Welcome to Made With Mitre Moments, where aleagues.com.au brings you all the biggest talking points from each round of the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Read on for all the biggest talking points from Round 25, thanks to Mitre.
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Perth Glory’s ‘big issue’ this season: ‘That’s not normal’
In the words of David Zdrilic, Perth Glory’s 2024-25 campaign has been out of the ordinary.
In fact, it’s “not normal”.
With new boss Zdrilic at the helm and new owners, Perth have undergone a rebuild but it has not been straightforward for a Glory side at the bottom of the standings following Saturday’s 3-1 defeat at high-flying Western United.
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It has been a difficult season in Perth, where Glory have dealt with a high turnover of players and fitness issues, having also endured more change in January following the departures of Jacob Muir, Luis Canga, Cristian Caicedo, Mustafa Amini, Luke Bodnar, Jarrod Carluccio and Abdelelah Faisal.
Glory also drafted in Tomislav Mrcela, Lachlan Wales, Yuto Misao, Takuya Okamoto, Patrick Wood, Tass Mourdoukoutas and Luke Amos during the mid-season transfer window but they have still struggled to field the same side this season.
Perth have used a league-high 35 players this season.
| Team | Players Used |
| Perth Glory | 35 |
| Brisbane Roar | 31 |
| Western Sydney Wanderers | 28 |
| Macarthur FC | 28 |
| Adelaide United | 27 |
| Central Coast Mariners | 27 |
| Sydney FC | 27 |
| Wellington Phoenix | 26 |
| Melbourne City | 26 |
| Newcastle Jets | 24 |
| Western United | 23 |
| Auckland FC | 23 |
| Melbourne Victory | 22 |
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“We started the season with half the squad injured, so I would try not to have that situation but they were injured before coming in and didn’t arrive until the start,” Zdrilic told reporters.
“So we didn’t have the squad ready for the start of the season. That was a big issue for us. Then we had to play a lot of the young guys, who have actually developed into much, much better players.
“Pre-season didn’t help us. Then the evolution of the team – that’s a totally different team to the one who started. That’s not normal. We are building – we didn’t want to build and be in this position, we wanted to build and still be higher up the table.
“But to change 10-12 players during the season, that normally doesn’t happen. But this is a big rebuild that we’re doing. We’re doing it in real time. Again, we changed seven players in January. A lot of players have left during the season. It’s not cohesive.
“You look at Western United – same team every week. Maybe one, maybe two maximum changes. We haven’t put the same side out.
“That’s what I’ve had to do. It’s not what we’ve wanted this season but we knew we had to do it. We were hoping it wouldn’t have that much of an effect. But it is what it is.
“Next season is totally different. It’s not going to be a rebuild year, it’s going to be this is now the squad that will start the season, do the whole pre-season. Not guys coming in dribs and drabs and different fitness levels. It’s the same with the guys who came in January – they didn’t do a pre-season and had to get fit during the season.
“It’s not a normal way to do things but there’s been a massive amount of change.
“Unfortunately the results are what everyone sees but the actual changes behind (the scenes), no one cares but it’s there.
“It’s a constant reset, go to the next game but the stuff behind the scenes you’re only going to see in the next year or two.”
Macarthur’s hat-trick hero: ‘He is unstoppable and unplayable’
Is Marin Jakolis the dark horse in the Golden Boot race? After his maiden Isuzu UTE A-League treble, he is certainly in the mix.
MATCH REPORT: Dark horse enters Golden Boot race as hat-trick inspires Macarthur to resounding comeback win
The finals-chasing Bulls came from behind to stay in the top-six hunt as Jakolis produced a man-of-the-match performance, while Jake Hollman and Harrison Sawyer were also on target.
Jakolis now has nine goals and nine assists this season – just three goals shy of Golden Boot leader Archie Goodwin.
Only three players have ever reached double digits for both goals and assists in an Isuzu UTE A-League season – Craig Goodwin (15 goals, 10 assists in 2022-23), Marco Rojas (12 goals, 11 assists in 2016-17) and Aaron Mooy (11 goals, 20 assists in 2015-16).
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“He doesn’t get many goals so a hat-trick for him is good,” Macarthur team-mate Luke Brattan smiled in an interview with Paramount+.
“But he was class tonight. He is one of those players that if he’s on, he is unstoppable and unplayable.”
“I’m pleased for him that he’s scored a hat-trick,” added Bulls head coach Mile Sterjovski.
Stat that highlights success of Melbourne City’s academy
If you want to see the impact of Melbourne City’s academy, just look at their Isuzu UTE A-League team.
Each of City’s last 13 goals have been scored by players aged 23 and under after Medin Memeti’s goal led the Championship hopefuls past Central Coast Mariners 1-0 on Saturday.
Memeti capped off a stunning set-piece move as the 17-year-old academy graduate netted his fourth goal of the season in his maiden campaign.
Academy graduates Max Caputo, Harry Politidis and Ben Mazzeo have scored during this run, as have U23 stars Marco Tilio, Kai Trewin and Alessandro Lopane.
