Catch up on the Ninja A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.
The Ninja A-League 2025-26 season continued with plenty of entertainment and drama over the weekend.
In what was an incredibly tight selection process, Wellington Phoenix midfielder Grace Jale topped the charts this week following her stunning display in the Nix’ 7-0 thrashing of Sydney FC.
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This season, Opta will power the Ninja A-League Team of the Week using Opta Points – a comprehensive player metric that evaluates a player’s overall contribution to the game. Each Monday, the Ninja A-League Team of the Week will be displayed in a 4-3-3 formation, highlighting the best-performing players.
Note: The weekly Team of the Week will feature matches played from Monday to Sunday.
Joining Jale in the Team of the Week is fellow Wellington Phoenix ace Sabitra ‘Samba’ Bhandari, who helped put Sydney FC to the sword on Saturday, scoring two goals in the 7-0 rout.
Completing the front line in this week’s Liberty Team of the Week for the Ninja A-League are Central Coast Mariners attacker Annalise Rasmussen, who herself got on the scoresheet in the Mariners’ 1-1 draw with Canberra United, whilst Perth Glory forward Rola Badawiya also takes her place in the front line.
With Phoenix star Jale already in the midfield it’s a pair of Melbourne Victory stars who join her, with Rhianna Pollicina and Alana Jancevski, both of whom shone in Victory’s 3-1 win over the Jets
In defence, Canberra United duo Hayley Taylor-Young and Sasha Grove following their roles in the 1-1 draw with the Mariners, whilst the rest of the defensive unit is made up of three Perth Glory guns.
For a second consecutive week goalkeeper Teresa Morrissey takes her place between the sticks, whilst defenders Julia Sardo and Mischa Anderson are also selected after helping the Glory keep a clean sheet against Adelaide United.
What is the Opta Points system?
Opta Points is a system where points are given to players for certain on-field actions. Players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points. (View the full breakdown of Opta Points below).
Explained: Opta’s Team of the Week using Opta Points
The scoring system distinguishes only between field players and goalkeepers, assigning the same number of points to all field players for corresponding actions. A distinctive feature of this system is its exclusive focus on in-game actions, refraining from awarding points for post-game performances, such as securing a victory or allocating bonus points for maintaining a clean sheet.
Positive actions (goals, passes, tackles, etc…) will add to a player’s score and, conversely, negative actions (cards, own goals, goals conceded) will reduce a player’s points total. Theoretically, a player’s points value is unlimited, and players can conclude a game with negative points. However, players who complete the full game duration on the field typically end up with a point total ranging from 10 to 40 points.
Goals, Shots on target, shots off target, blocked shots, own goal, assists, passes, crosses, tackles, interceptions, fouls won, fouls conceded, offsides, yellow cards, red cards, goals conceded, penalty won, saves, penalty saved are included in Opta Points.
