With change comes opportunity, especially in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
Some fan favourites and star names have moved on from their respective clubs, but it also provides another chance for a young gun or unheralded talent to make themselves a hero.
These are the players at your club who could be set to break through in 2024-25.
Amlani Tatu (Adelaide United)
With Irankunda now calling Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich home, Adelaide’s famed production line already has an exciting prospect emerging to fill the 18-year-old’s boots in the name of Tatu.
The 16-year-old has turned heads with the Reds in NPLM SA this year – his first for the senior academy side – while he played a leading role in the Subway Joeys’ triumphant ASEAN U16 Boys’ Championship campaign this month, scoring three goals.
He has scored five goals in 10 NPL appearances in 2024.
Jesse Randall (Auckland FC)
Signed to a scholarship contract, he arrives from Wellington Olympic having garnered a reputation as a prolific goalscorer.
The 21-year-old scored seven goals in eight matches last term and he is also off to the Olympics with New Zealand.
Quinn MacNicol (Brisbane Roar)
Brisbane Roar fans and A-Leagues supporters got a glimpse of the 16-year-old attacking midfielder’s immense talent in 2023-24.
He became the youngest scorer in the 2023 Australia Cup and the third youngest to debut in the Isuzu UTE A-League after being promoted by former Brisbane boss Ross Aloisi at the beginning of the campaign but he managed just 12 minutes of league action.
MacNicol, who bagged a brace against Switzerland and a goal versus Inter prior to ASEAN U16 Boys’ Championship, scored six goals at the international tournament – including four goals in a stunning second-half performance Timor-Leste.
Harry Steele (Central Coast Mariners)
Another season brings more player turnover at Central Coast Mariners.
It is all part of the strategy in Gosford, where the two-time reigning champions are coming off an historic treble-winning season.
Johnny Warren Medallist and fan favourite Josh Nisbet has departed for an overseas opportunity, however, it opens the door for a player like Harry Steele to really cement his place in the starting XI following his three-year contract extension.
The Central Coast local and academy product has made 63 Isuzu UTE A-League appearances and contributed to the treble, though the 21-year-old midfielder started just three of his 16 league matches.
Kealey Adamson (Macarthur FC)
It was somewhat of a redemption season for Macarthur FC after finishing bottom in 2022-23. The Bulls qualified for the Finals Series and featured in the AFC Cup Zonal play-offs.
There have been some changes in Campbelltown this off-season but Adamson remains following a solid finish to the 2023-24 campaign in which he played 13 games.
The 21-year-old full-back, who arrived after a short stint with Sydney FC in the Australia Cup, ranked in the top 10 across the Isuzu UTE A-League for recoveries per 90 minutes (10.66 – seventh), counter-pressing per 90 (4.22 – seventh) and defensive duels per 90 (10.13 – sixth).
Max Caputo (Melbourne City)
This is the player who could be Melbourne City’s leading man in 2024-25.
The 18-year-old is one of Australia’s brightest prospects after bursting onto the scene with City in 2022-23. Caputo became the youngest Australian to score in an AFC competition and the fifth youngest scorer ever in the AFC Champions League since Opta began collecting data in 2013 after finding the back of the net in City’s 2-1 win over Zhejiang FC.
He also became City’s youngest men’s goalscorer when he struck against Newcastle Jets in the 2022-23 campaign.
Caputo was preferred to Jamie Maclaren up front by Aurelio Vidmar for an extended period last season. Before the departure of all-time leading scorer Maclaren, the Socceroo told Network 10: “He is probably the guy who is going to be banging in the goals for this club next season.”
Expect Caputo to start far more than the five A-Leagues games he did in 2023-24.
Jordi Valadon (Melbourne Victory)
If last season was anything to go by, Valadon is set to take his game to another level.
The Melbourne Victory midfielder started only four of his 15 appearances in the Isuzu UTE but he flourished in the centre of the park for the Grand Finalists.
Such was his progress under Tony Popovic, the 21-year-old – who played for the Subway Olyroos in the decider of the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) U-23 Championship earlier this year – started the A-Leagues Grand Final against the Mariners in Gosford and performed admirably.
Lachlan Bayliss (Newcastle Jets)
Rob Stanton is placing his faith in youth at McDonald James Stadium and the 21-year-old is at the forefront of what the Newcastle Jets boss is building.
Bayliss returned to the Jets from F3 rivals Central Coast last season and made 13 appearances before signing a two-year contract extension in the Hunter region.
He has also been selected as an alternate for New Zealand’s Olympics squad.
Adam Bugarija (Perth Glory)
New owners, a new head coach and a new era, coupled with some exciting new signings, including youngsters Bugarija, Abdelelah Faisal and Zach Lisolajski.
Bugarija is an exciting prospect, who previously spent two years at Croatian powerhouse Dinamo Zagreb before joining Western Sydney Wanderers in 2023.
The 19-year-old attacker, selected in the latest Subway Young Socceroos squad, has scored eight goals in NPLM NSW and he is shaping up as a player to watch as new boss David Zdrilic implements his high-pressing style.
Tiago Quintal (Sydney FC)
The 2024-25 campaign could be the season of playmaker Tiago Quintal after some big-name departures at Sydney FC, including Robert Mak, Luke Brattan and Fabio Gomes.
A 17-year-old academy graduate, the highly rated teenager enters the campaign having signed his first professional contract after earning a place on the bench for an Isuzu UTE A-League fixture for the first time last term.
The former Subway Joeys attacker, who previously trialled at French giants Lyon, has already been labelled a “rare” talent by the Sky Blues.
Oskar Van Hattum (Wellington Phoenix)
If there is one thing Giancarlo ‘Chiefy’ Italiano does, it is place his faith in youth and give players a chance – Alex Paulsen and Ben Old have secured dream European moves as a result.
With Oskar Zawada no longer in Wellington, there is an opportunity for Van Hattum to secure a spot in the Phoenix’s attack alongside Barbarouses and new signing Marco Rojas.
The 22-year-old scored his first A-Leagues goal last season and made 17 appearances – three of those starts. He is also in New Zealand’s squad for the Paris Olympics.
Dylan Scicluna (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Scicluna’s CV is impressive. The 20-year-old spent six years in the academy of Premier League outfit Wolves before signing for Western Sydney ahead of the 2023-24 campaign.
A youth international for both Australia and Malta, he initially relocated to the UK to play for Aston Villa.
He has had to remain patient in Western Sydney, where he amassed 388 minutes in his first season. With a new head coach at the helm – Alen Stajcic – following Marko Rudan’s exit, Scicluna could feature more heavily for the Wanderers.
Abel Walatee (Western United)
There are big wraps on Walatee in Tarneit, where he made his A-Leagues debut last season.
The 20-year-old – a member of Western United’s inaugural academy squad – came off the bench to make his debut against Adelaide United last month before celebrating a memorable first A-Leagues goal away to Perth Glory in Round 25.
This off-season, the exciting attacker signed his first professional contract.
