Alessandro Del Piero and Emile Heskey made their Hyundai A-League debuts but both will have to wait a little longer to debut in the prestigious Team of the Week column.
Alessandro Del Piero and Emile Heskey made their Hyundai A-League debuts but both will have to wait a little longer to debut in the prestigious Team of the Week column.
Goalkeeper: Mat Ryan – Central Coast Mariners
The reigning Goalkeeper of the Year was on a team who were heavily favoured to smash Hyundai A-League new boys Wanderers, but Central Coast were disjointed and Ryan had to make several quality stops throughout the match and save the Mariners from an embarrassing defeat.
Right Back: Michael Marrone- Melbourne Heart
A typically consistent performance from the youngster saw him make a few last-ditch defensive efforts and his ball to Mate Dugandzic led to Dylan MacAllister-s match-winning goal, John Aloisi would have been pleased with what he saw.
Centre Back: Michael Thwaite – Perth Glory
Dogged and hard to get past as always, Thwaite renewed his partnership with Bas van Den Brink, and it proved to be a winning combination, Thwaite threw himself into challenge after challenge to repel a marauding Roar side and made a huge difference for the Glory at the back.
Centre Back: Bas van den Brink – Perth Glory
Like Thwaite, BVD was solid as a rock in the centre of Glory-s defence and his performance would have been pleasing to not only their fan, but also coach Ian Ferguson, who relies heavily upon the Dutchman-s ability in the air. A solid showing gets him his first team of the week jersey for the year.
Left Back: Aziz Behich – Melbourne Heart
There-s no doubting Behich is an X-Factor for the Heart and in terms of left backs who like to run the ball he had it all over opposite number Adama Traore at the weekend. Not only did Traore-s poor touch make him look average, but Behich made him look second rate as he stormed forward time and time again to create chances for the younger Melbourne club.
Right Midfield: Ben Halloran – Brisbane Roar
There is something special about Halloran; it-s not just his amazing pace, but the sense you get something is about to happen whenever he is near the ball and his team are attacking. He showed enough in his first proper outing for the Roar to say he has arrived and he nearly equalised with a thunderous strike that shook the posts at Patersons Stadium to their foundations.
Centre Midfield: Marcos Flores – Melbourne Victory
Of all the marquees to come to the A-League it was the former Johnny Warren Medallist who had the biggest impact. Flores may have only played 70 minutes but it was his ball that allowed Archie Thompson to put Marco Rojas in and whenever he had the ball the Victory looked dangerous.
Midfield: Mate Dugandzic – Melbourne Heart
The speedy midfielder came back to haunt his former club with a dominant performance. Dugandzic-s ball to David Williams for Heart-s first goal was pure class and the pace he showed to get in behind a hapless Mark Milligan to set up Dylan MacAllister was extremely impressive.
Attacking Midfield: Dario Vidosic- Adelaide United
Not only did Vidosic get Adelaide off to a flying start, netting in the opening minutes of their season, but everywhere he went he looked dangerous, he was quick to the ball, brilliant on it and his free kicks caused problems. After a tough 2011/12 he looks injury free and ready to rock the A-League.
Striker: Louis Fenton – Wellington Phoenix
In terms of A-League debuts this was impressive. Not only did Wellington-s whiz-kid deliver a solid all-around performance but his diving header to secure the victory was straight from the top shelf. One to watch this season.
Striker: Dylan Macallister- Melbourne Heart
D-Mac may have messed up a chance to give Heart the early lead, after LawrenceThomas fumbled the ball, but he was clinical when it came to finishing things just before half time. His finish from a Dugandzic cross left Thomas no chance and his strong physical presence gave Victory problems throughout the entire season opener.
Coach: Ricki Herbert – Wellington Phoenix
Having to keep his players focussed on the job ahead during the Alessandro Del Piero sideshow would have been no easy task (was any other player even spoken of by the press?) but Herbert did it and his side as is usually the case showed a high level of professionalism in dispatching their regular whipping boys at the Cake Tin, it was polished performance and Herbert deserves full credit for orchestrating it.
