6 James Troisi

An ever-present threat in Melbourne Victory’s attacking line-up, with his skill, passing, crossing and shooting. He may not always get it right, but he makes defenders nervous. Troisi scored six goals and provided seven assists in the 2016-17 season and has backed that up with one more strike and three assists in 2017-18, following a controversial off-season where he almost joined rivals Sydney and City.

5 Alex Wilkinson

Sydney’s Mr Dependable at the back. Success has followed Wilkinson throughout his club career at Central Coast, Jeonbuk Motors and now Sydney, where he is a no-frills defender. Wilkinson was named in the 2016-17 PFA A-League Team of the Year and while he seldom scores goals, he was crucial to the side’s stingy defence which conceded only 12 goals in 2017 in the regular season. His commitment was typified by the injury he suffered in the Grand Final following a collision with Vukovic from a cross.

4 Josh Brillante

A Socceroos recall must not be far away for the 24-year-old midfielder who has been the engine room behind Sydney’s unrivalled success in 2017 as they claimed all three domestic trophies. Brillante’s fitness makes him the ideal box-to-box midfielder who works tirelessly breaking up play but also setting up attacking thrusts. Stats don’t do Brillante justice, but for what it’s worth, he scored two goals in 2017 and both were long-range stunners.