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2017 A-League grand final player ratings: Melbourne Victory

The Victory will be hoping their attack has finally reemerged in time for the A-League finals. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Editor
7th May, 2017
3

Melbourne Victory have gone down to Sydney FC in the 2016-17 A-League grand final, losing narrowly in a penalty shootout after a stellar performance. Here are the player ratings.

All the wash-up from the A-League grand final
» Recap: Sydney are champs, as they deserve
» Five talking points from the match
» Player ratings: Sydney FC
» Georgievski wins Joe Marston Medal
» Full match report
» Re-live the live blog

Lawrence Thomas – 7.5
He had a similar game to his opposite number in Danny Vukovic. Thomas played a consistent role in his side’s performance, judging the run out well and keeping the corners out.

He made a few handy saves in the second half to keep the score lines level but couldn’t quite take the key moments in the penalty shootout to see his side to the title

Jason Geria – 7
Nothing outstanding from Geria but he was a constant presence on and off the ball, showing plenty of aggression early on and keeping the Sky Blues at bay in the opening half with strong defensive structure and movement.

James Donachie – 5.5
Donachie played his role behind the scenes for the most part but had a relatively quiet affair throughout the game, keeping his touches short and sharp, while also being exploited a couple of times on the counter by Sydney.

Alan Baro – 6.5
Baro suffers a bit from ill-discipline, especially throughout a very heated opening half of football.

His cover defence at the back treated his side well for the most part, but you just feel that he was missing a few key factors and moments to rank it as a strong performance.

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Daniel Georgievski – 10
A stellar outing for the Joe Marston Medal winner, a rare feat to pull off from the losing side of a grand final.

He was a major part of Sydney’s offence being shut down completely in the opening 45 as Melbourne looked to take the fight to the home side in the early exchanges. He was the workhorse of the side and could hardly put a foot wrong throughout the thriller.

Carl Valeri – 7
For his sake you’d hope he isn’t remembered for missing a crucial pen in the shootout, because otherwise, the Melbourne skipper held his own in the midst of a tight contest, playing his role well without giving over too much cheap possession.

Leigh Broxham – 6.5
He was in the thick of it early on, clashing with Rhyan Grant in particular regularly in the opening half as the game got physical. He settled into the contest but tended to play back as a defensive midfielder, often leaving the Victory counter with lacking numbers.

James Troisi – 9.5
Troisi was a massive threat late in the game when the title was in a tight-rope and any given moment could have snatched the win.

James Troisi celebrates with Melbourne Victory teammates after scoring

Especially when Sydney were on top later in the game, Troisi continued to torment the defence, opening up inside and around the penalty area on multiple occasions.

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He blasted off five shots throughout the game and was unlucky not to land one of them, finishing the game as easily Melbourne’s biggest attacking weapon across the 120 minutes.

Marco Rojas – 8
His devastating saved penalty that brought about their defeat was a harsh finish for the 25-year-old New Zealander who was a constant presence throughout the game for the Victory.

He was threatening down the edges, using his pace and slippery footwork to work down into the corners. He was just missing a few touches to get right into the danger zone, but other than that, an impressive outing through regulation time.

Besart Berisha – 7.5
While there’s no doubting the skill involved in the opening goal and the legend that he has become in the A-League, his overall game was more of a one-moment show in the end.

He nearly pulled off a miracle save by heading away Carney’s deflection while sitting down on the line, but unfortunately for him, Grant was there to finish it off.

Apart from the 20th-minute goal himself, he wasn’t able to really create any other opportunities as Sydney worked him over and found a way to shut him down for the most part.

Fahid Ben Khalfallah – 8
In contrast to Berisha, Khalfallah was all over the action for good and bad reasons throughout the contest, often finding himself in heated battles with Brosque, Holosko or anyone else he could make heavy contact with.

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Despite the confrontations, he played a decent game up front, working the left wing and creating space down the sideline to release and be released with the through ball.

Jai Ingham – 5
The one and only subsitute made by coach Kevin Muscat and it was a late one, coming on in the 101st minute of the game, not particularly giving him enough time to make a big impact.

He played a steady hand in the time he had, but was sloppy with fouls and gave away a yellow card to counter some good ball movement down the edges.

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