There were some big movers in Round 21 of the Hyundai A-League, with plenty still up for grabs over the remainder of the regular season.
And it’s the players that stand-up tall for their clubs which is so important right now and there was plenty of excellent contributors over the Split Round.
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Thanks to Opta data, here is every club’s best player from Round 21.
Adelaide United – Craig Goodwin
His team may have been on the end of a 2-0 defeat against Sydney FC but Goodwin did his best to get the Reds over the line.
The speedy winger created a joint team-high three scoring chances and made four crosses from open play.
Goodwin also wasn’t afraid to get stuck in, contesting 12 one-on-one duels and winning seven of them.
Brisbane Roar – Dylan Wenzel-Halls
In a difficult season for the club, the emergence of the 21-year-old from Ipswich points to a bright future.
Wenzel-Halls was easily his side’s best in the 4-1 loss to the Wanderers, having the most shots on target of any Roar player and scoring a cracking goal.
That strike was Wenzel-Halls fourth in his last five games, while he also contested 10 duels for the match.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6011509658001
Central Coast Mariners – Stephen Mallon
The Mariners endured a horror night against the Phoenix on Saturday, with Mallon one of the few players to leave the pitch with his reputation intact.
The young winger was directly involved in both of his side’s goals, including a brilliant strike to beat Filip Kurto from a free-kick.
Mallon also contested the third-most duels of any player with 16.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6011937962001
Melbourne City – Jamie Maclaren
While he’s been a consistent scorer in the Hyundai A-League in recent seasons, not even Maclaren himself could have imagined how quickly he would settle back to life in the competition.
While his side hasn’t won a match since his return, Maclaren has scored in every appearance, with his brace against Perth Glory taking his tally to five goals in four matches.
He is the first player to manage that, surpassing Charlie Miller’s record of four in his first four games for Brisbane Roar in the 2008/09 Season.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6009425942001
Melbourne Victory – Kosta Barbarouses
The New Zealand international continued his rich vein of form, despite Victory’s shock 2-0 loss against the Jets in Geelong.
Barbarouses made 11 touches in the opposition box, the second-most of any player.
He also created two scoring chances for Kevin Muscat’s side.
Newcastle Jets – Nigel Boogaard
A second straight appearance for the Jets skipper, and rightly so after his outstanding display against Victory.
Boogaard made four key clearances in the 2-0 win, while his 28 pass attempts had an incredible pass accuracy of 96%.
Completing a superb all-round display from the veteran defender, Boogaard also created one scoring chance for the Hunter club.
Perth Glory – Diego Castro
We’re running out of superlatives to describe Glory’s special Spaniard.
Castro was at his destructive best in Perth’s come-from-behind 2-2 draw with City, scoring his side’s late equaliser at AAMI Park.
He also created three scoring chances for teammates, while contesting a round-high 19 duels.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6009441826001
Sydney FC – Reza Ghoochannejhad
He’d been threatening to tear a match apart for a couple of weeks and the Sky Blues’ Iranian star did just that against the Reds.
Ghoochannejhad made three shots on target in the first-half at Leichhardt Oval, with one of those resulting in his first goal for the club.
The lively attacker also created one chance for Sydney FC and hit the post with another attempt.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6008779284001
Wellington Phoenix – Roy Krishna
How good is Krishna going right now!
Wellington’s Fijian flyer added two more goals to his tally in the 8-2 drubbing of the Mariners, making it 14 for the season to sit equal top of the Golden Booy charts.
The two goals came from a round-high six shots on target, twice as many as any other player in Round 21.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6011920449001
Western Sydney Wanderers – Oriol Riera
The Spanish striker has had his fair share of critics this season but he silenced many of them with his performance against the Roar.
Riera not only scored an impressive double from his only two shots on target, but he also created one scoring chance for a teammate.
And he capped a man-of-the-match display by contesting 14 duels over the 90 minutes.
https://players.brightcove.net/5519514571001/default_default/index.html?videoId=6011518796001
