There could only be six teams in the 2023 Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series – and for the remaining six that didn’t make it, now comes the time for internal reviews, self-reflection and honest discussions to assess where they felt short this season.
After the conclusion of the Finals Series, aleagues.com.au reviews each team’s season from spot 7-12 on the Isuzu UTE A-League table, and identifies the best player, biggest disappointment and most improved player from each team, as well with what needs to improve in the off-season.
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7th: Western Sydney Wanderers
The Wanderers still had hope of making the finals all the way up to the second-last game of the regular season, when a Melbourne City win over Western United ultimately ended their campaign.
Marko Rudan left his post following a seventh-place finish in his second full season as head coach, bringing an end to a turbulent season both on and off the field. Six defeats in nine games to end the season ultimately resulted in the Wanderers missing out on the finals.
Best Player
Nicolas Milanovic had a breakout season in red and black. He scored nine goals and notched three assists in just 25 appearances, eclipsing his career highs in both categories after his first full season at the Wanderers.
Milanovic missed a portion of the season at the AFC U23 Asian Cup with the Olyroos but caught fire late in the campaign, scoring two goals and registering two assists in his final three appearances. Milanovic won the club’s Media Player of the Year, Members Player of the Year and shared the club’s Golden Boot with Lachlan Brook.
Biggest disappointment
That 7-0 loss to Melbourne City.
City delivered some serious beltings across the league this season and the Wanderers fell victim to one of them; it was the worst defeat in the club’s history.
Rudan elected not to address the media post-game, instead sending assistant Jean-Paul de Marigny in to face the music. The Wanderers would go on to win their next two games against Perth Glory and Macarthur FC, and showed character to bounce back from the hefty defeat – but that moment was a low point in their season.
Most improved
Lachlan Brook finished level with Milanovic on nine goals to share the club’s Golden Boot award and in truth, either player could lay claim to the title of most improved.
After a one-season hiatus from the Isuzu UTE A-League, Brook returned to bag nine goals in 23 appearances; he scored just one goal in his 27 games prior in the league whilst at Adelaide United. Brook is now 23 and maturing as a footballer after a stint at English club Brentford and his form for the Wanderers in 2023-24 was like nothing he’s shown before in the Isuzu UTE A-League.
What to work on for next season
Getting the overseas recruits right. The Wanderers lost several key players in the off-season, players who had played important roles in their journey to the Elimination Finals in 2022-23: Morgan Schneiderlin, Romain Amalfitano, Yeni Ngbakoto and Amor Layouni were the experienced overseas signings who bid farewell to the club.
Rudan brought in Jorrit Hendrix, who was outstanding in midfield and central defence, but the signings of Swedish striker Marcus Antonsson and German midfielder Sonny Kittel arguably did not have the desired impact.
The Wanderers now have an impressive pool of young Australian players, and can build an attack around the strengths of Milanovic and Brook. The club next needs to thread experience through its ranks to compliment the youth – those signings will be pivotal to Western Sydney’s success.
8th: Adelaide United
Adelaide United dropped from the brink of the Grand Final in 2022-23 to two places outside the finals altogether in one year as Carl Veart’s side experienced a season to forget.
The Reds lost captain Craig Goodwin in the off-season and his absence was sorely noted – but the emergence of Nestory Irankunda as a bona fide star, and the reliability of top-scorer Hiroshi Ibusuki, meant that goals flowed freely in attack.
But Adelaide’s defence was porous, and was a key contributor to their struggles this term.
Best Player
Nestory Irankunda looked like a player from another dimension altogether in bursts this season – but Hiroshi Ibusuki was the more consistent performer and his 15 goals, scored predominantly in the second half of the season, went a long way to keeping Adelaide in the finals conversation.
Ibusuki scored 11 goals in his last 14 games, including a hat-trick and three braces. The Japanese striker had been touted by head coach Veart as an off-season departure toward the end of the season and he responded with a ferocious scoring streak; ultimately, the decision was made not to keep Ibusuki at the Reds, and he’s since made the move to Western United.
Biggest disappointment
The concession of goals at important times. Adelaide dropped points on multiple occasions after taking the lead in games or drawing level, only to throw away the points they had worked to get into a position to defend.
The Reds finished seven points outside the top six and can look back to a number of games and wonder what could’ve been if they held firm.
