Brianna and Mikayla Hyde – The Twins Making Opponents Double Take

An opponent breaks through the strong tackle of a Swan Districts forward and begins her run down the wing.  She looks up the line to put the ball on the chest of her team mate on a lead, only to be confused by the defender, who appears to be the same person she only just got past 30 metres back. Her hesitation results in a rundown tackle with the Swans midfielders quickly moving the ball forward, resulting in a great team goal.

This confusion is just a typical game in the football careers of Mikayla and Brianna Hyde.

After joining the club in 2015 as part of the Rogers Cup squad, the identical twins are in their second year of league football at Swan Districts and proving to be a force to be reckoned with, at both ends of the ground.

Brianna is a key position defender and has slick skills and composure under pressure.  Her obvious vision of the game and strong intercept capabilities could easily see her suit up anywhere on the ground.

Mikayla plays up forward and is sneaky and elusive around goals. Accurate in front of the big sticks, she reads the play well and uses her high-flying ability and vast array of tricks to the advantage of both her and her team mates.

We caught up with the girls behind the goals at Steel Blue Oval (before the Coronavirus pandemic) for a jovial chat, and to learn more about their journey at Swan Districts so far.

Where did you grow up?

Mikayla – In Perth.

Brianna – We’ve lived in the same house for 18 years.

Being identical twins, did you ever try to prank anyone growing up?

Mikayla - All the time.

Brianna - In year 4 when we were little, we’d swap classes.

Mikayla – Yeah, we looked really identical back then so we’d swap around.

Brianna – Our teachers wouldn’t know, but our good friends could tell.

You weren’t allowed to be in the same class as each other in Primary School. Why was that?

Mikayla – Let me tell you the story. I was making a cricket team to play with at lunchtimes at school, and I purposely put her in a really bad team. When I showed her the team, she bit me, and the school said we couldn’t be in the same class if we were going to be that aggressive towards each other.

Brianna – She put me in a bad cricket team, what do you expect. I’m extremely competitive and she puts me in a bad team.

Mikayla – So since year three or four, we weren’t allowed in the same class as each other, until we went to high school.

When did you start playing football?

Brianna – We did Auskick, but mum didn’t want us to play against the boys.

Mikayla – We’ve always watched and played footy. We played in a primary school team and didn’t find out about Swans until about 2015 when we played in a school carnival girls’ team. We made an All-Stars team which was coached by Courtney Ugle and Kellie Gibson, who both played for Swans, and they invited us to come down to the club together.  It all went from there.

What AFL team do you go for?

Brianna – Richmond. I’ve gone for them my whole life. Our dad supports Collingwood and so does our next door neighbour.  The next door neighbours brother, barracks for Richmond and he said he was not having another person as a Pies supporter, so he bought me a little Tigers jersey and I’ve been going for them ever since.

Mikayla – Collingwood, because of dad.

Mikayla you play forward and Brianna you play in the backline.  How did you both come to play in those positions?

Brianna – I give credit to Trent Cooper, the current Fremantle Women’s Coach. He was our State 18’s Coach for our first year and he couldn’t tell the difference between us.  So in a scratch match he separated us and we played really well in those positions.

Mikayla – Yeah and I don’t really like chasing tail.  I really like kicking goals but Bri doesn’t like the pressure of having the goals in front of her.

Brianna – Yep, I’d rather stop them.

What strengths do you bring to the Swans this season?

Mikayla – Although I am a lot littler than some of the women we play against, I can be really quick on the floor and I have a pretty good footy brain.  I can see an overview of the ground and see what plays are happening next.

Brianna – I bring a lot of banter to the team and like to have a laugh. On the footy field, although I am one of the younger ones, I’ve been watching footy for a long time and my footy IQ is pretty good. I’m good at directive talk, intercept marks and running off half back to give it to my sister so she can kick a goal.

You both played in the AFLW under 18s carnival last year for WA. What was that like?

