A-League Men mid-season report card: Every club graded, key players and finals predictions
A surprising battle for the premiership, drastic drops in form and incredible unbeaten runs. Check out all the grades, standouts and season predictions in our A-League Men mid-season report card.
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A surprising battle for the premiership has emerged midway through the 2023-24 A-League Men’s season.
Melbourne Victory are on an incredible 14-match unbeaten run with veteran Bruno Fornaroli having the best season of his career, earning him his first Socceroos start.
Pushing for their first ever silverware, Wellington Phoenix are on top of the league with young goalkeeper Alex Paulsen exceeding expectations in his first season as a number one keeper.
Reigning champions Central Coast Mariners have found their form after a concerning start to the season, boasting a 10-match unbeaten streak following four straight losses in the opening rounds.
With the season reaching it’s climax, we’ve rated every team, highlighted standout players and predicted what the rest of the season might hold.
Adelaide United FC
League position: 8th (5W 3D 6L)
Grade: C
Biggest strength: Although the Reds are struggling to break into the top six this season, the team sure knows how to find the back of the net. Attacking trio Hiroshi Ibusuki, Zach Clough and Ben Halloran have 16 of the team’s 27 goals between them, proving that Adelaide have a strong attacking force that just needs to be backed up in defence if they are to reach the heights of last year’s third-place finish.
Needs improvement: Inconsistency has been the theme of Adelaide’s season, with a 6-0 demolition of Melbourne City in October followed up by a 5-0 loss to Sydney FC just two weeks later. The team has seemed a little lost at stages since the departure of Craig Goodwin over the off-season and will need to find solid leadership in the back half of the season.
Top performer: Winger Ben Halloran has been everywhere for Adelaide this season. With four goals and six assists, the 31-year-old has been a key contributor for the side in the attacking third. With a knack of seemingly always knowing where he should be, Halloran will be an integral part of any finals charge Adelaide plans to mount.
Player to watch: Teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda has had somewhat of a mixed season so far after securing a deal to join German giants Bayern Munich next season. Scoring two goals and recording five assists, Irankunda is still a dynamic player when he’s in form and will need to be firing if the Reds are to make a charge up the ladder.
Season expectation: Adelaide will need a big turn of form to make a push for finals, but would likely be eliminated early.
Brisbane Roar FC
League position: 9th (5W 3D 6L)
Grade: C-
Biggest strength: Brisbane started the season really well, losing just one of its first seven matches to sit in second early on. New coach Ross Aloisi had put together a solid mix of experience and young talent which gelled well together. The Roar still has the depth in the squad following Aloisi’s departure and has shown some promising signs since Ben Cahn’s appointment.
Needs improvement: The Roar seem like a completely different team since the start of the season, losing seven out of their last eight matches. New manager Cahn has made some changes, including signing former Johnny Warren medallist Marco Rojas, but his main focus needs to be on reinvigorating a team frustrated with inconsistencies.
Top performer: Irish attacker Jay O’Shea has an incredible ability to produce a goal out of nothing. His class in midfield has been evident more than ever this season, with his importance to the team perhaps best exemplified by the gaping hole his suspension left in the recent game against the Mariners.
Player to watch: Teenage striker Tom Waddingham made the move from the NPL to Brisbane’s ALM side this season and has been exceeding expectations. Both Aloisi and now Cahn have shown confidence in the 18-year-old, who has played in all but three matches so far.
Season expectation: With the Roar in such a drastic free-fall since the departure of Aloisi, it’s hard to imagine them anywhere near the top six. If the season progresses how it has recently, Brisbane will be in the mix for wooden spoon honours.
Central Coast Mariners FC
League position: 3rd (7W 3D 4L)
Grade: A
Biggest strength: The Mariners are on a 10-game undefeated streak after a concerning four losses to start the season, and they seem to only be getting better.
Needs improvement: With four red cards so far, the most of any team, the Mariners need to work on their discipline. Three of those came in the opening four matches, and although the situation has improved since then, Storm Roux’s recent send-off and subsequent three-match suspension shows there is still work to do.
Top performer: Defence, midfield and attack, Josh Nisbet has been doing it all for the Mariners. Although he is yet to score a goal this season, Nisbet has six assists to his name (equal highest alongside Adelaide’s Ben Halloran) and has been a crucial link man going forward. He’s been arguably the best midfielder in the league, with great vision and an uncanny ability to put his strikers into a goalscoring situation.
