The 2015-16 A-League finals series is upon us and we are just weeks away from deciding the champions of Australia.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at the five players who will define this A-League finals series.
Mark Bridge
Finals matches are all about big-match players using their experience to step up to the plate and not many players have as much experience in the final month as Western Sydney’s Mark Bridge. The 30-year-old has featured in four A-League finals and has scored in two grand finals including the winner in 2008 for the Newcastle Jets.
Bridge has been in fine form this season since replacing marquee Federico Piovaccari up front, netting nine goals including four against other finalists. His experience and form will prove to be an asset for the Wanderers and a dangerous threat to any opponent.
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Bruce Djite
After 15 rounds, Bruce Djite had gone 24 hours without scoring a goal. Now heading into the finals series with the Premiers’ Plate in the bag for Adelaide, Djite has scored nine goals in 12 matches, becoming Adelaide’s leading goalscorer and biggest threat. Similar to Bridge, Djite has a decade of experience and will help younger players excel in the final game or two.
The forward brings his teammates into the play better than anyone in the league by holding the ball up and creating chances for his team, and his new-found attacking instinct has made him an x-factor in this season’s finals series.
Jamie Maclaren
Jamie Maclaren has always had the potential and, since arriving in Brisbane, he has shown what he is capable of. Under the guidance of John Aloisi, Maclaren has morphed into Australia’s deadliest striker, scoring 18 goals. Maclaren and Brisbane will be disappointed that it was their finishing which eventually cost them their third Premiers’ Plate.
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Brisbane get a chance to right those wrongs this week when they face Melbourne Victory again and there is no doubt Maclaren will be chomping at the bit to propel the Roar into the semi-finals.
Bruno Fornaroli
Bruno Fornaroli is arguably the greatest import we have ever seen in the A-League. The Uruguayan netted 23 goals in 27 matches, smashed numerous records and set the league alight in the process. The most proficient striker in the league will be a key player in City’s elimination final against Perth Glory.
With the likes of Harry Novillo and Aaron Mooy feeding him for 90 minutes, Shane Lowry and Alex Grant are going to have their hands full, and they might not be the only centre-back pairing that has that issue.
Aaron Mooy
Has Australian football seen a more in-form player than Aaron Mooy right now?
Most likely not. The former Western Sydney Wanderer has been leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else in the A-League this season. His ability to dictate play, distribution and work ethic have made him a regular Socceroo, a target for European clubs, and Melbourne City a serious threat to the title.
With 11 goals and an unprecedented 20 assists, Mooy is lethal with the ball at his feet. The attacking has decided plenty of City’s matches this season and if he can do the same in the next three, City will be walking out champions of Australia.
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