Brianna - It’s a great opportunity to represent your state and it was a proud moment for both of us. It was a great opportunity to travel to Queensland and play against the best of the best 18’s players, including the ones that will be drafted.

Mikayla - I also really enjoy being able to meet the Eastern states girls as well. We now have some pretty good friends that live over there, and it’s good knowing players around the whole of Australia.

Do you have a favourite memory of the carnival?

Brianna – For one of the games it was really sloppy all day and it had been raining the whole day before. I’m always told that I’m not a hard tackler and I ended up with eight tackles in the first half, which has never happened for me before. That was cool and was my highlight. We ended up winning too, which was the result we were after.

Mikayla – For me, it was when one of the girls kicked a goal after the siren, Nyra Anderson. I just remember the whole team ran to her from all over the ground to get around her.  The funny part of it was that everyone’s GPS stats, their fastest sprint time was that sprint to get around Nyra when she kicked the goal.  The strength and conditioning team weren’t too pleased, but they were still stoked that we got around her to celebrate.

How does it feel knowing that you can now go on to play at the highest level of women’s footy, and that dream isn’t just for guys anymore?

Mikayla – I think it’s so good. For us, we have a cousin who is three years old and I bought her footy boots for her third birthday and she has a Swans jersey with our name on the back.  We are so grateful that we’ve finally been given the opportunity to try make it all the way and love seeing that younger girls can do the same thing.

Brianna – We’ve taken her to the last few Freo AFLW games, and to see her as a three-year-old get so excited with Ebony and Kara Antonio walking up to her, it’s good that they’ve got heroes to look up to that aren’t just male figures in football. They now how female idols as well.

At what point did you think that you’d want to play footy professionally?

Mikayla - I think when the AFLW was actually created in 2017, I realised I can take this a little more seriously and make it to the most elite level.

Brianna - Yeah same. We are both really competitive and push each other to play better.

So the dream for you both is to play in the AFLW?

Brianna – Yeah for sure

Mikayla - Absolutely

You support Richmond or Collingwood. Are they the clubs you want to play for?

Brianna – I’d be grateful to be drafted anywhere. At the moment with the women, you have to select the state you want to get drafted to, so I would select WA just so I could stay home. But if I got the opportunity at Richmond I’d definitely take it.

Mikayla – Ever since I was little, even before the AFLW, I always wanted to play for Collingwood. It was really unrealistic at that time, but I had that goal in my brain. But now I think, any team that would pick me up I would happily go to. I don’t really mind what club I’m at, as long as I’m playing.

Do you get the chance to talk to clubs outside of WA, in case you do want to nominate to play for a club in a different state?

Mikayla – There is a draft combine, but you can’t go to it until your draft year. Our draft I think is October this year and the combine is about a month before it.

Brianna – I’ve also heard that it goes off your State 18’s carnival, because if you have a good carnival then other clubs may approach you and talk to you.

Mikayla – Because they get the chance to come and watch you.

Brianna – Yeah they all come and watch our carnival, so you’d probably have to play your best footy there.

Do have players you look up to, particularly to help improve your own game?

Mikayla – Without being biased because she is my best mate, I would definitely say Mikayla Bowen (current 2020 AFLW West Coast Eagles player). Watching her through the State 18’s, and playing at Swans with her, the way she does everything, her dedication and work ethic is insane. If I go all the way, I want to keep my standards up with hers. 

Brianna – I’ve been told a bit that I have a similar attitude to Ebony Antonio (current 2020 AFLW Fremantle Dockers player). We have a similar role and I’ve looked up to her for quite a while now. She runs off the half back as well and I just love the way she goes about everything she does both on and off the field.

So it is easy for our supporters to spot you out on the field, do you know your jersey number you will be wearing this season? Did you choose it, and if so, why?

Mikayla – I’m number 5. Number 5 has always been my favourite number because I’m a massive fan of Jamie Elliott (AFL Collingwood player). I really idolise the way he plays footy and I thought that if I wore the number 5 I might have half a chance of playing like him.  So I’ve always worn number 5 and was lucky enough to land that in the league side too.