Player to watch: Colombian import Ángel Torres took a while to settle in to the Coast after signing on for the current season, but the form he has now found is hugely impressive. He is the team’s leading goalscorer with eight, which included a stunning hat-trick against Melbourne City in mid-December. Despite the positive start, Torres still needs to work on his consistency as when he is not scoring bangers, he’s often a bit anonymous.
Season expectation: With the Mariners’ current form, there is no reason they can’t be gunning for a premiership-championship double this season.
Macarthur FC
League position: 5th (5W 7D 3L)
Grade: B
Biggest strength: Going forward, the Bulls have been dangerous this season, banging in an equal-league high of 27 goals. Ulises Davilla and Valere Germain have been a formidable duo in the final third, contributing the majority of the side’s goals and assisting in the others. The team has juggled ALM and AFC Cup duties well, showcasing the depth to their squad as a whole.
Needs improvement: After going undefeated in the opening seven matches, Macarthur then went six without a win. They’ve only managed one win in their past eight games, a run kicked off by three consecutive losses to Wellington, Perth Glory and Western Sydney, and they seem to have lost the spark that put them at the top of the league early in the season.
Top performer: Macarthur can credit nearly all of their results to Davilla and Germain. Both have come up with clutch moments to win matches for the Bulls and they’ve used their experience to help their younger teammates. The pair have been really exciting to watch up front and will be key to Macarthur fighting it out for a top-four finish.
Player to watch: In his fourth season with Macarthur, Jake Hollman has come out of nowhere to be a surprise star for the Bulls. In easily the best season of the 22-year-old’s young career, Hollman has four goals and an assist, including some truly stunning finishes.
Season expectation: If the Bulls can return to their early season form, they can easily be in the running for a top four finish, though fighting for a championship may be a bit of a stretch.
Melbourne City FC
League position: 6th (6W 3D 5L)
Grade: B
Biggest strength: After a concerningly bad start to the season, the reigning premiers have really found their form with goals and wins naturally following. The team haven’t been overly relying on record-setting goalscorer Jamie Maclaren, though he does have the most goals with seven, with German Tolgay Arslan and midfielder Terry Antonis contributing their share of goals and assists.
Needs improvement: City have really struggled maintaining pressure for a full game. The majority of their goals conceded have come in the second half, either from tired defence or a lack of concentration. A big turnaround for the rest of the season is possible, the Mariners have proven that, but City don’t have the same depth of talent that made them a force of the league the past few years.
Top performer: German midfielder Arslan has been the best off-season signing for City as they looked to rebuild following mass departures at the end of last season. The 33-year-old has been exciting in the final third, recording five assists and five goals, and has been the glue holding the midfield together.
Player to watch: Brazilian import Leo Natel has been a solid addition for City this year in the midfield.
Season expectation: City are not the same calibre of team as years past and though they will likely easily make finals, making the decider for a fifth consecutive year may be a stretch.
Melbourne Victory FC
League position: 2nd (6W 8D 0L)
Grade: A
Biggest strength: One thing not in short supply at Melbourne Victory is goals. New Socceroos star Bruno Fornaroli has 13 of Victory’s 27 goals this season and with only 16 conceded, the side has easily the best goal difference at +11. Zinédine Machach and Daniel Arzani have stepped up in the absence of Fornaroli in attack but are still a step behind the striker.
Needs improvement: Though goals are no issue for Victory, sustaining a lead for the full 90 minutes has been at times. They’ve conceded late for a draw in two matches this month, including an injury time penalty against the 10-man Phoenix. With ladder rules changing to wins over goal difference, Victory will need to work on picking up all three points instead of settling for a draw. They’ve only won one match out of four without Fornaroli, showing their heavy reliance on the striker.
Top performer: Bruno Fornaroli has been everything for Victory this season, leading the golden boot race with 13 despite missing the past four matches on international duty. So incredible has his campaign been that he was recognised with a Socceroos call-up, recently making his first start in the green and gold against Indonesia at the age of 36.
Player to watch: Experienced French midfielder Machach has been solid since signing for Victory this season. Scoring five goals and recording three assists, he has really found his form in Melbourne, which has only been highlighted in Fornaroli’s absence.
Season expectation: Victory will be in the fight for the premiership and if they continue to be hard to beat, will also be favourites to lift the toilet seat come the final series.
