It was a season like no other for Craig Goodwin. The 31-year-old winger found the back of the net against 2018 champions France as Australia reached the knockout stages of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and then played a key part in guiding Adelaide United to the semi-finals of 2022-23 A-League. 

 

Adelaide’s all-time leading goalscorer pulled off the most productive campaign of his career, getting involved in 25 goals and finishing in the top five for both goals and assists despite starting without a pre-season. It was no surprise he was awarded the Johnny Warren Medal for the best player in the league at the end of the campaign.  

Captain Goodwin scored and assisted four goals each at the start of the season to help secure his place in the Socceroos’ World Cup squad before continuing his fine form on his return – most notably scoring in both Adelaide’s 3-3 draw away at Melbourne City and the 4-2 win against the Premiers in the return fixture. 

 

The former Sparta Rotterdam man also scored a goal on either side of half-time in his side’s 2-0 win over Wellington Phoenix in the Elimination Final before adding the 15th and final goal of his impressive season in a 4-1 aggregate defeat to eventual champions Central Coast Mariners in the semi-finals.  

Scotland-born striker Jason Cummings arrived in Australia at the start of 2022 after a troublesome spell with Dundee FC in the Scottish Premiership. But 18 months later, he leaves the Central Coast Mariners a hero after helping them win their second A-League Championship.

 

Cummings has enjoyed a revival under Mariners boss Montgomery, scoring 10 goals in his maiden season in Central Coast before doubling that tally in his second. The 27-year-old scored 16 goals during the regular season, including doubles against Melbourne Victory, Sydney FC, Perth Glory and Macarthur FC. 

The former Hibernian man then bagged a goal and an assist in the 4-2 aggregate win over Carl Veart’s Adelaide in the semi-finals to send the Mariners to their first Grand Final in a decade – and the stage was set for Cummings’ final bow as he confirmed he would leave the club after the title clash. 

 

But the striker still managed to leave a lasting impression on A-League fans as he bagged a hat-trick and assisted Samuel Silvera when the Mariners brushed aside Premiership winners and heavy favourites City 6-1 to claim the silverware. Talk about going out with a bang! 

Melbourne City youngster Jordan Bos recently sealed a move to Belgium’s Westerlo and in doing so broke the previous A-League transfer record of $1.4 million that Premier League giants Manchester City paid for Aaron Mooy in 2016 – a feat all the more impressive considering Bos is a defender and just 20 years of age. 

 

But keen watchers of the Australian top flight will vouch that Bos will provide excellent value for money for the Belgian Pro League side. Having made his A-League debut last season and securing 13 appearances under his belt, it was during 2022-23 that the full-back fully established himself in Rado Vidosic’s side.  

In the recently concluded season, the Melbourne-born defender, who is now a back-to-back Premiership winner, started 26 games and took over the left-back position which was previously held by 34-year-old City skipper Scott Jamieson, displaying defensive solidity and attacking intent in equal measure down the left wing. 

 

Bos scored two goals and provided five assists in City’s run to the Grand Final on his way to being named the Young Footballer of the Year in Australia. He will now hope to replicate his success in Europe after picking Westerlo from a host of clubs who were vying for his signature. 

Another youngster to have impressed in the A-League this season and attracted interest from all across the world is Adelaide’s teenage sensation Nestory Irankunda. And the 17-year-old looks likely to follow in the footsteps of Aussie talents like Garang Kuol and Jordan Bos who earned moves to Europe recently. 

 

After showing glimpses of his flair last season, it was after the turn of 2023 that Irankunda enhanced his reputation as an impact substitute for Veart’s side – the winger at one point scored in three games in a row after coming on as a substitute and ended the season with five goals and two assists. 

A versatile attacker, Irankunda can play anywhere across the front three but has been a huge threat down the right wing for the Reds. The youngster, born in Tanzania, is also capable of finding the back of the net from almost any angle or distance and continues to develop as a footballer at a tremendous pace. 

 

His displays in the A-League earned him a call-up to the Australia national team for friendlies against Ecuador in March, but he is yet to make his international debut. Given Irankunda’s talent, it won’t be long until he gets to wear the Socceroos jersey and takes his triple somersault celebrations to the global stage.   

As Mark Rudan’s Western Sydney Wanderers were struggling to find the back of the net in the A-League this season, it was 27-year-old Brandon Borrello who stepped up and supplied them with those goals – including five in the final four games of the regular season that took his side to the A-League Finals series. 

 

The former Freiburg and Dynamo Dresden striker has been at the top of his game since returning to Australia from his European stint in July last year, scoring 13 goals and providing five assists in 27 appearances in the A-League – the best goalscoring returns during Borrello’s career by a distance. 

This form also earned him Socceroos call-ups in March’s double-header against Ecuador, during which he scored his first international goal, and for the upcoming fixture against world champions Argentina next week. 

 

A right winger for much of his career, Borrello was converted into a centre-forward by Rudan and the move has worked wonders. And if his displays leading the line for Wanderers this season are anything to go by, Borrello could be about to score a lot more goals from his new position in next season’s A-League.