Catch up with the latest Official A-Leagues Fantasy talking points from the weekend, brought to you by Liberty.
Another weekend of Official A-Leagues Fantasy action is in the books, and several high-scorers caught the eye, creating the big talking points at the end of Round 17 in both the Liberty A-League and Isuzu UTE A-League.
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Da Silva’s brace edged out by 17yo’s masterclass on all-time fantasy leaderboard
Melbourne Victory defender Damien Da Silva’s stoppage-time brace against Western United on Tuesday night was bewildering in so many ways.
It turned a 1-0 deficit into a miraculous 2-1 win. It broke the Isuzu UTE A-Leagues record for most injury-time goals in a single season. The second strike made Melbourne Victory only the second club to score 800 goals in Isuzu UTE A-League history.
And in Official Isuzu UTE A-League Fantasy, those two goals took Da Silva to 48 points at the end of a double game week for Victory – the record score for a single round since fantasy began in 2022-23.
But there’s one record the French defender didn’t quite capture with his stoppage-time masterclass – a record belonging to 17-year-old Melbourne City and Young Matildas midfielder Daniela Galic – the all-time A-Leagues Fantasy scoring record for a single round, across both competitions.
Galic scored 49 – yes, 49 – points in Round 11 of the 2023-24 Liberty A-League season. And all 49 of those points came in a single game, as opposed to Da Silva’s which were spread across the 2-1 win against Western on Tuesday, and a 0-0 Melbourne Derby draw with City on Saturday.
Galic accrued her 49-point haul with three goals and an assist in a thumping 5-0 win over Adelaide United in January, and for now, her all-time record stands – despite Da Silva’s best efforts.
Here’s where both players stand in the combined Isuzu UTE A-League Men and Liberty A-League Women single-round fantasy scoring leaderboard:
| Player | League | Season | Round | Points |
| Daniela Galic | ALW | 2023-24 | 11 | 49 |
| Damien Da Silva | ALM | 2023-24 | 17 | 48 |
| Kayla Morrison | ALW | 2022-23 | 5 | 41 |
| Ulises Dávila | ALM | 2023-24 | 12 | 41 |
| Emina Ekic | ALW | 2023-24 | 10 | 40 |
| Marco Tulio | ALM | 2022-23 | 8 | 40 |
| Bruno Fornaroli | ALM | 2023-24 | 2 | 40 |
| Joe Lolley | ALM | 2023-24 | 4 | 40 |
| Ángel Torres | ALM | 2023-24 | 8 | 39 |
| Cortnee Vine | ALW | 2022-23 | 19 | 38 |
Golden Boot contender’s phenomenal weekend headlines Team of the Week
Sarina Bolden was without a club when the 2023-24 Liberty A-League season began. But after her exploits for Newcastle Jets in a big win over Brisbane Roar in Round 17, coaches around the league might be scratching their heads wondering why they didn’t make a move for the Philippines international.
Bolden scored her first Liberty A-League hat-trick in a 3-0 win over Brisbane to take her season tally to 11 goals; add her four assists to the mix and that’s 15 score involvements in just 12 games.
Bolden sits one goal behind Michelle Heyman on the Golden Boot leaderboard and on current form is shaping as a strong contender for the Julie Dolan Medal.
Three goals against Brisbane netted Bolden 37 fantasy points as she led all comers in Round 17. The 37-point haul was in fact the sixth-highest single-round score in Liberty A-League Fantasy history.
Bolden plays as a striker for the Jets but is classed as a midfielder in fantasy and as a result, featured in a five-player midfield in the Round 17 Team of the Week – a line-up that included Bianca and Daniela Galic who both starred for their respective sides in Round 17.
Matildas striker Emily Gielnik earned her place in the front three with two goals and 25 fantasy points, next to teammate and winger McKenzie Weinert who bagged 26 points of her own.
Defenders reign supreme in Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week
Led by Damien Da Silva’s 48-point haul, the Isuzu UTE A-League Team of the Week in Round 17 was dominated by defenders in a 5-2-3 formation.
More often than not, the highest-scoring possible formation features plenty of midfielders – but not this time. Thanks to a clean sheet in Saturday’s Melbourne Derby and a second fixture against Western on Tuesday, Victory players dominated the Team of the Week with Da Silva’s defensive teammates Connor Chapman and Jason Geria both making the cut.
Daniel Arzani’s 27 points earned the Victory forward a place in a front three alongside Kosta Barbarouses and Adam Taggart, who scored two goals apiece in Round 17.
Western United midfielder Daniel Penha’s 36-point haul was the second-highest in Round 17 and the 11th-highest single-round total in Isuzu UTE A-League Fantasy history.