Newcastle Jets FC
League position: 10th (4W 4D 7L)
Grade: B-
Biggest strength: The Jets have lit the league alight at stages this season with their energetic, high-intensity football. With a crop of exciting young players, the team has at times blown their opponents off the park, especially on the counter, where the young Jets have utilised their speed to score some fantastic goals.
Needs improvement: The second half slump. In what is a remarkable statistic, if games only went for 45 minutes, the Jets would be sitting at the top of the league. But as good as the Jets have been in the first half of their matches, the team has let themselves down badly in dropping the intensity in the second half and ultimately letting several key results slip. This included conceding two goals in the last 10 minutes against Brisbane to go down 3-2, a 99th-minute equalising penalty against Macarthur and an 87th-minute goal to lose 2-1 to Wellington in the past month. And that’s just related to the on-field stuff. On top of the wishlist for all fans, players and staff alike would be a shiny, new owner - and quickly.
Top performer: The young Jets have had several strong performers, from Mark Natta and Phil Cancar at the back, to Kosta Grozos in the middle and Clayton Taylor on the wing, however undoubtedly the team’s number one star for the season has been striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos. After spending the past two season playing professionally in Greece, the 24-year-old has returned to Newcastle a player transformed, scoring 10 goals in 12 games to be the league’s second-highest goalscorer. But it’s not just his goals which have been impressive, with Stamatelopoulos’ ability to hold the ball up and clever runs making the Jets a dangerous side going forward, particularly on the counter.
Player to watch: Coming back from a string of injuries that have seriously disrupted his past couple of years, young striker Archie Goodwin has slowly built up match fitness as the Jets take a cautious approach with the 19-year-old. Generally getting half an hour every week, the young gun has showed glimpses of his class and will look to take his game to another level in the back half of the season.
Season expectation: Publicly, the team still maintains that its goal is to make the top six. While still well and truly possible, there’s a sense that by sitting five points adrift with 12 games to go, the Jets may have left themselves with a little too much work to do. Perhaps a more realistic option for the side is to try and double their points by the end of the season.
Perth Glory FC
League position: 11th (3W 3D 8L)
Grade: D+
Biggest strength: While results have been disappointing, the Glory have proven that they are dangerous going forward, with their 25 goals so far up there with the top teams. Adam Taggart leads the team’s scoring tally with eight, with Stefan Colakovski backing him up with another five. They’ve scored in all but one of their matches - that being the 2-0 loss to Western Sydney back in November - and their losses haven’t been by massive margins.
Needs improvement: Finding the back of the net hasn’t been an issue for Perth, more allowing their opponents to do the same. They only have one clean sheet in 14 matches and their defence has been lacklustre at best. Not having an in-form goalkeeper has been the major contributor, with Oli Sail demoted from his #1 keeper position to switch it up with Cameron Cook. Behind the scenes issues with ownership has obviously had an impact as well.
Top performer: Co-captain Adam Taggart has certainly been leading from the front for Glory with eight goals and three assists. He brings an exciting brand of football, knowing how to find space and create chances out of almost nothing. In any other team, Taggart would be one of the league’s top goal scorers.
Player to watch: After barely featuring in the team under former manager Ruben Zadkovich, Stefan Colakovski has been given the chance to shine this season by Alen Stajcic. His five goals is only topped by strike partner Taggart. With more confidence behind him, Colakovski will be an exciting player for Perth as they search for better results.
Season expectation: The wooden spoon may be in Glory’s future unless some real changes are made both on and off the pitch.
Sydney FC
League position: 7th (6W 1D 7L)
Grade: B-
Biggest strength: Sydney have been a decent mid-table team despite worrying signs in the opening rounds. The appointment of Ufuk Talay as head coach over Steve Corica has been a positive change and the Sky Blues have shown their resilience in overcoming their early challenges. Overall Sydney seem to be on the up, with results going their way more often than not recently.
Needs improvement: Sydney have failed to score in all but one of their seven losses while conceding 13 goals. With such a strong attack featuring Joe Lolley, Fabio, Patrick Wood and Jaiden Kucharski, the team really have no excuses for their lack of consistent goals.
Top performer: The Sky Blues have almost just turned into the Joe Lolley show, with the midfielder scoring eight goals and assisting in five so far this season. He’s been particularly dangerous cutting in from the right wing and is the key orchestrator of many of Sydney’s chances.
Player to watch: Academy product Jaiden Kucharski hasn’t even been in the ALM for a year but he’s already broken into the starting side. He has two goals and three assists in the league after making his debut in Sydney’s Australia Cup run and will be looking at more minutes during the remainder of the season.
