From Brandon Borrello to Bozhidar Kraev, Chloe Lincoln to Catherine Zimmerman, there’s a star cast for you to pick from when voting for February’s Liberty A-League and Isuzu UTE A-League Player of the Month!
Ten players from each league are up for selection – and it’s time for you to have your say in which players take out the honours in February.
In a variation from the opening months of the 2022-23 season, from February onwards players can only be nominated for the monthly award if they featured in three games or more throughout the month.
This is to ensure players are nominated for consistent performances across the month. For example, the Isuzu UTE A-League’s January nominations saw Perth Glory’s Adam Taggart earn a spot in the top 10 after scoring two goals in a single 20-minute bench cameo throughout the month.
How does a player secure a nomination?
This season, the top 10 players of each month – across both competitions – are identified via the Opta Index, which gives players a rating of 100 for a given period.
What is the Opta Index?
Opta defines it as follows: The Player Index is based on totals in a variety of statistics for each player. The index score uses subcomponents (such as shooting, passing, defending), corresponding to different qualitative aspects of a player’s performance.
These component scores are combined to create an overall rating for each player. The formula that works out the overall match rating have been developed by Opta’s own team of data scientists in conjunction with our award-winning Data Editorial team.
Febraury’s Coach of the Month nominees are in – pick your winner TODAY!
THE FEBRUARY NOMINEES: LIBERTY A-LEAGUE
Michelle Heyman – Canberra United
Opta Index Rating: 85.8
Michelle Heyman surged into Golden Boot contention through February, taking her season tally to nine goals off the back of four in three games as Canberra won three from three throughout the month.
Heyman is now just two goals behind Golden Boot leader Hannah Keane.
Chloe Lincoln – Canberra United
Opta Index Rating: 78.2
Joining teammate Heyman in the top 10 is Canberra keeper Chloe Lincoln, who kept two clean sheets across three wins in three February appearances, making 14 saves and helping her side clinch nine points from nine in a superb month for the Green Machine.
Tyla-Jay Vlajnic – Western United
Opta Index Rating: 74.2
Western United’s powerhouse full-back scored an absolute screamer in a 6-0 win over Newcastle Jets to cap off a month in which Western lost back-to-back games before steadying the ship with consecutive wins.
Hana Lowry – Perth Glory
Opta Index Rating: 73.4
Much like Vlajnic, Hana Lowry saved her best performance of the month for last, scoring a brace and putting on a dominant display in Perth Glory’s 2-0 win over Brisbane Roar on February 25. Perth won three games from three in February, with Lowry contributing two goals and an assist throughout that period for Alex Epakis’ side. The Young Matildas prospect is one of the most highly-rated young footballers coming out of Western Australia, and she’s beginning to show why on a consistent basis.
Cyera Hintzen – Perth Glory
Opta Index Rating: 72.2
Cyera Hintzen joined Lowry in sparkling for Perth through three consecutive wins in February. She was the star of the show in a 4-0 win over Newcastle, scoring a brace and putting an assist own the board.
Catherine Zimmerman – Melbourne Victory
Opta Index Rating: 70.9
Catherine Zimmerman broke her leg in November – but less than three months later, the American spearhead was back in action for Victory as Jeff Hopkins’ side went unbeaten through three games February.
On February 26, Zimmerman was Victory’s standout performer against Adelaide United. Down 2-1, she put the ball in the back of the net twice from offside positions, but continued to persist to find an equaliser. Then came one of the goals of the season, with Zimmerman finding the top-right corner from long distance to wrestle her side a point at AAMI Park.
Sophie Harding – Western Sydney Wanderers
Opta Index Rating: 69.1
Western Sydney Wanderers’ Sophie Harding has two goals to her name this season – and they came in consecutive games in February. Harding got off the mark in a 3-1 defeat to Melbourne Victory before scoring the only goal in her side’s 1-0 win over Wellington Phoenix on February 12.
Hillary Beall – Western United
Opta Index Rating: 69.0
The January recipient of Player of the Month honours, Western United keeper Hillary Beall made 20 saves in four games as the league-leaders held firm to their position atop the Liberty A-League table.
Kahli Johnson – Western United
Opta Index Rating: 67.8
At last, the flood gates opened for a deserving Kahli Johnson who, after putting 14 shots on the board without scoring a goal (the most of any player without a goal league-wide), scored twice in Western United’s 6-0 mauling of the Jets on February 26.
