Catch up on the Ninja A-League Team of the Week, powered by Opta.
Week one of the Ninja A-League Finals Series served up plenty of drama in what was the final round of the 2025-26 campaign and there were goals and upsets galore.
The Elimination Finals saw Melbourne Victory defeat Canberra United 3-1 whilst Adelaide United were knocked out of the finals by Brisbane Roar..
As such it was Roar star Kijah Stephenson who top scored after netting a brace during Brisbane’s 3-0 win over the Reds.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE NINJA A-LEAGUE
Stephenson is joined in midfield by teammates Momo Hayashi and Alicia Woods, both of whom put on a clinic to help defeat Adelaide at Spencer Park.
Up front there’s another Brisbane Roar gun in the form of Daisy Brown whilst Melbourne Victory duo Holly Furphy and Rhianna Pollicina also feature following Victory’s gutsy win over Canberra.
In defence the sole Canberra United player in this week’s team of the week is defender Sasha Grove whilst Victory captain Kayla Morrison takes up her place in the heart of defence alongside Adelaide’s sole representative in Matilda McNamara. Brisbane’s Josie Studer takes her place in the side at left back.
Finally, your goalkeeper in the Elimination Finals Team of the Week is Brisbane Roar and Matildas ace Chloe Lincoln.
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.
