We may only be two games into the new season but the contenders for the 2024-25 Ninja A-League Golden Boot are already laying down an early marker and chief among them is Melbourne Victory striker, Emily Gielnik.
Since returning to the Ninja A-League back in 2023, few strikers can boast a record quite like that of the CommBank Matildas forward.
With three goals to her name already this campaign the 32-year-old appears to be edging back to her scintillating best and it’s been enough to see her recalled to the Matildas set-up by interim head coach Tom Sermanni.
But what has been the secret to Gielnik’s hot-streak in the Ninja A-League?
Well if you were to ask the player herself, then staying injury-free in order to get a clear run of games would arguably be one of the key factors to her outstanding form.
However, a quick look and her recent injury record will tell you Gielnik has been able to put up those incredible numbers despite battling both ankle and calf issues during her time back in Australia.
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In fact, since the 2020-21 campaign when she was initially playing for Brisbane Roar, Gielnik has featured in 27 matches when you count both her appearances for the Roar and now with Melbourne Victory, with the striker also spending two seasons overseas at Vittsjö GIK and Aston Villa respectively.
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In those 27 Ninja A-League matches she’s scored a whopping 24 goals and if you take a deeper look at those games you see that Gielnik has actually scored 24 goals in her last 24 games.
Even more impressive is the fact the Matildas striker has hit two or more goals on seven occasions during that 24 match run, including two hat-tricks.
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In season 2023-24, Gielnik didn’t feature until Round 3 against Adelaide United and, after a run of two games in the side, was then sidelined again until Round 11 due to a calf issue.
If you compare the forward’s hit-rate compared to her striking rivals across the league you also get a picture of just how lethal she has been despite having played significantly fewer match minutes.
Ninja A-League forwards comparison: 2020-21 -> 2024-25 Season
| PLAYER | GAMES | GOALS | MINUTES PER GOAL |
| Michelle Heyman* | 68 | 49 | 117.9 |
| Cortnee Vine | 65 | 30 | 172.9 |
| Hannah Wilkinson | 51 | 30 | 145.1 |
| Melina Ayres | 45 | 28 | 114.5 |
| Rhianna Pollicina* | 71 | 28 | 213.4 |
| Emily Gielnik* | 27 | 24 | 82.2 |
Michelle Heyman (49), Cortnee Vine (30), Hannah Wilkinson (30), Melina Ayres (28) and Rhianna Pollicina (28) are the only players to have scored more goals than Gielnik (24) since the start of the 2020-21 Ninja A-League season.
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However when you look at minutes played during that time frame then Gielnik, with 1972 match minutes, is a long way short of the next player on that list (Melina Ayres with 3206 minutes) equating to 45 games in total.
And the stats are even more eye-opening the more you look into them.
Only City’s Pollicina (60.1%) boasts a better shooting accuracy than Gielnik (56.1%) while the Melbourne Victory star has the best ‘Big Chance Conversion’ rating of current players according to Opta data, converting a whopping 52.2% of those chances created.
‘Big Chance Conversion’ rate according to Opta Data: 2020-21 -> 2024-25 Season
| PLAYER | ‘Big Chance’ Conversion rate |
| Michelle Heyman* | 50% |
| Cortnee Vine | 48.7% |
| Hannah Wilkinson | 51.9% |
| Melina Ayres | 60% |
| Rhianna Pollicina* | 41.9% |
| Emily Gielnik* | 52.2% |
Gielnik is also averaging a goal every 82 minutes in the Ninja A-League, with Heyman (117 minutes) the closest of her competitors still playing in the league.
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Speaking before the 2024-25 campaign got underway Gielnik reiterated her desire to represent her country once again after cruelly missing out on a spot at the World Cup due to injury.
“I know I’m 32 now but I’ve never been more excited to get out there and do a pre-season and dig deep, run hard and get going,” said the striker before Round 1.
“I am wanting to have the season of my life because Matildas is back where I want to be and I’m going to push for that.
And while we may only be two games into the new season, Gielnik’s pre-season work and subsequent red-hot start to the campaign in the Ninja A-League has clearly caught the eye of the man who gave her her first international cap.
Announced on the eve of Round 3 in the Ninja A-League, the Melbourne Victory goal-machine has earned the recall she so desperately craved to the national team and is now set to feature for the CommBank Matildas in the November/December clashes against Brazil and Chinese Taipei.
