To celebrate the end of a fantastic year in Australian football, Kick360‘s writers have come together to participate in a fun and subjective task of ranking the top 10 players in the A-League Men competition.
Tasked with ranking the players on the basis of their general ability, quality and overall impact on their respective sides, each ranking was not solely limited to performances in 2021 but rather a ranking of the players’ general skillset with more weight given to recent performances.
Attacking players dominated the top end of the average rankings which is unsurprising given that they are typically the marquees and match-winners in the A-League. Ulises Davila and Jamie Maclaren appeared in every person’s top 10 while the likes of Milos Ninković and Craig Noone divided opinion with both receiving rankings at either #2 or #1 of a writer’s list while being left entirely off the ranking of others.
Interestingly, despite eight writers participating in this ranking – 28 different players were chosen in the writers’ top 10s, therefore hinting towards the subjectivity and difficulty that comes with ranking players across different roles, positions and play styles in the A-League Men.
Each team in the league had at least one player selected, although Melbourne Victory fans may be perplexed to find out that – despite sitting top of the A-League Men table – just one of their players registered a single vote in any of the writers rankings. Melbourne City, Western United, Sydney FC and Macarthur were tied for the most selected from a single club with four players selected from each.
After averaging out the votes from the writers, we came up with this definitive and conclusive ranking of Kick360‘s top 10 players in the A-League Men competition.
Kick360’s Top 10 Players in the A-League Men
- Ulises Davila
- Jamie Maclaren
- Alessandro Diamanti
- Luke Brattan
- Craig Noone
- Milos Ninković
- Bruno Fornaroli
- Leo Lacroix
- Oli Bozanic
- Jay O’Shea
We asked several of our writers to justify their selections below. Feel free to join in the conversation across Kick360‘s social media channels and discuss who deserves to be in the top 10.
Cameron Wyper:
- Ulises Davila
- Jamie Maclaren
- Adam Le Fondre
- Alessandro Diamanti
- Luke Brattan
- Bruno Fornaroli
- Milos Ninković
- Jay O’Shea
- Leo Lacroix
- Brandon O’Neill
Cameron’s explanation:
Every time Ulises Davila graces a football field in the A-League he demonstrates his considerable talent to great effect, leaving everyone in no doubt that he is a level above the rest of the players on the park.
Jamie Maclaren’s goal scoring form has been outstanding, but Davila’s ability to turn games on their head and make things happen for his team is second to none.
Honorable mentions go to Adam Le Fondre and his deadly instincts in front of goal and Alessandro Diamanti for his sublime technique on the ball.
Giacomo Bruno:
- Jamie Maclaren
- Ulises Davila
- Alessandro Diamanti
- Milos Ninković
- Josh Risdon
- Rhyan Grant
- Bruno Fornaroli
- Andrew Nabbout
- Connor Pain
- Craig Goodwin
Giacomo’s explanation:
Comprising a list like this opens your eyes to the vast amount of talent that is currently kicking around in the A-League Men’s competition.
And the number one talent undoubtedly is Melbourne City’s prolific attacker Jamie Maclaren, who has been a revelation since joining the club in 2019. In the calendar year of 2021, Maclaren netted 28 goals, with 33 goal contributions all up. He’s a brilliant player and while fully deserving of his plaudits, the spotlight put on Maclaren often takes attention away from the quality of teammate Andrew Nabbout.
Elsewhere, Wellington Phoenix were a big improver of the competition in recent campaigns thanks largely to Mexican maestro, Ulises Davila. A premiere talent. Now at Macarthur, Wellington have struggled greatly in his absence. Though closer to the finish line than to the start, 38-year-old Alessandro Diamanti has shown he can still play at high level aging like fine, while both Josh Risdon and Rhyan Grant are integral full-backs to their respective sides.
Having flown largely under the radar with the Mariners and now Western United, Connor Pain certainly doesn’t get the credit he deserves, but looks to be finally getting some plaudits now thanks largely to his standout performances in United’s hot start to the 2021-22 season.
Tom Williams
- Alessandro Diamanti
- Ulises Davila
- Luke Brattan
- Craig Noone
- Daniel Penha
- Bruno Fornaroli
- Leo Lacroix
- Jamie Maclaren
- Jay O’Shea
- Connor Metcalfe
Tom’s explanation:
Unsurprisingly, attacking weapons dominate my list. They are the players who take the game by the scruff of the neck and create magic for their teams – the match winners. Diamanti and Davila ooze class and are often effortless in the way that they produce quality chances for their sides, thus they naturally appear at the top of my ranking. Craig Noone was a creative force at Melbourne City and has carried Macarthur on his back in an attacking sense despite playing out of position.
An ACL injury may mean the focus has been taken off Luke Brattan, but Sydney FC’s midfield woes in his absence are perhaps the best indication of his importance to their success in recent years. Jay O’Shea’s selection may raise a few eyebrows but the consistency with which he recycles possession and manages to generate opportunities from both open play and set pieces is superb.
Newcastle’s Penha and Leo Lacroix of Western United are less easy to rank due to not having spent much time down under, but their respective qualities have enamoured fans of all clubs – particularly Penha who seems capable of producing a decisive action whenever he receives the ball.
Bruno Fornaroli’s consistency and ability to seamlessly link play as an attacking reference point combined with his capacity to hit the score sheet means that he is the highest ranked nominal No. 9 on my list. Jamie Maclaren is a goal-scoring machine and deserves praise for his ruthlessness but his general impact on games – both in an offensive and defensive sense – is often subliminal, therefore leaving him ranked below others who contribute more consistently in deeper areas.
