Catch up on the Ninja A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.
The Ninja A-League served up plenty of drama in what was the penultimate round of the 2025-26 campaign and there were goals and upsets galore.
Round 21 featured plenty of top individual performances but it was Central Coast Mariners defender Lorena Baumann who top scored thanks to the Mariners playing two games in the space of four days.
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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 Baumann in the defence in this week’s Team of the Week is Elizabeth Barwick-Grey whilst Canberra United’s Hayley Taylor-Young and Brisbane Roar’s Aimee Medwin also feature.
There are plenty more Mariners who feature in midfield in the team as both Isabel Gomez and Greta Kraszula take their places in the side after helping the Mariners defeat Wellington and draw with Canberra. The third player in midfield is Brisbane Roar dynamo Momo Haysahi, who bagged two goals in the 5-2 win over Perth Glory.
The forward line is packed full of goals as Newcastle Jets striker Kelli Brown features after bagging a brace in the 3-1 win over Adelaide United and she’s joined by Sydney FC forward Riley Tanner and Wanderers striker Yuan Cong, both of whom fired their sides to victory.
Finally your goalkeeper in this week’s Team of the Week is Central Coast Mariners shotstopper Annalee Grove who helped her side collect four points in the space of four days.
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).
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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.