Johnson made four appearances for Western in February (two from the start, two off the bench).
Alana Jancevski – Perth Glory
Opta Index Rating: 67.8
A pile-driving free-kick in a statement 3-1 win over Western United was Alana Jancevski’s key contribution to Perth Glory’s cause in February, appearing in all three of her side’s wins throughout the month.
THE FEBRUARY NOMINEES: ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE
Mathew Leckie – Melbourne City
Opta Index Rating: 84.5
Prior to succumbing to a hamstring injury in late February, Melbourne City’s Mathew Leckie was in imperious form.
An assist in a 6-1 win over Macarthur FC kick started Leckie’s February form. He backed that up with a goal and assist against Perth Glory, before scoring twice in the Melbourne Derby.
Nestory Irankunda – Adelaide United
Opta Index Rating: 80.2
Nestory Irankunda only scores screamers. His February form is testament to that fact; he capped off the month with arguably the best goal of his burgeoning career, firing a dipping, swerving strike from the edge of the box into the top-left corner against Melbourne Victory.
He notched an assist in his side’s comeback 3-2 win over Western United earlier in the month after scoring the winner off the bench against Brisbane Roar on February 4.
Richard van der Venne – Melbourne City
Opta Index Rating: 79.9
Melbourne City’s Richard van der Venne began the month with a hat-trick in his side’s 6-1 mauling of Macarthur FC. He went on to assist goals in back-to-back games against Perth and Victory. The Dutchman took 15 shots across four games throughout the month as he begins to establish himself as one of City’s prime offensive assets.
Calem Nieuwenhof – Western Sydney Wanderers
Opta Index Rating: 79.3
The arrival of Morgan Schneiderlin at Western Sydney Wanderers may have paved the way for Calem Nieuwenhof to drop out of the starting XI – instead, the 22-year-old has elevated his game. Nieuwenhof has added goals to his overall output from central midfield, scoring in consecutive games to round out February – his first two goals of the season.
Florin Berenguer – Melbourne City
Opta Index Rating: 78.0
Missing the first 10 rounds with a hamstring injury, Florin Berenguer has returned to fitness and form at a crucial time for Melbourne City. The Frenchman bagged three assists off the bench in the 6-1 win over the Bulls, before scoring as a substitute against Perth Glory the following weekend. Then came his first two starts of the season, the second of which coming against Sydney FC on February 25 in which Berenguer assisted Jamie Maclaren in a 3-2 win.
Brandon Borrello – Western Sydney Wanderers
Opta Index Rating: 77.7
Brandon Borrello signed for Western Sydney as a winger in the off-season – but he’s since put together a superb run of form as a makeshift number nine. Borrello has six goals his last nine games, scoring three of those across four games in February. His best performance of the month came in a 4-4 draw with Adelaide, with the pick of his two goals coming from distance.
Jamie Maclaren – Melbourne City
Opta Index Rating: 77.6
Jamie Maclaren began February with a brace, went goalless for two games, and then ended the month with another brace. If anyone questioned the form of the City spearhead through that two-game lean spell (by his standard), he answered his critics in fine fashion with a pair of goals which helped his side defeat Sydney FC 3-2.
The Socceroo now has 18 goals in 17 games this season.
Noah Botic – Western United
Opta Indez Rating: 77.4
February 2023 is a month Western United striker Noah Botic will never forget.
He scored the first goal of his professional career against Adelaide United on February 11, dedicating the strike to his late grandfather in an emotional post-match interview.
When it rains, it pours. Two games later Botic was at the double, adding goals two and three of his career on the board in a surprise 3-1 win over the Jets.
Craig Goodwin – Adelaide United
Opta Index Rating: 77.2
Craig Goodwin was typically consistent through an unbeaten February, putting one goal and two assists on the board as the Reds notched two wins and two draws, showing his versatility on the road against Victory when asked to play from the start at left-back for the undermanned Reds.
Bozhidar Kraev – Wellington Phoenix
Opta Index Rating: 77.0
Bozhidar Kraev returned to form in February, scoring in a 2-1 defeat to Macarthur before dominating in a 3-0 win over Western United. Kraev tormented the reigning champions on February 17, assisting Yan Sasse before scoring from distance, and winning the penalty which Oskar Zawada dispatched to make it 3-0 to the ‘Nix.
