Captain's knocks, new faces and match-winning braces: The A-League players who were the difference in Round 19
Round 19 was an interesting weekend of football with no draws, 19 goals in six matches, two five-goal games on Sunday and for the…
Opinion
These are the 11 players who stood out this weekend.
Team of the week starting XI (formation 4-3-3): Jamie Young, Rhyan Grant, Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Jordan Elsey, Joel King, Luke Brattan, Nathan Konstandopoulos, Ben Halloran, Andrew Nabbout, Nikolai Muller, Nicholas D’Agostino.
Jamie Young (goalkeeper, Brisbane Roar)
Young only conceded only one goal due to the fact that the Brisbane Roar gave away a penalty and Adam le Fondre is an expert penalty taker. Young made many pivotal saves to keep the Brisbane Roar in the game. Without their quality goalkeeper the Brisbane Roar would have lost the game by a lot more than 1-nil.
Rhyan Grant (right back, Sydney FC)
Grant was at his best against the Brisbane Roar. He was an important part of Sydney FC claiming all three points.
Nikolai Topor-Stanley (centre back, Newcastle Jets)
Nikolai Topor-Stanley had an outstanding game. Topor-Stanley was instrumental in many of the Newcastle Jets’ forays forward and curtailed many of Western United’s attempted attacks.
Jordan Elsey (centre back, Adelaide United)
Elsey was a key part of Adelaide United’s structure holding up. He proved to be instrumental in making Melbourne City look ordinary in the final third.
Joel King (left back, Sydney FC)
King made many marauding runs forward. He is clearly making the most of his opportunity to play.
Luke Brattan (centre midfield, Sydney FC)
Brattan worked tirelessly in the middle of the park. Sydney FC would not have won the game in Round 17 without him in it.
Nathan Konstandopoulos (centre midfield, Adelaide United)
Konstandopoulos played a key role for Adelaide United as he was responsible for taking the set pieces for Adelaide United. He was a key addition to his team’s starting line-up, following up scoring the winning goal in Round 16 with his display in Round 17 as he performed admirably.
Ben Halloran (attacking midfield, Adelaide United)
Halloran scored a brace, but that wasn’t his only contribution to the team. He worked hard to give his team the ascendancy and helped Adelaide United take full control of the game and make Melbourne City look like amateurs.
Andrew Nabbout (striker, Melbourne Victory)
Nabbout scored a goal that gave his team the lead 2-1. He was outstanding even though he must have been exhausted from the Asian Champions League game. He is playing with extreme confidence, as he has scored two goals within a week.
Nikolai Muller (striker, Western Sydney Wanderers)
Muller played a quality game as he broke the deadlock with a goal and set up a goal as well.
Nicholas D’Agostino (striker, Perth Glory)
D’Agostino carried the form that he displayed in the Olyroos into Perth Glory’s Round 17 game against the Melbourne Victory. He scored the all-important equaliser to make the score 2-all. That wasn’t the end of D’Agostino’s contribution as he nearly won the game for his team in stoppage time.