Since March 28, Harrison Sawyer has been in fine form, netting four goals at an impressive rate of one every 30 minutes. He’s emerging as a crucial asset for the Macarthur Bulls.
The journey of journeyman striker Harrison Sawyer is fast becoming one of the more compelling narratives in the A-Leagues.
This six-foot-five forward’s path to this prestigious competition draws parallels to Jamie Vardy of Leicester City, having finally found his stride with the Bulls after a globe-trotting career that has spanned continents.
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Sawyer began his football journey with Brisbane Roar’s youth setup before making his Isuzu UTE A-League debut in 2017 with Newcastle Jets, where he racked up five appearances before moving on.
Over the next seven years, the towering centre-forward plied his trade in five different countries: The Philippines, Hong Kong, India, Finland, and back in Australia’s NPL, before making a notable return this season, buoyed by two Golden Boot victories in NPL Victoria.
Following brief appearances off the bench in four of the initial five rounds, Sawyer found himself on the sidelines, struggling for a foothold in the squad.
However, with the departures of Ariath Piol, Jed Drew, and Valere Germain, an opportunity arose for him to lead the attack and become the goal-scoring catalyst that Macarthur required after the January transfer period.
In his last three outings, Sawyer found the net four times, and his teammates are now leveraging his distinctive skill set to their advantage.
“It’s a bit of a (Jamie) Vardy story,” remarked A-Leagues legend Archie Thompson during an episode of A-Leagues Download.
“It’s fantastic; scoring four goals in three matches is impressive.
“There was a phase when many questioned if he had what it took to play at A-League level. The few chances he was given didn’t quite come off.
“He’s really stepped up; when they required an impact, he delivered.”
Premier League icon and former Melbourne City goalkeeper Thomas Sorensen added: “If you receive good delivery, you can utilise players like him… with Jakolis and others who can provide those balls into the box.”
“There’s an urgency in football to fit everything into a mould, where players need to conform to a specific style.
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“It’s refreshing to see players like him break the mould and be effectively utilised on the pitch.”
“His stature makes him difficult to mark. You can see how precise he is when he gets into scoring positions and his ability to time his jumps and head the ball effectively. It’s encouraging to witness a transition from the NPL to such a prestigious league.”
“While it took him some time, it’s a positive reflection for everyone involved that players can achieve their goals.”
Indeed, Macarthur and coach Mile Sterjovski seem to have discovered how best to utilise their central forward, who boasts both remarkable aerial prowess and an undeniable height advantage.
Since he opened his scoring account on March 28, netting a brace against Newcastle Jets, no player in the Isuzu UTE A-League has scored more goals than Sawyer’s four, tying with Adrian Segecic, Archie Goodwin, and Eli Adams.
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It’s worth mentioning that Sawyer achieved his four goals in just 121 minutes of action—averaging a goal every 30.3 minutes.
All of his strikes have come via headers, with no other player boasting more than two goals in that manner this season.
“Our players have now figured out how to effectively use him,” Sterjovski remarked following the brace against the Jets.
“It’s been a transition for us; we worked on various strategies with him, and it felt like it really came together in the latter stages of the match, particularly when he came off.”
The Bulls’ boss has since been validated, as Sawyer has scored in every match following that performance.
If defences struggle to find a way to counter the imposing figure of Macarthur’s latest attacking threat, fans can expect many more goals to come.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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