as a six – defensive holding midfield -brought her out of her comfort zone. While it may have affected her confidence for a time, it was doubtless an important stepping stone to her achievements with Canberra United last season.
“I feel like it was a good season for my development, Scott told me that he wanted me to play a bit more of a leadership role that season so I did. I was the eldest and he put younger girls on the wing and wanted me to learn there was more than just relying on my speed. It was more to make sure my touches are all good, and [to improve] my distribution … playing off players, playing through balls and being a bit more versatile. I think it did help me a lot.
“I hated playing midfield. I enjoyed that season but hated it at the same time. I probably didn’t feel comfortable being winger when I transitioned back because I think I did lose a little bit of confidence. I always felt stressed out, nervous. It was a lot more responsibility.
“Yeah, it was not my favourite season.
“I like having a sideline, having a boundary [to play to]. In the midfield we have all the space in the world and I get a little bit lost.”
Going back to Robinne’s perceptive comments, is Taylor-Young now more in love with playing as a defender?
“I really love defending, honestly, and I feel like most people don’t like that but I absolutely love it. I want to develop as a fullback. I think that’s my main thing right now. And yes, maybe getting a starting position as fullback [in the next A-League Women’s season]”.
The next few months will be critical in shaping Taylor-Young’s playing future. Her games in the NSW NPL competition with Illawarra Stingrays can be watched on NPL.TV (powered by our friends at Cluch), and her fans will be keen to see her continued rise in the A-League Women’s competition next season.
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