With less than a week to go until the much-anticipated grand final between Melbourne City and the Central Coast Mariners, the end of season team and individual awards are starting to be announced – with the PFA 22/23 team of the year.
For the past 14 seasons the PFA has revealed the side in grand final week and the formation is based on the number of votes for each player in each position, with the substitutes made up of players who finished below those in the starting XI.
The player with the most votes is named captain of the Team of the Season – this honour fell to European-bound Jordan Bos.
Professional Footballers Australia (PFA) committee consists of formers Socceroos, football analysts and journalists.
In a change from previous seasons the PFA advised that the 22/23 A-League Team of the Season, will be voted solely by the players and not the previous groups mentioned above.
It will always be interesting having your peers casting votes for who they believe are the best players, but the 18 men chosen and the ones who weren’t – will become somewhat of a debate for fans around the country
The starting XI has four players from the all-conquering regular season champion Melbourne City – the golden boot winner Jamie Maclaren, the likely young player of the year Jordan Bos, one of the competition’s most improved players in an attacking sense Aiden O’Neill and the mercurial Mathew Leckie.
Western Sydney Wanderers are also heavily represented with Brandon Borello who will be fighting for this season’s best player, Calum Nieuwenhof who has been nominated for young player of the year and the erratic lynchpin of a centerback in Marcelo.
Adelaide United has two players in the form of the heavy favourite for player of the season Craig Goodwin and potential the winner of goalkeeper of the season in Joe Gauci.
Grand finalist Central Coast Mariners have the diminutive work horse Josh Nisbet and combative defender in his first season of professional football, Brian Kaltek selected
The Mariners also have 3 players on the 7-man bench including the charismatic Jason Cummins, tricky Brazilian Marco Tullio and the fast-rising Nectar Triantis.
Melbourne City’s reliable centreback Curtis Good and playmaker Marco Tillo also find spots on the bench, as does the wanderers goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas and the heart of Brisbane Roar Jay O’Shea.
Of the 18 players selected, 17 came from the competitions top 4 sides and the starting XI lines up in a 3-4-3 formation.
Noticeably missing were the lack of full backs in this 18-man squad.
The league’s best attacking full back Ryan Kitto, is desperately unlucky not to have been chosen by his peers – with 6 goals and 3 assists, he would be an almost guaranteed pick at left back.
On the opposite side and another player unlucky to not have been selected is the competitions best defensive full back – Josh Risdon.
Honourable mentions deserve to go to Javi Lopez and Gabriel Cleur who were the standout full backs in the first half of the season, before their performance dipped late in the second half.
Wellington Phoenix striker Oscar Zawada had a fantastic campaign with 15 goals, 2 assists and leading his unfancied side to finals football.
Sydney FC who made the semi-final may feel hard done by – especially given that fleet footed left winger Joe Lolley who contributed 6 goals and 5 assists across the season was a non-selection.
While the sheer numbers of quality central midfielders in Melbourne City’s squad, saw votes taken away from the technically sound dutchman – Richard Van Der Venne.
While the exclusions will feel a sense of injustice, the biggest wrongdoing may actually be the fact there’s only two defenders in the line up as well as multiple players shoehorned into positions they don’t play.
The PFA a league team of the year for season 22/23 certainly has some controversial selections designed to get fans talking.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
i gave you the reasons why, kitto contributed more in attack - he also combines well with goodwin (which i doubt bos could) the formation and position the players were dumped in for the pfa team would not work in an actual game situation not an insult at bos, he had a great season
Hopper
Roar Rookie
Yes you are right, though the criteria must have allowed the selection. I knew a couple of security boys not dissimilar to Kaltek and Marcelo. One was a lovely bloke and would give 100% but did slip up sometimes. The other had that little bit on nastiness who didn't mind grabbing someone by the throat if he thought the situation warranted. Kept the place safe though.
Hudddo
Roar Rookie
Honestly don't know how you can say Kitto over Bos with a straight face. Bos just broke the transfer record, held the club captain out of his role in a successful team, and is in all likelyhood going to win rookie of the year tomorrow. Kitto was porous in defence. Case and point, he got skinned by Nizzy, that led to the first goal in the second semi.
chris1
Roar Rookie
Joe Lolley and Robert Mak can probably feel a little unlucky as you stated. But no complaints with the selected team. All those players have had fine seasons.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
you could also use the argument to not include kaltek and marcelo due to multiple suspensions and constantly picking up cards as well im not saying they didnt warrant selection, but its also the reason montgomery cant win coach of the year (due to being sent off) just some food for thought
NoMates
Roar Rookie
No players from Wellington as usual, how surprising from the APL.
Hopper
Roar Rookie
Maybe Kitto didn't garner sufficient votes because he was part of a defensive unit that leaked goals. First and foremost he was there to defend and though he did ok in that department, it wasn't to the standards of those selected. The midfield did pick themselves with dynamic seasons while it was great to see three Aussie boys leading the line with maybe only Tullio of the out of towners within earshot. Zawada unfortunately dropped away in the later part of the season and did miss chances that a player of his quality should have finished. These misses proved costly for the Phoenix in the end.
Grem
Roar Rookie
And it will be interesting to see if Ryan Strain plays against Argentina - he has had a very good season.
TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
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TheSecretScout
Roar Guru
im still not sure how ryan kitto does not even get a spot on the bench, let alone a start ahead of bos in the team. 6 goals and 3 assists earns that spot for mine (bos had a great season, but nowhere near the numbers attacking wise of kitto) felt gauci was extremly lucky to be selected as the starting keeper - that should've been thomas, he was the most consistent keeper this season there were options at centerback especially if you start looking at other sides who didnt conceed much (victory and brissy) and considering how card happy kaltek and marcelo were
Grem
Roar Rookie
A good amount of the team should pick itself, whether we like them or not. Maclaren, Goodwin, Leckie, Borello, O’Neill, Boss, etc. We are a bit short of centre backs and right backs so I would think Good, Triantis, Kaltek, Marcelo and Mrcella fight that out, with Marcelo and Triantis being my picks. And Risdon, Talbot and Lopez fight for right back – Risdon gets it. I believe Thomas is a bit more solid than Gauchi at this time so he earns the goal keeping spot and Gauchi will get it soon, but is on the bench for the moment. Then you have Nisbet, Cummings, Tulio, Silvera, Mac, Lolley, Niewenhoff, Kitto, Tilio, O’Shea, Caceras, Irankunda, and many others who become the talking points for the remaining spots and the bench. It’s always interesting to read different viewpoints on these teams. I’d hate to be a selector. And Sydney’s season was so inconsistent that I’m not surprised no one is there. Borello, Leckie, Tilio, Silvera are ahead of Mac and Lolley who had injuries and not at their best for the full season.
JoshW
Roar Rookie
Felt a little weird as a WSW fan seeing 3 and a bench spot taken considering the season was a failure. I also feel like Gauci dropped off towards the end of the season, as much as I can't stand him - Vukovic has been a wall recently.