Catch up on the Ninja A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.
The Ninja A-League 2025-26 season continued with plenty of entertainment and drama over the weekend.
There were plenty of top performers to pick from this week but it was Adelaide United’s 17-year-old goalkeeper Ilona Melegh who scored highest after an impressive performance for the Reds in their crucial win over Melbourne Victory.
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*Editor’s Note: The Team of the Week features matches played from Monday to Sunday, meaning several teams may have played multiple matches during the allotted window.
Team of the Week
Joining Melegh in the Team of the Week is Adelaide United teammate Matilda McNamara, who features alongside Melbourne Victory defender Claudia Bunge in the heart of defence.
The fullbacks in this week’s XI come from the Central Coast Mariners and Canberra United respectively, as both Lorena Baumann and Hayley Taylor-Young feature.
In midfield, Central Coast gun Peta Trimis is selected after helping the Mariners secure a point against Perth Glory whilst she’s joined in the engine room by Newcastle Jets midfielder Kelli Brown and Glory captain Isobel Dalton.
This week’s forward line features plenty of goals as Melbourne City ace Holly McNamara is supported by Melbourne Victory striker Kennedy White and Brisbane Roar’s classy Dutch import Bente Jansen.
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).
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.