Season expectation: Sydney will creep into the top six and make a decent run in finals, but aren’t likely to be serious title contenders without some major changes across the board.
Wellington Phoenix FC
League position: 1st (8W 4D 2L)
Grade: A
Biggest strength: The Nix have come out of nowhere this season to be serious title contenders. Veteran Kosta Barbarouses has had a career resurgence, combining well with Polish international Oskar Zawada to contribute 13 goals between them. The attacking power mixed with the sensational exploits of keeper Alex Paulsen has made the Nix a tough opponent to face.
Needs improvement: Wellington have been almost perfect this season as they sit comfortably two points clear at the top of the ladder. However, unlike second-placed Melbourne Victory, the Nix have suffered two decisive losses against opponents they should have been running circles around. The 3-1 loss to Sydney FC was a frustrating example of the Nix attempting to settle for a draw, only to concede two late goals. Cleaning up their defence and not just relying on Paulsen will be imperative for the Nix as they mount their first title challenge.
Top performer: Since round one, young goalkeeper Alex Paulsen has taken the league by storm. He’s made three spectacular penalty saves so far this season out of the four that he’s faced and has recorded five clean sheets, equal at the top alongside the Wanderers’ Lawrence Thomas. Signing on with the Nix until the end of the 2026-27 season and at just 21 years of age, it’s safe to say Paulsen will be making headlines for a while.
Player to watch: Oskar Zawada has only played seven games this season due to injury, but he’s been making a massive impact when he’s on the pitch. He has scored five goals in those matches, including a late matchwinner against the Jets minutes last weekend after returning from injury.
Season expectation: The Nix are serious premiership contenders this season and will be a tough opponent come finals time.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC
League position: 4th (7W 3D 4L)
Grade: A-
Biggest strength: With the highest number of clean sheets in the league with seven, the Wanderers’ have the best defence in the competition. They boast an impressive backline with the likes of Jack Clisby and Marcelo, and despite having to use three different goalkeepers this season due to Lawrence Thomas’ Socceroos call-up and Jack Gibson’s injury, the Wanderers have remained a brick wall in front of goal.
Needs improvement: Having such a strong defence and impressive clean sheet record is hiding the fact the Wanderers aren’t scoring enough goals. With only 22 so far, they’re equal with ninth placed Brisbane Roar in goals scored. They’re lacking a strong attacking presence, meaning they fall short against teams they should be running circles around such as the 2-1 loss to Perth in January.
Top performer: A goalkeeper is nothing without his defenders, and Marcelo has been a major contributor to those seven clean sheets. He’s been the glue that holds the defensive line together and will be crucial for the Wanderers retaining their current form.
Player to watch: Young defender Alex Bonetig has been impressive since his return from injury in December, starting in all seven matches he’s played. The 21-year-old is a Wanderers Academy product and coach Marko Rudan has shown obvious faith in his abilities.
Season expectation: The Wanderers will easily make the finals, potentially with a top four finish, but unless they can find more attacking firepower they’ll fall short against the top teams.
Western United FC
League position: 12th (2W 1D 10L)
Grade: D-
Biggest strength: It’s been hard to find positives for Western this season. With only two wins out of 13 matches and just 11 goals, the side is struggling to make any real impact. Their opening-round win over Melbourne City was a solid start to the campaign, with regular star Lachie Wales scoring the opener while Noah Botic backed it up late in regulation time to secure the win.
Needs improvement: In simple terms, Western United need goals. Hitting the back of the net just 11 times so far this season has left the side with a dismal goal difference of -18. With a wooden spoon looming, Western desperately need to improve - and fast. The team has a solid line-up with the likes of Lachie Wales, Josh Risdon, Daniel Penha and Timoki Imai, but they don’t seem to know what to do with the talent.
Top performer: Brazilian international Daniel Penha has been a shining light for the side, consistently performing in a team that doesn’t. His late penalty against Brisbane in December sparked a comeback for the side’s second win of the season, and if given the backing, Penha could be the one to turn Western’s season around.
Player to watch: Another player who has so much more to give, Lachie Wales has at times been able to show glimpses of what he’s capable of. The 26-year-old has clearly struggled with his team’s lack of form but knowing what he can produce, Wales in definitely one to keep an eye on.
Season expectation: Finals football is almost certainly out of the question, and without a drastic turnaround in form, Western will likely claim their first wooden spoon.
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