Catch up on the Ninja A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.
The Ninja A-League 2025-26 season continued over the weekend, with goals aplenty and even a hat-trick.
Reigning Golden Boot winner Holly McNamara led the way with her two-goal haul as Melbourne City outclassed defending champions Central Coast Mariners 4-0.
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Note: The weekly Team of the Week will feature matches played from Monday to Sunday.
Team of the Week
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).
McNamara (53.6) put on a show for Melbourne City in their dismantling of the Mariners in wet conditions on Saturday, with the 2024-25 Golden Boot winner and CommBank Matildas forward scoring two goals to go with an assistant.
Not to be outdone, Round 2 Rising Star and 17-year-old midfield sensation Shelby McMahon (34.8) chipped in with a brace of her own for the reigning premiers.
Melbourne Victory’s American import Kennedy White (46.2) lit up the weekend after scoring an incredible seven-minute hat-trick as last season’s runners-up overpowered Western Sydney Wanderer 4-1 on Sunday.
Joining McNamara and White in the forward line is Brisbane Roar’s Dutch star Bente Jansen (43.2), who backed up her goalscoring debut with a brace in a 3-2 win away to Perth Glory.
Roar teammate Aimee Medwin (29.8) and Glory captain Isobel Dalton (34.6) secured spots in this week’s midfield, while Victory full-back Zoe McMeeken (40), Brisbane defender Marianna Seidl (27.8), Melbourne City captain Rebekah Stott (25.8) and Western Sydney’s Ella Buchanan (29) occupy the back four, with Canberra United’s Sally James (27.4) the goalkeeper.
Ninja A-League Team of the Week
Goalkeeper: Sally James (Canberra United, 27.4)
Defenders: Zoe McMeeken (Melbourne Victory, 40), Marianna Seidl (Brisbane Roar, 27.8), Rebekah Stott (Melbourne City, 25.8), Ella Buchanan (Western Sydney Wanderers, 29)
Midfielders: Aimee Medwin (Brisbane Roar, 29.8), Shelby McMahon (Melbourne City, 34.8), Isobel Dalton (Perth Glory, 34.6)
Forwards: Kennedy White (Melbourne Victory, 46.2), Holly McNamara (Melbourne City, 53.6), Bente Jansen (Brisbane Roar, 43.2)
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.
