Two of the A-League’s top performers and previous Player of the Month winners, Roy Krishna and Diego Castro, headline the nominees for April’s PFA accolade.

Outstanding performers throughout the season, freshly crowned Alex Tobin medallist Castro and A-League Golden Boot winner Krishna again shone brightest last month, alongside in-form pair Rhyan Grant and Riley McGree.

That was the determination of the PFA’s awards committee, comprised of former players and leading figures in the Australian football media, who voted for the last time this season on the monthly award.

The eventual winner from the four-player shortlist will emerge following a voting process through PFA members, with the highest number of votes from their peers determining the winner.

Castro, who won the award in February, finished the regular season as an A-League Premier and the Alex Tobin medallist; awarded by Fox Sports to the player of the season.

Throughout April, Castro helped Glory sew up the Premiers Plate, scoring in the 5-0 rout of Wellington Phoenix at HBF Park to secure Man of the Match honours – and the decisive Alex Tobin votes, ahead of Sydney FC’s Milos Ninkovic.

A previous winner of the Johnny Warren Medal, Castro could enter the finals series as a two-time Player of the Month winner – and a likely shoe-in for the PFA Team of the Season, with voting to open for that squad to open next week.

Krishna enjoyed his best season to date in the A-League, finishing atop the goal-scoring charts with his highest individual season total of 18 goals, claiming this season’s Golden Boot ahead of Adam Le Fondre.

With impressive showings in January and three consecutive braces – an A-League record – Krishna has already scooped one Player of the Month award. He completed his regular season scoring with his first A-League hat-trick against Melbourne City in the penultimate round of the season. That hat-trick fired the Fijian to 50 career goals for the Nix, making him the first player to reach that feat for the New Zealand club.

In that same encounter, City’s Riley McGree netted two goals in the eventual 2-3 loss, executing well-taken replies, which were eventually overshadowed by Krishna’s dramatic last minute winner. 

But that wasn’t McGree’s only impact during April; he scored four of his seven goals this season during that month. The first had come in a 4-1 thrashing of Brisbane Roar; a sublime chip from an acute angle over Jamie Young, and was rounded out in the final match of the season against the Mariners; a beautifully taken left-footed volley in the 5-0 demolition. 

McGree was rewarded for his month with a nomination as the NAB Young Footballer of the Year for April and could be a frontrunner for the PFA award.

Sydney FC’s Rhyan Grant meanwhile has made a successful recovery from his ACL injury to the point where throughout the month of April fans and pundits showered the right back with plaudits for his energetic performances.

Grant had a superb April, marauding down the wing for the Sky Blues, with his unrivalled engine allowing him to pose an attacking threat for Sydney, while ensuring defensive solidity.

2018/19 PFA Player of the Month Recipients:

  • October/November 2018: Natasha Dowie (Melbourne Victory), Keisuke Honda (Melbourne Victory)
  • December 2018:Ola Toivonen (Melbourne Victory), Veronica Latsko (Adelaide United)
  • January 2019: Roy Krishna (Wellington Phoenix), Christine Nairn (Melbourne Victory)
  • February 2019: Diego Castro (Perth Glory)
  • March 2019: David Williams (Wellington Phoenix)
  • April 2019 (Nominees): Rhyan Grant (Sydney FC), Riley McGree (Melbourne City FC), Roy Krishna (Wellington Phoenix), Diego Castro (Perth Glory)