The Austraffic PFA Player of the Month award is back for the 2025-26 season and the 12 nominations across the A-Leagues have been locked in for the October-November iteration.
All 12 players were selected by a panel of former players and experts, who nominated the individuals based off their performances during the first month-and-a-half of the season.
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
Andrew Redmayne (Central Coast Mariners)
Redmayne has enjoyed a brilliant return to Gosford with a string of spectacular performances in the opening few rounds of the season. The former Socceroos goalkeeper starred in Central Coast’s stirring F3 Derby victory over Newcastle Jets, saving a last-minute penalty which led to an incredible winner for his side only seconds later. He added two clean sheets in the following weeks, averages an equal league-high 4.2 saves and has prevented 2.8 goals per game (second in the league), according to FotMob.
Joe Lolley (Sydney FC)
Lolley is arguably in the best form of his Sydney FC tenure, thriving in the early rounds of the campaign. The Englishman has a league-high six goal contributions in the opening few rounds of the season (four goals, two assists), adding a goal and an assist in each game Sydney has hit the scoreboard this season. His standout performance came against arch-rivals Melbourne Victory, where he scored a match-winning brace at home.
Patrick Beach (Melbourne City)
Beach is quickly establishing himself as one of Australia’s top goalkeepers after a scintillating start to the campaign. The Melbourne City shot-stopper has been in inspired form, keeping an equal league-high four clean sheets in the opening rounds of the season, along with a string of matchwinning performances in the AFC Champions League. Beach’s performances also earned him a first-ever cap for the Socceroos against Venezuela in November as he looks to stake his claim for a place in next year’s FIFA World Cup squad.
Ethan Alagich (Adelaide United)
Adelaide United’s midfield has been powered by the brilliant form of Alagich in the opening rounds of the season, who has worked superbly alongside fellow youngster Luke Duzel. The 21-year-old is enjoying a breakout season this year, taking his game to another level in the Reds engine room, scoring two goals and adding two assists to go with his superb two-way running to support his defensive unit.
Max Caputo (Melbourne City)
Caputo has translated his enormous potential into consistent goalscoring form, with a fantastic run of performances to start the reigning A-League Men’s champions’ season. After establishing himself as City’s No.1 option up-front towards the tail-end of last season, Caputo has fired home four goals in the opening rounds of the league season, showcasing tremendous goalscoring instincts in-and-around the eighteen yard box. The 20-year-old has also thrived in City’s AFC Champions League Elite campaign with an additional two goals to his name.
Anthony Pantazopoulos (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Pantazopolous has continued to make a name for himself in the opening rounds of the campaign. The no-nonsense defender has been an important part of Western Sydney’s back-four in the opening rounds of the campaign, putting in a nice stretch of performances in the back-line and found himself on the scoresheet in their 1-1 draw with Macarthur FC.
A-League Women
Kennedy White (Melbourne Victory)
White has thrived in her first few weeks at Melbourne Victory. The American attacker has been scoring goals for fun in Victory’s opening five games of the campaign, adding five goals to her name and sits top of the Golden Boot charts. White’s best game came against the Western Sydney Wanderers in Round Two, firing home a hat-trick in their 4-1 win on the road.
Holly McNamara (Melbourne City)
The ‘Mac’ has picked up right where she left off last season. McNamara fired home two goals and tallied two assists in City’s opening two games of the season and is primed for yet another huge campaign for the reigning A-League Women Premiers. The 22-year-old and her teammates have only featured in two league games so far due to City’s campaigns in the AFC Women’s Champions League, where she also added an additional three goals in the group stage. Her performances were capped off with yet another call-up to the Matildas for the November-December friendlies against New Zealand as she quickly becomes a fixture in the national team setup heading into next year’s Asian Cup.
Shelby McMahon (Melbourne City)
Holly isn’t the only ‘Mac’ firing on all cylinders in City blue to start the season. Young gun Shelby McMahon is also flying for the reigning premiers with three goals to her name already in her two league matches, along with an additional goal in City’s 3-0 win over Ho Chi Minh City in the AFC Women’s Champions League.
Michelle Heyman (Canberra United)
The leading A-League Women’s goalscorer of all-time is back doing what she does best to start the season. Heyman’s fired home two goals and tallied two assists in the opening rounds of the campaign and looks set to play yet another important role for Canberra United in their push for back-to-back finals appearances. The 37-year-old’s performances have continued to catch the eye of national team selectors with another Matildas call-up to her name for the most recent window against the Football Ferns and looks set to play a role in Australia’s push for Asian Cup success next year on home soil.
Ella Buchanan (Western Sydney Wanderers)
Buchanan is in the midst of a stellar start to Western Sydney Wanderers’ season. The versatile defender has been thriving in the opening few weeks of the campaign at both ends of the field, but it’s her work going forward that has caught the eye particularly, scoring once and adding two assists. This included the match-winning pass to Olivia Price for their solitary win of the season against Brisbane Roar.
Kirsty Fenton (Sydney FC)
Fenton’s back in a big way this season. The full-back only made one appearance at the tail-end of last season after rupturing her Anterior Cruciate Ligament in April 2024, which meant she also missed the Sky Blues’ run into winning the 2023-24 A-League Women Championship. Fenton has since re-established herself as a starter for Ante Juric’s side and has showcased the form that put her on the map prior to her injury, helping the Sky Blues to three clean sheets from their opening four games.
Featured image: Uk Sports Pic Ltd / ZUMA Press Wire
