After four rounds of the new season, we have moved to shine a light on some of the star individuals doing the business in the Hyundai A-League.
Some are newcomers, others are recalled Caltex Socceroos, but all are crucial players for their clubs.
Read on for the men making waves for your side.
OPTA: Every club’s best player from Hyundai A-League Round 4
WATCH FOR FREE: How to watch the Hyundai A-League LIVE and FREE
Adelaide United: Craig Goodwin
Goodwin returned to Australia for a fresh start and he certainly looks revitalised back at former home Adelaide United.
Prolific in the FFA Cup, the winger has also notched three league goals to force himself back into the Caltex Socceroos frame.
Goodwin appears the difference between Adelaide being a Finals Series side with potential and a genuine contender.
Honourable mentions: Michael Marrone, Isaias, Paul Izzo
What the Opta stats say: Goodwin has been directly involved in five goals this season – the equal most of any Hyundai A-League player.
Brisbane Roar: Jamie Young
It is not ideal to have your goalkeeper as a standout, but that is the reality for a Brisbane Roar side that is yet to really get going.
Young’s sublime double save in the defeat to Perth Glory was just one fine moment in an excellent series of displays.
Honourable mentions: Alex Lopez, Eric Bautheac
What the Opta stats say: Young boasts a 72 per cent save percentage this campaign, the best of any keeper to have faced more than 10 shots on target.
GRATEFUL: Young living the dream after rubbing shoulders with Rooney
Central Coast Mariners: Connor Pain
Central Coast Mariners have scored three goals this season and Pain has been involved in each.
The winger got his side off to a strong start with a splendid solo goal in Brisbane, before turning provider against Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory.
Honourable mentions: Khalifa Cisse, Aiden O’Neill
What the Opta stats say: No player has created more scoring chances (five) or been directly involved in more goals (two) for the Mariners than Pain this season.
Melbourne City: Ritchie De Laet
Nathaniel Atkinson might argue that Melbourne City did not need a new right-back, but De Laet is nevertheless proving a shrewd signing.
The Aston Villa loanee has supplemented his defensive reliability with key goals in the club’s two victories to date.
Warren Joyce clearly trusts De Laet as a leader, having handed him the armband in Scott Jamieson’s absence.
Honourable mentions: Lachlan Wales, Bart Schenkeveld, Riley McGree
What the Opta stats say: McGree is City’s highest ranked Opta player, and the only City player so far this season to have both scored and assisted a goal.
DEFENSIVE DUTY: De Laet rejects newfound scoring expectation
Melbourne Victory: Terry Antonis
Keisuke Honda could comfortably claim this billing, but we have Antonis a nose ahead at this stage.
The decision owes solely to the importance of Antonis’ laser-like left-footed winner away to Newcastle Jets, which steadied the Champions after back-to-back losses.
Honourable mentions: Thomas Deng, Honda, James Troisi.
What the Opta stats say: Honda ranks number one by the Opta data. The Japanese playmaker has created 17 scoring chances thus far in 2018/19, three more than any other player in the competition, while no player has made more assists, with three.
Newcastle Jets: Ronny Vargas
It is an absolute treat to have Vargas fit and firing again.
The glimpses of potential we saw before last season’s cruel ankle injury have become concrete evidence of extreme talent.
The attacking midfielder has at times created chances for fun in the first four rounds and in tandem with Dimitri Petratos, he will doubtless remain a major creative outlet.
Honourable mentions: Petratos, Ben Kantarovski
What the Opta stats say: Lachlan Jackson tops the Opta stats. Melbourne City’s Scott Jamieson (7) is the only defender to have created more scoring chances this season than Jackson (5).
Perth Glory: Shane Lowry
If Andy Keogh is doing the business attack it is because Lowry is providing the platform at the other end.
Among a host of high-scoring individuals, ex-Millwall defender Lowry looks to be benefitting the most from Tony Popovic’s arrival.
The left-footed centre-back is flourishing as the leader of a trio of stoppers, putting his body on the line and stepping up as an organiser.
Honourable mentions: Jason Davidson, Chris Ikonomidis, Keogh.
What the Opta stats say: Keogh is Glory’s highest ranked player by Opta. Keogh has hit nine shots on target this season, the most of any player in the competition and he is currently the joint-leading goal scorer alongside Adam Le Fondre with four goals.
Sydney FC: Adam Le Fondre
Le Fondre has hurdled comfortably over the high bar set for former Premier League players.
His four goals have fired Sydney FC to an unbeaten start that has helped to answer questions posed in the wake of Graham Arnold’s departure.
Hyundai A-League defences are now aware they cannot afford the pint-sized poacher a sniff.
Honourable mentions: Rhyan Grant, Brandon O’Neill, Alex Brosque
What the Opta stats say: Le Fondre has a shot conversion rate (including blocks) of 36 per cent this season, the highest of any player to have attempted more than five shots.
Wellington Phoenix: Steven Taylor
The 32-year-old centre-back had added much-needed steel to Phoenix’s back half, showing why he made nearly 200 English Premier League appearances for Newcastle United.
Taylor was particularly impressive in Wellington’s first two matches, involved in a goal in a Round 1 success against last season’s Grand Finalists, Newcastle Jets, before producing a man-of-the-match performance as the Phoenix kept a clean sheet in Brisbane against the Roar – even if he did miss a sitter.
And although Wellington have suffered defeats in their past two matches, they do look more solid at the back with Taylor on board.
Honourable mentions: Filip Kurto, Alex Rufer
What the Opta stats say: Taylor has made a joint team-high 16 clearances this campaign, as well as creating two scoring chances and landing two shots on target.
Western Sydney Wanderers: Alexander Baumjohann
He will regret giving away the penalty which enabled Brisbane to complete their comeback last weekend, but Baumjohann can still be content with his efforts thus far.
The playmaker is a vitally important part of Markus Babbel’s structure, with his class on the ball already obvious.
Honourable mentions: Jordan O’Doherty, Bruce Kamau
What the Opta stats say: Brendan Hamill leads the Opta scores, the club captain making 30 clearances this season, more than any Wanderers teammate and the second most of any player overall (Mariner Anthony Golec has 33).