Brianna – I usually wear number 3, but Mikayla Bowen wears it in the WAFLW league, so I’m number 6.  I chose it because 3 + 3 is 6, and that’s all that came to my mind at the time.  It’s pretty cool that Mikayla and I will be right next to each other in the locker room this season with numbers 5 and 6.

We played ‘The Couples Game’ with Mikayla and Brianna to learn more about them.  Check out their responses below.

Who was born first?

Mikayla –Mikayla.

Brianna –Mikayla.

Who is the better kick on their opposite foot?

Mikayla – Mikayla.

Brianna – Mikayla.

The ball bin is 25m away, who would kick it in first?

Mikayla – Mikayla.

Brianna – Me, Brianna.

Who is most likely to Google their name?

Mikayla – Mikayla.

Brianna – Mikayla.

Sounds like you have done that a few times?

Brianna – Yeah she likes to look at herself.

Mikayla – Guilty. It comes up with a few photos.

Speaking of which, there is a photo of you two where one is taking a screamer over the other.

Mikayla – That’s me on top of her.  Yeah that’s a good one.

Brianna – I got $10 bucks for letting her go on my back though.  I had to squat pretty low for her to get up there.

Who is most likely to look up their stats after a game?

Brianna – Mikayla 100%.

Mikayla – Yep guilty again. That’s me.

Who is the coach’s favourite?

Mikayla – Mikayla.  I’m more the chatty one, whereas she doesn’t show off her personality as much.

Brianna – Mikayla.  Yeah I keep more to myself.

Who played better in last years under 18s carnival?

Mikayla – Brianna 100%.

Brianna – Oh, I’ll take it. I don’t want to be cocky by yeah I’ll take it… myself.

Who has won the most sports awards?

Brianna – Me. Well she did baseball and I did athletics.  We did two completely different sports.

Mikayla – So when we’d do athletics at school, she was champion and I was runner up.  If you’re counting the higher sporting accolades, it’d be Brianna.

Brianna – Yeah just, but it’s really close.

Who’s the better footy player?

Brianna – It’s two different positions so it’s hard to say.  At the moment in regards to current form, I’d say Mikayla.

Mikayla – I’d count her in to stop a good player, but if we were in front of goals I’d say myself.

Who has the worst goal celebration?

Brianna – I’ve never kick a goal so I wouldn’t know what to do.  I’d probably just stand there if I was ever to kick a goal.

Mikayla – So probably her.  She wouldn’t know what to do.

The ball is in the air and going to land at the top of the goal square with 5 seconds left in the game (to either kick the winning goal or stop the winning goal). Who would be the best person to guarantee the game winning mark?

Mikayla – I think Bri often drops a sitter because she thinks too much about it.  If she knows she has plenty of time, she’ll drop it because she has too much time to think about the mark.

Brianna – Personally, I think I’d be better at marking it, but if I had to follow through with a goal, she’d be better at kicking the goal.

Mikayla – Yeak ok, Brianna.  We’ll give it to Brianna.

Who would win a league best and fairest award first?

Brianna – Mikayla, because back-liners never get recognised.  A forward would win one before someone in the backline will.

The draft is held tomorrow night and you are both guaranteed to be picked. Whose name gets read out first?

Brianna – Mikayla.

Mikayla – But why?

Brianna – I just reckon you would.

Mikayla – That makes me feel good about myself.  Thanks Bri. I think it would depend on our current form.

Brianna – Which at this stage would probably be Mikayla.

Mikayla – See, she makes me feel good about myself

Only one of you can be drafted. Who should get the opportunity?

Mikayla – I mean we could prank people and each play a game every other week.  We work equally as hard as the other. If one goes to the gym, the other always goes with them.  We always rock up to training and put in 100%. That’s a really hard one.

Brianna – I don’t think I could choose.

Who supports the worst AFL team?

Brianna – Mikayla.  I’m Richmond and she supports Collingwood. No one likes Collingwood.