In mid-April they led Western United 3-2 only to concede a 94th minute winner. The game before they led Macarthur 1-0 for more than an hour before goals to Ariath Piol and Tommy Smith in the 84th and 88th minute led to defeat at home. Adelaide led Perth Glory 2-0 after just 17 minutes of their Round 16 clash but conceded three unanswered goals, and were eventually bailed out by a 98th-minute equaliser.
It was rarely light work for Adelaide this season, and the club’s fans will hope to see a more solid Reds outfit next season capable of locking down an opponent once they’re in the ascendancy.
Most improved
Hiroshi Ibusuki deserves another mention in this category due to his unprecedented scoring form. Ibusuki had scored just 13 goals in his prior two seasons at the club but scored 15 alone in 2023-24.
What to work on for next season
Recruitment. Adelaide United will be barely recognisable next season; attackers Ibusuki, Irankunda and Ben Halloran have already left the club – as have defensive quartet Nick Ansell, Harry van Der Saag, Lachlan Barr and Ben Warland.
An exciting strategic partnership with Dutch powerhouse PSV Eindhoven could lead to some stellar recruits joining the Reds, but one thing is for certain: Veart’s side will not climb back up the table unless he gets their defensive woes in order.
According to Opta, Adelaide United became the first team in A-League Men history to both score and concede 50+ goals in consecutive seasons (2022/23 – 56 scored, 50 conceded and 2023/24 – 52 scored, 53 conceded); in fact, prior to this span Perth Glory (2016/17 – 55 scored, 56 conceded) was the only team to have done so even once in a campaign.
9th: Brisbane Roar
Brisbane Roar navigated through an unsettling season in 2023-24. They began the campaign under Ross Aloisi and ended it having been led by four different head coaches along the way.
Luciano Trani oversaw one game as interim, then Ben Cahn came in to steady the ship – but a period of indefinite leave for medical reasons led to the appointment of then-assistant Ruben Zadkovich in the interim role, before he was announced as permanent head coach in place of Cahn in April.
The Roar struggled to get their season going on the pitch after a bright start under Aloisi, who oversaw a seven-game stretch with just one defeat to start the season. But that was as good as it got for the Roar who slumped to a ninth-place finish by the end of the season.
Best Player
Experienced central midfielder Jay O’Shea was his typical classy self in 2023-24, with 12 scoring contributions (seven goals, five assists) from 26 appearances. He was rewarded with vice-captaincy duties for the A-League All Stars.
Biggest disappointment
The managerial turnover. When Ross Aloisi took the reins, he spoke with a long-term vision for the club and after a promising start to his reign, it was all over. The club will find some stability under Zadkovich in the off-season but the off-field distraction and inconsistency at the training ground as managers came and left undoubtedly had an impact on the club’s fortunes.
Most improved
Thomas Waddingham signed a youth development contract with Brisbane Roar in 2022, then he put pen to paper on a scholarship contract a year later.
After lighting up the Australia Cup in pre-season, Waddingham then went on to bag seven goals in his debut Isuzu UTE A-League season; the 19-year-old shared the club’s Golden Boot award with Henry Hore and Jay O’Shea.
What to work on for next season
Stability. The club has committed now to Zadkovich and as a result, must put their faith in the head coach to apply his coaching ethos for the duration of the season.
This squad showed great potential in the early stages of the season and deserve a chance to commit wholeheartedly to a single message and approach to see where they land at the end of next season.
10th: Newcastle Jets
The 2023-24 season took place against the backdrop of Newcastle Jets’ search for new owners and under unique and challenging circumstances, head coach Rob Stanton did a commendable job as he steered the club away from the foot of the table, used a clear playing identity and unearthed some promising young talent.
The Jets only won six games but spread their losses out throughout the season; Stanton’s side never lost more than two games in a row and had the second-highest amount of draws (10) in the league; plenty of those results could’ve gone their way and from there, who knows what might’ve happened.
Best Player
Signing Apostolos Stamatelopoulos for a second stint at the club proved a masterstroke; a player with only seven goals in his previous four seasons in the competition rattled home 17 goals, just three fewer than the league’s golden boot winner Adam Taggart.
Stamatelopoulos captained the Jets whenever Brandon O’Neill wasn’t in the side and Stanton often spoke about his leadership qualities, and how he set the tone for the rest of the squad to follow.
Biggest disappointment
That the hunt for new owners rolled through the entirety of the season. The uncertainty for the players and coaching staff was a constant theme and an unwelcome distraction for a club pursuing points and a spot in the finals.