“Brilliant. It’s fantastic,” said Vidmar after City established third position in the standings, just a point behind third-placed Western United.
“It shows you that every single player under the age of 23 that has performed or played this season has scored some important goals for us.
“If I look back at it – we beat Brisbane here Ben Mazzeo scored a header, last week Memeti, Max (Caputo) and Ale (Lopane), Memeti got the winner again tonight.
“It gives them a lot of confidence and belief they can actually play at this level. And it gives hope to all the other kids underneath, looking at these guys thinking they’re making their appearances at 17,18, 19, so it gives them a lot of hope.
“It’s fantastic for the young kids and the future of our club.”
Are Auckland stumbling towards the finish line?
When Steve Corica was asked if Auckland FC had lost their “edge” recently, his answer was emphatic.
“No, not at all,” Corica told reporters.
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Auckland are five points clear atop the table in a race to the Premiership race and while the Black Knights are 11 games unbeaten, they have only won one of their past five fixtures, drawing against Adelaide United (4-4), Newcastle Jets (1-1) and Central Coast Mariners (2-2).
Corica said: “11 games unbeaten. That’s really good.
“In our first year in the competition, that’s something really special to go that many games unbeaten. A lot of clubs would take that any day.
“We’ve picked up a few draws of late. We got the win last week against Brisbane.
“We knew it wouldn’t be easy. Wanderers are a very good team, they’ve scored in every game this season, except for the one we beat them in at their ground.”
Corica added: “The last couple of gamed with the ball we probably haven’t been at our best.
“I think we’ve got better over the period of time. The boys are working hard, a real desire to keep going.”
As for the Wanderers, they are eight games unbeaten – their best run since going 10 matches without defeat in 2015.
Fuelling Western Sydney is Golden Boot hopeful Nicolas Milanovic, who has 11 goals this season.
‘He sees things sometimes that other players don’t see within the A-League’
There was high praise for Sydney FC’s superstar Brazilian after the Sky Blues leapfrogged Adelaide United into the top six over the weekend.
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It was another impressive performance from former Juventus, Bayern Munich and Brazil attacker Douglas Costa, who has scored three goals and supplied four assists in his first season Down Under.
“Douglas has played where he has played because of the qualities he has and the qualities he brings,” Sydney boss Ufuk Talay told reporters.
“He sees things sometimes that other players don’t see within the A-League.
“It’s a privilege to have a player that plays under me and plays for Sydney FC and also plays in our competition.”
Asked about Costa’s off-field impact on a Sky Blues side also gearing up for the AFC Champions League Two semi-finals, Talay replied: “Mate, he has been great.
“He’s great in the change room and training environment. He’s been great for the club off the field as well.
“I don’t think he’s ever said no to do doing any promotion or any gig they send him to do. I think he’s been great for us as a club but also the A-League.”
Meanwhile, Adelaide young gun Archie Goodwin took the lead in the Golden Boot race after scoring twice for the beaten Reds.
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Goodwin’s brace took his season tally to 12 goals to sit atop the goalscoring charts.
Coaches address contentious moments
Wellington Phoenix snapped their 77-day wait for victory on Sunday, but it was not without controversy.
The Phoenix were in control thanks to a two-goal first half until Newcastle setup a grandstand finish with a late and contentious goal.
MATCH REPORT: Wellington Phoenix snap 77-day drought in wild and contentious finish against Newcastle
Wellington goalkeeper Josh Oluwayemi, who produced a stunning 97th-minute save to prevent a dramatic equaliser, thought he was fouled after he was credited with an own goal in the 65th minute. The Englishman thought he was fouled by Thomas Aquilina but the goal stood.
“I want to see the footage back. Obviously their goal was a momentum shifter,” said Phoenix head coach Giancarlo ‘Chiefy’ Italiano.
“I want to see if Joshy actually got fouled. I thought it was still very contentious and I felt that swung the momentum the Jets’ way.”
“If you look at the circumstances, you kind of second-guess yourself. Goalkeepers are generally well respected by referees when there’s contact,” he added.
That was not the only controversial moment.
Kota Mizunuma and the Jets thought they should have been awarded a penalty during the closing stages, but the Japanese star was yellow carded for simulation.
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Following a VAR review as Newcastle appealed for a spot-kick, the former Yokohama F.Marinos winger was ruled to be offside in the build-up. However, the yellow card still stood. The referee had no room to overturn the yellow card, according to Paramount+ co-commentator Andy Harper after speaking with Football Australia’s Head of Referees Jon Moss.
“I was surprised with the card to be honest and I think he should have rescinded the card when there was clear contact,” Jets head coach Rob Stanton said.
“I don’t understand that. For me, that’s a poor decision. I don’t know if there’s any accountability. What if he got another yellow card for something silly? He’s off.
“For me, I’m disappointed the yellow wasn’t removed. Is it a penalty? It looks like a penalty but then you have to go back to see whether he is onside and they’ve adjudged to have been offside.”
