The PFA has announced a star-studded player-voted A-League Men Team of the Season, with five members to feature in this Saturday’s A-League Men Grand Final, including team captain Harrison Devenish-Meares.
A standout all season, Devenish-Meares was named captain of the team after receiving the most votes from his fellow peers across the A-League.
“Just being part of the professional football community in Australia means the world to me, so to be named captain of the Team of the Season feels very humbling and honestly quite surreal,” the Sydney FC goalkeeper said.
“To be recognised by my peers in this way is something I’m incredibly grateful for.”
The squad, which is made up of 18 players and one coach, includes 15 representatives from the weekend’s semi-finals between Auckland FC and Adelaide United, and Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC.
Devenish-Meares is joined by teammate Paul Okon-Engstler, who was named on the PFA’s Team of the Season bench after a breakthrough campaign following his return to Australia from Benfica’s B team.
Auckland FC are represented by joint-Golden Boot winner and Englishman Sam Cosgrove, defender Francis de Vries and attacker Jesse Randall who were all voted into the starting lineup.
Newcastle Jets missed out on the Grand Final in a tense penalty shootout with Sydney FC but had seven players rewarded in the PFA’s team, following an outstanding campaign that secured a domestic double of a Premiers Plate and Australia Cup.
Centre-back Mark Natta, midfielder Max Burgess and winger Clayton Taylor earned votes to feature in the starting XI, while goalkeeper James Delianov, full-back Daniel Wilmering, midfielder Lachlan Bayliss and attacker Eli Adams secured a position on the bench.
Mark Milligan’s debut campaign as the Jets’ Head Coach saw him named coach of the PFA’s team. Milligan was voted into the PFA Team of the Season as a player on three consecutive occasions in 2013, 2014, 2015, and was named in the PFA’s Team of the Decade in 2015.
Adelaide United is represented by young duo Panagiotis Kikianis and Ethan Alagich in the starting lineup, Melbourne City by defensive duo Nathaniel Atkinson and Aziz Behich, along with attacker Marcus Younis and Melbourne Victory by star midfielder Juan Mata.
SportsFX is a support partner for the PFA’s Team of the Season.
The Team
The team comprises of a 4-3-3 formation (although does not necessarily reflect the true starting XI position of each player, with seven substitutes on the bench. All selected players received the most votes among their peers by PFA A-League Men members at the conclusion of the regular season. The members also voted on their coach of the season.
The Captain and Goalkeeper
What a remarkable season for Harrison Devenish-Meares.
The Sydney FC goalkeeper’s breakout campaign saw him not only receive the most votes among all goalkeepers in the A-League Men this season, but also among all players in the entire competition to be named captain of the PFA Team of the Season.
Devenish-Meares stood up time and time again when his team needed him most, especially in last week’s second leg semi-final against Newcastle Jets. The Sky Blues shot-stopper made a range of top saves to deny the Premiers time and again throughout the 120 minutes of play, before making two huge stops in the penalty shootout to send the Sky Blues to the Grand Final.
He also finished the season on top of the league with 11 clean sheets to his name, save percentage (79.8%) and goals prevented (6.6), while finishing second for saves per 90 (3.8) according to FotMob.
“Just being part of the professional football community in Australia means the world to me, so to be named captain of the Team of the Season feels very humbling and honestly quite surreal,” Devenish-Meares said.
“To be recognised by my peers in this way is something I’m incredibly grateful for.”
His captaincy of the team means the PFA A-League Men Team of the Season has been captained by a goalkeeper in three consecutive seasons, after Alex Paulsen was voted captain in the previous two campaigns.
The Defenders
For the second straight season, Francis de Vries and Nathaniel Atkinson are voted into the starting defence.
De Vries once again provided an enormous threat down the left-hand side for Auckland FC with seven assists (third best in the league) and earning a place in New Zealand’s 2026 FIFA World Cup squad as a result.
Right-back Atkinson was also one of Melbourne City’s most consistent performers throughout the campaign at, at times filling in a myriad of different roles across the pitch, as his side chased back-to-back A-League Men Championships.
Centre-backs Mark Natta and Panagiotis Kikianis‘ solid campaigns for Newcastle and Adelaide respectively also see them earn PFA Team of the Season honours for the first time.
Natta played a big role in helping the Jets rise up the table to two pieces of silverware, holding down the fort tremendously, while Kikianis built on his breakout campaign last season with the Reds as his side secured a top two finish.
The Midfielders
Juan Mata headlines the midfield three following his tremendous campaign for Melbourne Victory.
The former Chelsea and Manchester United star – who won three Austraffic PFA Player of the Month awards this season – starred for Victory in his first year in Melbourne, tallying a whopping 18 goal contributions which included a league-high 13 assists.
Mata is joined by Max Burgess who bounced back to his brilliant best in Newcastle and showcased why he’s one of the top midfielders in the competition as the Jets’ metronome in the middle fo the park.
Young gun Ethan Alagich joins them in midfield after a breakout season with Adelaide United, where he had eight goal contributions of his own (four goals, four assists).
The Attackers
Auckland FC duo in equal Golden Boot winner Sam Cosgrove and Jesse Randall make up two of the three places in the starting attack.
Englishman Cosgrove bagged 11 goals in the regular season for the Black Knights to finish top of the charts alongside Luka Jovanovic, before stepping up in the second leg semi-final against Adelaide United and scoring his 12th goal of the campaign which helped Auckland to their first-ever A-League Men Grand Final.
Randall, meanwhile, starred with 15 goal contributions of his own (nine goals, six assists), including two more assists in the finals against Melbourne City and Adelaide. The attacker’s performances saw Randall earn a place in the New Zealand World Cup squad and on the radar of Scottish side Dundee United, who have already signed him ahead of next campaign.
Taylor also had an enormous impact for the Jets in their fleet-footed front-line, bagging nine goals and two assists en route to helping Newcastle secure the Premiership.
The Substitutes:
Newcastle Jets players dominate the substitutes with four players named in the 2025-26 squad.
Goalkeeper James Delianov received the second-most amount of votes among the goalkeepers in the league after a solid first-year in the Hunter and is joined by full-back Daniel Wilmering following a breakout season at full-back, where he tallied a whopping nine assists this campaign.
Lachlan Bayliss starred for the Jets in midfield and was rewarded for his brilliant performances with a place in the Team along with a spot in New Zealand’s FIFA World Cup squad, while Eli Adams’ stunning campaign – which included nine goals – also earns him a place in the team.
They’re joined by Melbourne City duo Aziz Behich – who makes his third Team of the Season – and young star Marcus Younis after a fantastic second-half of the campaign where he had an incredible 10 goal contributions in 12 games.
Sydney’s Paul Okon-Engstler rounds out the bench after an extremely solid first year with the Sky Blues which has also put in the mix for a place in the Socceroos’ World Cup squad.
The Coach:
Mark Milligan‘s dream first year as a senior head coach sees him receive the honour of being named Coach of the PFA Team of the Season. Milligan led Newcastle to two pieces of silverware this season as his side took home the Australia Cup and A-League Men Premiership, and were within a whisker of taking part in this weekend’s Grand Final.
About the PFA Team of the Season
The inaugural PFA A-League Team of the Season was announced in 2009 and has been revealed annually in the A-Leagues Finals Series. Based on peer recognition, selection in the PFA Team of the Season remains one of the highest accolades a professional footballer can receive in Australia.
At the end of each season, PFA members from the A-Leagues are asked to vote on their best XI. The composition of the team is based on the number of votes tallied for each player in each position, with the substitutes bench comprising those players who finished below those in the starting XI positions. The player with the most votes is determined the Team of the Season’s captain.