Most improved
Stamatelopoulos is a clear candidate for the Jets’ most improved player, but you simply can’t look past goalkeeper Ryan Scott who put together the best season of his career after an off-season move from Western United.
Scott had made just two appearances at Western in his last two seasons but became Newcastle’s undisputed No.1 in 2023-24, making 27 appearances, keeping five clean sheets and showing incredible leadership throughout the season.
What to work on for next season
Keeping hold of their stars. Emerging full-back Lucas Mauragis is reportedly on the way to Central Coast Mariners and despite signing breakout midfielder Clayton Taylor on for another season in February, clubs around the league and overseas will undoubtedly be circling after the 20-year-old’s magnificent first season at the Jets.
Stanton has already displayed that he has a vision for the future of the club and has a far better chance of taking steps forward next season if his squad isn’t gutted by departures and a key factor in ensuring that doesn’t happen is the confirmation of new owners as soon as possible.
11th: Western United
An horrendous start to 2023-24 left John Aloisi’s Western United with little hope of salvaging the season.
A 2-1 win over reigning Premiers Melbourne City in Round 1 gave Western false hope. They lost six games in a row following that result, and 12 of their next 16 games. If not for Perth Glory’s late implosion, Western would have finished on the foot of the table.
Best Player
Daniel Penha put an injury-impacted start to life at Western United behind him with a brilliant mid-season patch of form.
He ended the season with seven goals and four assists and cleaned up at the club’s end-of-season awards night. Penha was named Player of the Season and Club Person of the Season, and also picked up the Golden Boot and Fans’ Goal of the Season award.
Biggest disappointment
One week into January, the season was over for Western.
Nine defeats from 11 games sent Aloisi’s side spiralling down the table; by Round 5 they were bottom and from that moment on, Western never got higher than second-last on the table.
Most improved
Academy graduate Matthew Grimaldi has been touted as the future of Western United having shone through his first season in the senior squad.
Grimaldi fed off bench appearances through the first half of the season but Aloisi eventually thrust him into the starting lineup and Grimaldi repaid his faith. The 20-year-old four of his five goals for the season in his last eight appearances to end 2023-24 on a high and give Western fans a genuine point of optimism for the future.
What to work on for next season
Cultivating a unique atmosphere at the club’s new home venue in Tarneit.
The Tarneit Regional Football facility opened in March and has since been officially renamed Ironbark Fields. Western’s men’s side played three games at their new home before the end of the season; Aloisi and his players all spoke glowingly about the facility and the boost playing at the club’s home gave the squad across those three games.
The club is finally home – now it’s time to make that home a fortress, and uniquely Western United.
12th: Perth Glory
A disappointing end to the season, littered with heavy defeats, saw Perth Glory secure the wooden spoon.
A first season under new head coach Alen Stajcic was not to be without its issues due to the club’s search for new owners which began last season and ran into the new campaign.
Glory thought they found a buyer in October but just a month after the announcement, the deal was terminated. It took until February for the club to finally confirm Pelligra Group as the new owners, but it was always going to take time to get things back on track.
Glory didn’t win any of their last 10 games, and suffered an 8-0 loss to Melbourne City as well as a 7-1 loss to Sydney FC in two of their last three games.
Best Player
Adam Taggart finished fifth in the Johnny Warren Medal voting after a simply outstanding individual season at his boyhood club. The Socceroo scored 20 league goals to claim the Golden Boot, an extraordinary feat in a wooden spoon-winning side.
Biggest disappointment
Their end-of-season form.
From mid-January to the end of February, Perth turned a corner. Six games, three wins, three draws. Near the end of the streak, Glory were shaping as finals outsiders, and finally had new owners.
Glory didn’t win another game. In their last four games they conceded 23 goals. Their Round 24 loss to Melbourne City was the biggest losing margin in Isuzu UTE A-League history.
Most improved
Joeys star Daniel Bennie was thrust into the deep end for his debut season, and played 25 games – 22 of which were starts.
Bennie scored one goal and will be all the better for the experienced gained across his maiden campaign in purple before securing a move to English Championship club Queens Park Rangers.
READ MORE: Daniel Bennie joins English Championship club from Perth Glory for undisclosed fee
What to work on for next season
Stajcic showed the ability to promote and develop academy players while at Central Coast Mariners and will look to repeat the feat with the next generation coming through at the club – but needs to bolster the squad with quality, experienced signings – the kind of players that may have been out of reach to the club prior to the ownership change.
