It was another action-packed weekend in the Hyundai A-League with 20 goals scored, some season-defining results and some superb individual displays.
It wasn’t easy but we’ve come up with our Team of the Week for Round 24.
After going through every match, these are the 11 players that made the cut in our 4-4-2 formation.
Goalkeeper
Matt Acton (Melbourne Victory)
Stepping into the huge shoes left by the injured Lawrence Thomas, Acton hardly put a foot wrong in Victory’s last-gasp defeat against Sydney FC.
There was nothing he could do to prevent both of the Sky Blues’ goals, while he came up with a couple of crucial stops at 1-1 to keep his side in the match.
He showed great awareness and reflexes to keep out Michael Zullo in the first half, while his one-handed, diving save to tip Brandon O’Neill’s second-half strike around the post was world class.
Defenders
Rhyan Grant (Sydney FC)
Another tireless display from the non-stop Sky Blues right-back.
No one epitomises the drive and will-to-win more than Grant, who provided a great outlet down Sydney FC’s right flank in the win over Victory.
It was his pass that released Siem de Jong to set up Milos Ninkovic’s winner, just one of numerous promising moments the Caltex Socceroos star was a part of.
Matthew Spiranovic (Perth Glory)
Glory boss Tony Popovic had no hesitation bringing ‘Spira’ back into his starting side after last weekend’s defeat – and it was a wise move.
Spiranovic was superb to help Glory preserve their clean sheet, finishing with a game-high 11 clearances.
He also had a passing accuracy of 93.8%, starting a number of attacks with his crisp distribution out of defence.
Ritchie De Laet (Melbourne City)
There was plenty of pressure on City heading into Friday night’s clash against the Roar and De Laet stepped up just when his team needed him.
The Belgian right-back not only did a superb defensive job on Brisbane star Eric Bautheac, but he also produced a moment of magic to ice City’s win.
De Laet now has seven goals for the season but none better than his 30-metre piledriver which scorched into the top corner of the net.
Scott Galloway (Adelaide United)
Forced to shift from the left to right-back due to an injury to Ryan Strain, Galloway was superb for the Reds in the win over Phoenix.
It was his overlapping run and great cross which set-up Apostolos Stamatelopoulos’ first goal to have his side in control early on.
Galloway also came up with a vital goal-line clearance just before the break while he won the individual battle with Phoenix young gun Liberato Cacace.
Midfielders
Florin Berenguer (Melbourne City)
We’ve been waiting for much of the season to see the Frenchman’s quality and he delivered in spades in the big win over Brisbane.
In his best game for the club, Berenguer gave Roar youngster Daniel Leck nightmares in the first half, setting up Rostyn Griffiths’ goal, while going close on a couple of occasions himself.
If this is a sign of things to come for the rest of the campaign, Berenguer might just be a bit of an x-factor for Warren Joyce’s men.
Keanu Baccus (Western Sydney Wanderers)
In a largely disappointing season for the Red and Black, the form of the Australian U-23 international has been a shining light.
Baccus again showed his quality in the 3-2 defeat against the Newcastle Jets, catching the eye with his passing and tenacious tackling in the middle of the park.
Capped his outstanding display with the goal of the match with his long-range effort which went in off the underside of the crossbar to draw the Wanderers level in the second half.
Neil Kilkenny (Perth Glory)
The veteran midfielder has been a key component of Glory’s charge this season and he was at his scheming best in the win over the Mariners on Sunday night.
No one controls the tempo of a match better than “Killa” and his combination with the impressive Juande was too much for Central Coast’s midfield.
Not only did Kilkenny score from the penalty spot – his sixth goal of the season – but he had an assist for Dino Djulbic’s goal as well.
Brandon O’Neill (Sydney FC)
The 24-year-old put in a man-of-the-match display as the Sky Blues emerged with a late 2-1 win over Victory in Saturday night’s Big Blue.
In a midfield battle that featured the likes of Carl Valeri, Keisuke Honda and Terry Antonis, O’Neill stood head-and-shoulders above some illustrious company.
Oh, and did we mention he scored a rocket of a goal from distance!
Forwards
Kosta Barbarouses (Melbourne Victory)
His side may have been on the wrong side of the result, but it wasn’t because of the performance of the Kiwi international.
Barbarouses scored Victory’s only goal with a sensational dinked finish over Andrew Redmayne, while he was a constant threat to the Sydney FC defence with his movement and pace.
His goal took him to 50 scored for the Victory, becoming the third player to reach that milestone after Archie Thompson and Besart Berisha.
Craig Goodwin (Adelaide United)
The Reds winger was back to his best in his side’s crucial win over Wellington on Sunday afternoon.
While he didn’t get on the scoresheet himself, the Phoenix defence couldn’t deal with his positive running and desire to get in behind.
Goodwin ended the match with two assists, playing the final ball for goals for Michael Marrone and Stamatelopoulos’ second.
Coach of the Round
Warren Joyce (Melbourne City)
There hasn’t been a lot for Joyce to smile about in the last couple of months, with his side’s inconsistent form leading to speculation over his future at the club.
But his side responded in the perfect way on Friday night, finding their mojo in front of goal to thrash Brisbane Roar 4-1 at AAMI Park.
Joyce pulled all the right reins as his side finished over the top of the Roar to keep their hopes of a top-four finish well and truly alive.
