The nominees for the Austraffic PFA Player of the Month award have been locked in for January.
The 12 players in the running for the first peer-voted PFA award of 2026 were selected by a panel of former players and experts, who nominated the individuals based off their performances during January.
Across each of the A-League Men and A-League Women competitions six players have been nominated for the award. Nominees must be PFA members to be eligible for the award.
PFA Members will receive a link from the PFA to vote on the nominees this week. Take a look at the nominees, below.
A-League Men
Jesse Randall (Auckland FC)
Auckland attacker Jesse Randall’s form was a bright spot for the Black Knights throughout the first month of the calendar year. Randall bagged three goals and tallied an assist, taking his total goal contributions to nine (six goals, three assists) for the season. He also currently has the second most amount of shots in the league with 46, one behind his teammate Lachlan Brook. The young attacker’s performances have also seen him fall on the radar of Scottish outfit Dundee United, who have signed a pre-contract agreement with Randall ahead of next season.
Luke Vickery (Macarthur FC)
Vickery has been in career best form since the turn of the year, stringing together a run of solid performances to help Macarthur FC surge up the ladder. The young winger – who arrived on the eve of the new season from Western United – has secured his place in the Bulls starting lineup in recent weeks and hasn’t looked back, providing plenty of spark up-and-down the flanks. Vickery added two goals and an assist throughout January, which came off the heels of scoring the winning goal against league leaders Newcastle at the tail-end of December.
Eli Adams (Newcastle Jets)
Step aside Marty Supreme, the Box Office Jets are this month’s blockbuster picture in Australia and Adams has been centre-stage to their recent five game winning streak. Adams went from strength to strength in January, adding to a highlight reel which epitomises exactly what the Jets have become colloquially known as. The young attacker bagged two goals including a stunning free-kick against Western Sydney Wanderers along with two assists during a fantastic run of form.
Lachlan Bayliss (Newcastle Jets)
Bayliss is another of the Box Office Jets’ frontmen who have fired during their recent winning streak. The New Zealand international reclaimed his place in the starting lineup over the last few weeks and put together a string of brilliant performances to help the Jets continue their red-hot run of form. Bayliss bagged three goals – including a brace against Brisbane Roar – from midfield, along with an assist, which has helped fill the creative void left by young gun Alex Badolato, who had seven goal contributions in 11 games prior to his season-ending injury.
Harrison Devenish-Meares (Sydney FC)
It’s been a solid start to the year for Devenish-Meares, who has been one of the in-form goalkeepers in the A-League Men as of late. The Sydney FC goalkeeper kept two clean sheets to kick-off the year, including a whopping nine saves in their 0-0 draw with reigning champions Melbourne City. His numbers across the year reflect just how strong he has been between the sticks, sitting first for goals prevented (4.5) and save percentage (79.1%) and is third for total saves per 90 minutes (3.8) according to FotMob.
Isaac Hughes (Wellington Phoenix)
Hughes was getting it done at both ends of the field in January, continuing a breakout season for the young defender. The Wellington Phoenix centre-back scored two goals in the opening month of 2026 including the sealer against Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium, along with completing his defensive duties to aplomb, helping his side keep two clean sheets.
A-League Women
Erin Healy (Adelaide United)
Healy continued her strong second season at the Reds with a string of quality performances to kick-off the new year. The Adelaide striker bagged an important goal against Newcastle Jets to take her tally to four goals for the season, before adding an assist in their win over reigning premiers Melbourne City. Her performances throughout January have gone a long way to winning four of their six matches throughout the month.
Bente Jansen (Brisbane Roar)
Jansen’s brilliant first year at Brisbane continued in January, spearheading the Roar’s attack throughout the opening month of 2026. The Dutch attacker took her goal tally to seven goals for the year after finding the back of the net against Western Sydney Wanderers and Canberra United, while adding an assist against Central Coast Mariners. Her strong performances have extended beyond just the goals and assists, and has quickly established herself as one of the league’s premier attackers.
Peta Trimis (Central Coast Mariners)
Trimis was firing on all cylinders in January. The Mariners young gun added two goals to her name this month including adding to her fantastic highlight reel with yet another off Goal of the Season contender against the Newcastle Jets, along with an assist in said F3 Derby to help her side to a win over their arch-rivals. Her performances from midfield have been key for the Mariners already this season and look to play a key role in their push for more silverware.
Annalise Rasmussen (Central Coast Mariners)
Rasmussen scored yet another four goals in January to take her equal-top of the Golden Boot charts alongside Melbourne City star Holly McNamara with 11 goals for the season. Her performances throughout the first-half of the season didn’t go unnoticed either, with her brace against Brisbane Roar last week being her parting gift to Mariners fans, signing with Italian giants Juventus until 2027.
Teresa Morrissey (Perth Glory)
Morrissey is having a great run of form between the sticks for Perth Glory. Since establishing herself as the team’s No.1 goalkeeper, Morrissey hasn’t looked back, establishing herself as one of the form shot-stoppers in the competition. The 25-year-old has four clean sheets (two of those coming in January) to her name in eight games, and sits first in the league in save percentage (85.4%), saves per 90 (5.1) and goals prevented (6.0) according to FotMob.
Makala Woods (Wellington Phoenix)
Woods has made an immediate impact since arriving at Wellington this month. The American attacker – who was signed as an injury replacement for Tessel Middag – has a goal contribution in each of her five matches at the club, scoring two goals and adding five assists to her name. Three of those assists came in one match against Newcastle last weekend, and looks set to play an important role in Wellington’s chase for the title this season.
