Liberty’s Ninja A-League Team of the Week: Wanderers star earns 3rd straight selection!

Catch up on the Ninja A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.

The Ninja A-League 2025-26 campaign continued over the weekend, with star performances and goals.

Melbourne Victory’s Rhianna Pollicina led the way with a goalscoring display in the 1-0 win over reigning champions Central Coast Mariners in Saturday’s Grand Final rematch.

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This season, Opta will power the Ninja A-League Team of the Week using Opta Points – a comprehensive player metric that evaluates a player’s overall contribution to the game. Each Monday, the Ninja A-League Team of the Week will be displayed in a 4-3-3 formation, highlighting the best-performing players.

Note: The weekly Team of the Week will feature matches played from Monday to Sunday.

What is the Opta Points system?

Opta Points is a system where points are given to players for certain on-field actions. Players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points. (View the full breakdown of Opta Points below).

Pollicina decided Victory’s showdown against Central Coast at The Home of the Matildas, where the star midfielder earned a week-high rating of 44 in her 100th Ninja A-League appearance.

Not to be outdone, Newcastle Jets forward Melina Ayres (42) scored her first goal since returning to football in a 1-1 draw away to Wellington Phoenix on Sunday.

Also earning Team of the Week honours is versatile Western Sydney Wanderers full-back Ella Buchanan (32.2) following a shock 1-0 win away to Brisbane Roar. It is the third consecutive week she has featured and is the only player to do so in 2025-26.

Completing the Round 3 Team of the Week are goalscoring Adelaide United pair Emily Condon (39) and Matilda McNamara (29.2) and Erin Healy (27.4) after the Reds overcame Canberra United 2-1 on Friday night, Sydney FC’s Panama international Riley Tanner (29.6) who scored and assisted her first goals, Brooke Nunn of Wellington Phoenix (27), Victory’s Alana Jancevski (25.4), Central Coast defender Lorena Baumann (25) and Jets goalkeeper Anna Leat (30.6).

Ninja A-League Team of the Week

Goalkeeper: Anna Leat (Newcastle Jets, 30.6)

Defenders: Ella Buchanan (Western Sydney Wanderers, 32.2), Matilda McNamara (Adelaide United, 29.2), Alana Jancevski (Melbourne Victory, 25.4) Lorena Baumann (Central Coast Mariners, 25)

Midfielders: Rhianna Pollicina (Melbourne Victory, 44), Emily Condon (Adelaide United, 39), Brooke Nunn (Wellington Phoenix, 27)

Forwards: Melina Ayres (Newcastle Jets, 42), Riley Tanner (Sydney FC, 29.6), Erin Healy (Adelaide United, 27.4)

Explained: Opta’s Team of the Week using Opta Points

The scoring system distinguishes only between field players and goalkeepers, assigning the same number of points to all field players for corresponding actions. A distinctive feature of this system is its exclusive focus on in-game actions, refraining from awarding points for post-game performances, such as securing a victory or allocating bonus points for maintaining a clean sheet.

Positive actions (goals, passes, tackles, etc…) will add to a player’s score and, conversely, negative actions (cards, own goals, goals conceded) will reduce a player’s points total. Theoretically, a player’s points value is unlimited, and players can conclude a game with negative points. However, players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points.

Goals, Shots on target, shots off target, blocked shots, own goal, assists, passes, crosses, tackles, interceptions, fouls won, fouls conceded, offsides, yellow cards, red cards, goals conceded, penalty won, saves, penalty saved are included in Opta Points.