Petar Petrov:
- Jamie Maclaren
- Milos Ninković
- Alessandro Diamanti
- Luke Brattan
- Ulises Davila
- Bruno Fornaroli
- Craig Noone
- Connor Metcalfe
- Leo Lacroix
- Josh Brillante
Petar’s explanation:
I think my list is fairly self-explanatory. The first three players basically pick themselves. Jamie Maclaren has scored 27 goals and provided five assists in his 28 league appearances this year which in itself is a ridiculous record. For me, he’s been the catalyst for City’s success and one of the main reasons why they are champions.
Milos Ninković is arguably the most talented player to ever grace the A-League Men’s competition and despite recently turning 37, he doesn’t look like slowing down. Diamanti comes in in third, very close behind Ninko. Another legendary player and entertainer.
A real gem of a footballer.
Brattan, Davila, and Noone have all been phenomenal and could easily be even higher depending on what players you like, and Lacroix, despite recently joining Western United,
for me, has been the best defender in the league. Fornaroli is evergreen and continues to score for fun and Metcalfe is arguably the best box-to-box midfielder in Australia.
The last name on my list might sound slightly more controversial to some people, but I believe that Josh Brillante is an exceptional player, a real Jack of all trades. He’s been successful wherever he’s played and I expect him to continue that tendency with Victory.
Jack George:
- Craig Noone
- Ulises Davila
- Luke Brattan
- Alessandro Diamanti
- Jamie Maclaren
- Milos Ninković
- Daniel Penha
- Bruno Fornaroli
- Leo Lacroix
- Mark Birighitti
Jack’s explanation:
Craig Noone at number one may be controversial, but no player has been more consistently brilliant over the past year in the A-League Men. Other main contenders Ulises Davila and Alessandro Diamanti have fallen off in form at different points over the year due to injuries or poor team performances, while Jamie Maclaren – in my opinion – doesn’t provide enough in other facets of play other than when in possession in the final third/box to be considered for the top spot.
Noone was influential in all three stages of Melbourne City’s possession, whilst he also helped in the press and when in a deeper, mid or low block.
| Statistic | Positional comparison |
| Non-penalty expected goals (xG) | 75th percentile (only 25% have more in his position) |
| Expected assists | 100th percentile (No one has more in his position or in the league) |
| Touches in box | 85th percentile |
| Shot volume | 89% |
| Ball retention | 94% |
| Progressive passes | 93% |
| Penetrative passes (A pass from outside into the opposition’s box) | 100% |
| Progressive runs | 99% |
At Macarthur, he has been by far the most influential member of an individualistic attacking approach, while he’s shown his versatility by moving from left-wing at City to right-wing back for his current employer – the ability to progress the ball and take on players from both flanks is admirable.
Melbourne City looks a worse team with Mathew Leckie in place of Noone, which speaks volumes about the Englishmen’s adaptability and quality – he is a creative ball carrier and passer, confident to take on players consistently and an adept presser. For his versatility, consistency and overall class and immense form, Noone deserves to be recognised as one of, if not the best player in the A-League Men.
Meanwhile, Luke Brattan’s passing and vision alone gain him a place on this list, and that’s not even including his positional intelligence and defensive intensity. Steve Corica has been forced to change the approach to Sydney FC’s 4-2-2-2 formation in Brattan’s absence (the sky blues are now slightly more up-tempo, direct and have become reliant on the two number tens and a better-rounded system for creativity), which shows his importance and quality in the A-League Men.
In addition, Mark Birighitti’s heroics and stability for the Central Coast Mariners have also gone relatively unnoticed. He consistently came up with big saves to keep the Mariners in games – and eventually in third place – last season, while albeit in a smaller sample size this campaign, he has saved between three or four goals for Central Coast based on expected goals measures.
Again, his consistency over the calendar year and importance for the Mariners means he warrants a place on this list.
Zac Colebrook:
- Ulises Davila
- Jamie Maclaren
- Oli Bozanic
- Luke Brattan
- Josh Nisbet
- Filip Kurto
- Alex Rufer
- Connor Metcalfe
- Alessandro Diamanti
- Milos Ninković
Sha Nen:
- Jamie Maclaren
- Oli Bozanic
- Curtis Good
- Craig Noone
- Ulises Davila
- Aleksandar Šušnjar
- Josh Risdon
- Andrew Nabbout
- Luke Brattan
- Mark Birighitti
Neal Symons:
- Ulises Davila
- Jamie Maclaren
- Craig Noone
- Luke Brattan
- Alessandro Diamanti
- Jay O’Shea
- Leo Lacroix
- Tomer Hemed
- Oli Bozanic
- Beka Mikeltadze
Players who received at least one vote:
Macarthur: Ulises Davila, Craig Noone, Aleksandar Šušnjar, Filip Kurto
Melbourne City: Jamie Maclaren, Connor Metcalfe, Andrew Nabbout, Curtis Good
Sydney FC: Luke Brattan, Milos Ninković, Adam Le Fondre, Rhyan Grant
Western United: Alessandro Diamanti, Leo Lacroix, Connor Pain, Josh Risdon
Central Coast Mariners: Oli Bozanic, Mark Birighitti, Josh Nisbet
Newcastle Jets: Daniel Penha, Beka Mikeltadze
Perth Glory: Bruno Fornaroli, Brandon O’Neill
Western Sydney Wanderers: Tomer Hemed
Melbourne Victory: Josh Brillante
Wellington Phoenix: Alex Rufer
Brisbane Roar: Jay O’Shea
Adelaide United: Craig Goodwin
Image Supplied: Melbourne City
