Professional Footballers Australia (the PFA) has announced a star-studded player- voted A-League Men Team of the Season, with five members to feature in this Saturday’s A-League Men Grand Final, including team captain Harrison Devenish-Meares.
A standout all season, Devenish-Meares was named captain of the team after receiving the most votes from his fellow peers across the A-League.
“Just being part of the professional football community in Australia means the world
to me, so to be named captain of the Team of the Season feels very humbling and honestly quite surreal,” the Sydney FC goalkeeper said.
“To be recognised by my peers in this way is something I’m incredibly grateful for.”
The squad, which is made up of 18 players and one coach, includes 15 representatives from the weekend’s semi-finals between Auckland FC and Adelaide United, and Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC.
Devenish-Meares is joined by teammate Paul Okon-Engstler, who was named on the PFA’s Team of the Season bench after a breakthrough campaign following his return to Australia from Benfica’s B team.
Auckland FC are represented by joint-Golden Boot winner and Englishman Sam Cosgrove, defender Francis de Vries and attacker Jesse Randall who were all voted into the starting lineup.
Newcastle Jets missed out on the Grand Final in a tense penalty shootout with
Sydney FC but had seven players rewarded in the PFA’s team, following an outstanding campaign that secured a domestic double of a Premiers Plate and Hahn Australia Cup.
Centre-back Mark Natta, midfielder Max Burgess and winger Clayton Taylor earned votes to feature in the starting XI, while goalkeeper James Delianov, full-back Daniel Wilmering, midfielder Lachlan Bayliss and attacker Eli Adams secured a position on the bench.
Mark Milligan’s debut campaign as the Jets' Head Coach saw him named coach of the PFA’s team. Milligan was voted into the PFA Team of the Season as a player onthree consecutive occasions in 2013, 2014, 2015, and was named in the PFA’s Team of the Decade in 2015.
Adelaide United is represented by young duo Panagiotis Kikianis and Ethan Alagich in the starting lineup, Melbourne City by defensive duo Nathaniel Atkinson and Aziz Behich, along with attacker Marcus Younis and Melbourne Victory by star midfielder Juan Mata.
SportsFX is a support partner for the PFA’s Team of the Season.
The Team
The team comprises of a 4-3-3 formation (although does not necessarily reflect the true starting XI position of each player), with seven substitutes on the bench. All selected players received the most votes among their peers by PFA A-League Men members at the conclusion of the regular season. The members also voted on their coach of the season.
• Goalkeeper: Harrison Devenish-Meares (Sydney FC) (C)
• Defenders: Nathaniel Atkinson (Melbourne City), Panagiotis Kikianis (Adelaide United), Mark Natta (Newcastle Jets), Francis de Vries (Auckland FC)
• Midfielders: Ethan Alagich (Adelaide United), Max Burgess (Newcastle Jets), Juan Mata (Melbourne Victory)
• Attackers: Clayton Taylor (Newcastle Jets), Sam Cosgrove (Auckland FC), Jesse Randall (Auckland FC)
• Substitutes: James Delianov (Newcastle Jets), Daniel Wilmering (Newcastle Jets), Aziz Behich (Melbourne City), Lachlan Bayliss (Newcastle Jets), Paul Okon-Engstler (Sydney FC), Eli Adams (Newcastle Jets), Marcus Younis (Melbourne City)
• Coach: Mark Milligan (Newcastle Jets)
About the PFA Team of the Season
The inaugural PFA A-League Team of the Season was announced in 2009 and has been revealed annually in the A-Leagues Finals Series. Based on peer recognition, selection in the PFA Team of the Season remains one of the highest accolades a professional footballer can receive in Australia.
At the end of each season, PFA members from the A-Leagues are asked to vote on their best XI. The composition of the team is based on the number of votes tallied for each player in each position, with the substitutes bench comprising those players who finished below those in the starting XI positions. The player with the most votes is determined the Team of the Season’s captain.
