The numbers that matter
Golden Boot Race
The big winners of Round 25
Each of the six clubs who secured their place in the A-League finals with a week to spare.
Most of them had already been guaranteed a top-six position heading into Round 25, but Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory in particular needed points this weekend to keep a vastly improving Wellington Phoenix out of the top-six, and they both got the job done.
Melbourne City were especially entertaining when they scored three goals up north to register their fourth consecutive victory, confirming that life beyond the Champions League has been much easier to manage physically and mentally.
Aurelio Vidmar confirmed that as much after the game when he said the team has "found an extra gear" not just because of the reduced workload - well, outside of the three games in eight days they played last week - but because of the high-stakes pressure of needing to win.
That's a strong mentality that they'll be able to carry into the business end of the season.
Loanee Marcus Younis has revitalised the front third well beyond anyone's imagination, to the point where some have even called for him to be fast-tracked into the Socceroos' World Cup preparations.
The big losers of Round 25
Macarthur FC briefly had their fate in their own hands only to fall into a heap defensively when the burden of managing a run into the AFC Champions League 2 knockouts became too much.
Unlike Vidmar's City, Sterjovski's Bulls were unable to pick up the pieces after exiting continental football, failing to keep a clean sheet in 14 consecutive matches and losing six of their last eight.
There was plenty of spirit in their wins over top-two pair Newcastle and Auckland, but subsequent 3-1 losses to Perth and Adelaide confirmed that they were not deserving of swimming with the big fish at the business end of the season.
The players who drove their early season success, such as Harry Sawyer and Luke Vickery, weren't able to keep things going throughout the second half and their drop in output correllated with the team's drop in success.
Mid-season recruit Mitch Duke was the injection of attacking flair and leadership their front third so sorely needed, but he was unfortunately without support for the most part.
It wouldn't be a surprise if club management look past Mile Sterjovski come season's end.
Team of the Week
Read more about our Round 24 Team of the Week here.
What the managers said
Michael Valkanis (Brisbane Roar):
"You can just play the same press conference as every other game. It's a game we should have won. I thought at half-time we were sitting really well in regards to nullifying them and taking a chance. I thought towards the end we saw our future with the young players who came on. We saw their energy, their endeavour, their fight, their fearlessness to attack and play. We should have exploited some of the opportunities we had. That has been the story of 2026 so far. We're not hitting the back of the net nearly enough for the chances we're creating. The football gods are not smiling on us in any way at the moment."
Warren Moon (Central Coast Mariners):
"There has been a lot of talk leading into the game about doing a favour for Auckland and helping them (win the plate instead of Newcastle) and I found it a bit disrespectful about us and what we have done as a group this season. We came to all our games with the intention to win and I think people forget the Mariners as a football club has won more trophies than Auckland and Newcastle Jets put together in A-League history. Whilst we're disappointed we can't make finals, our motivation will never wane just because we don't make finals. It was business as usual to come here and get the job done."
Danny Hay (Auckland FC):
"There's a reason Steve Corica wasn't on the bench today and that's because we've been incredibly frustrated with some of the quality of the decision making that we seem to be on the end of. That particular player who should have been red carded made a save on the line and a couple of massive interceptions, a couple of big headers in the box. If we was not there, I can pretty much guarantee that we would have gone on to win it. If the shoe was on the other foot, I think we're sitting here talking about an Auckland FC player getting sent off for poor behaviour and violent conduct."
Read more post-match comments from all 12 managers here.
Goal of the Week
Next weekend's fixtures
This is it - the final round of the regular season. Top-two and top-four advantage is still to play for over this three-day period.
