Sienna Saveska Returns to Form After Pulmonary Embolism Sidelines Her

Sienna Saveska’s return to Melbourne Victory has gathered pace after a pulmonary embolism interrupted her first pre-season at the club. Now 20, the midfielder has opened the campaign in a new holding role after three months away from football and a later foot injury. That combination makes her early form more than a routine positional adjustment: she’s rebuilding match fitness and trust in her body at the same time.

Her story also puts the less visible work of a comeback in focus. A return to training can look straightforward from the stands, but time away, medical precautions and a second injury can complicate the route back to consistent minutes.

A sudden interruption

Saveska joined Victory from Western Sydney last season, but chest pain during pre-season led team doctors to diagnose a pulmonary embolism. She told AAP the cause was unclear, though long-haul flights may have played a part. The uncertainty matters: the diagnosis gave her a serious health issue to address without providing a simple explanation for why it happened.

“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.”

The diagnosis left her questioning whether she would play again and whether she might need blood thinners indefinitely. Her time out lasted three months. Saveska said the experience was frightening, but it also made her resolve to return more certain. For a young player at a new club, the interruption also meant losing the chance to build momentum through a normal pre-season.

That uncertainty can weigh heavily on an athlete whose work depends on being able to train and compete regularly. The medical question comes first; only after it’s addressed can football become the focus again. Saveska’s account suggests she had to live with both concerns at once, while accepting that recovery would take time.

“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.”

After returning, she picked up a foot injury. She then remained with Victory through the NPLW season, continuing to work with coach Jeff Hopkins as she rebuilt her form. That stretch offered a way to stay connected to the club and keep working toward a return, even as the foot problem added another step to the process.

A new role, a clear target

That work is showing in her strong start to the season as a holding midfielder. Hopkins has described Saveska as a “little pitbull,” a tag that fits her combative approach in the middle of the pitch. The role asks her to contribute in the contest for possession and help connect the defensive work to the team’s play going forward. This is more significant than it looks: a new position can test a player’s timing and decision-making just as she’s working to regain the rhythm of regular competition.

Victory have also put precautions in place for longer flights. Saveska said she can take a blood thinner that lasts 24 hours before a trip such as the journey to Perth, then play without needing to manage the medication during competition and take another dose on the return journey. The arrangement shows how travel remains part of the practical planning around her health. (And this is the part most people overlook.) A player’s return involves more than what happens in training; the team also has to account for the demands around away matches.

That said, the account doesn’t suggest the process is effortless. It describes a specific precaution and a plan for certain trips, while leaving the wider medical details private. That’s appropriate: the football story is about how Saveska is managing her return, not a basis for drawing broader medical conclusions.

What comes next for Victory

Saveska hopes to play overseas when the time is right and has the Matildas in her sights. For now, her immediate ambition is to win silverware with Victory, whose next match is at home against Adelaide on Saturday. Those goals point in different directions, but they share a foundation: she’ll need sustained football at club level before either longer-term ambition can be judged by results.

If you're working in this space, her new role is one to watch as the season develops. A strong start is encouraging, but consistency across a campaign tells more than a handful of early performances. For Saveska, the question is whether she can keep building minutes and influence while managing the demands that come with travel and competition.

For now, she’s back in the game. The next test is continuity.

For Saveska, the season marks a chance to turn hard-won fitness into a sustained contribution—and to help Victory make the most of it. The numbers here are underwhelming in one sense: there’s no detailed record of her minutes or output to assess. But the story gives a clearer measure of progress than a stat line alone: after a frightening diagnosis, time away and another injury, she’s playing again in a role that asks plenty of her. What this means for you as a reader is straightforward: her recovery is still unfolding, and the most meaningful sign will be whether this start becomes a lasting presence in Victory’s midfield.