Milestones in Summary:

  • PFA Executive Member Nigel Boogaard and PFA Delegate Scott Jamieson make their 250th appearances in the A-League
  • Marco Rojas scores in his 100th appearance in 2-1 win over Adelaide United
  • Max Burgess breaks goal-scoring drought with hat-trick in 6-2 drubbing of Central Coast Mariners
  • Besart Berisha scores 20 career goals against Mariners – an A-League record
  • Gianni Stensness scores first goal for Mariners with outstanding acrobatic overhead
  • Luke Duzel debuts for Western United, while Shepparton product Alou Kuol is handed his first A-League appearance for Central Coast Mariners
  • Sam Kerr and Caitlin Foord battled for silverware as Chelsea and Arsenal went head-to-head in the Continental Cup Final in England
  • PFA Executive Member Lydia Williams played her 50th game for Melbourne City and Melina Ayres played her 50th game in the W-League

It hasn’t taken long for Sam Kerr to make an impact in English football. Since joining the FA Women’s Super League team Chelsea FC, the Matildas striker has scored once and provided another assist. But her impact has been much greater than the sum of her statistics, and after a 2-1 win over Arsenal in the Continental Cup, Kerr has already added her first piece of silverware.

Kerr wasn’t on the scoresheet for either of the Blues’ goals in the final, but she was ready to pounce before teammate Beth England swept home the opener and was instrumental in the eventual winner. In the first minute of added time, Kerr channelled Tomi Juric in the 2015 Asian Cup Final, breaking down the right, beating her opponent, stumbling before regaining her footing and then teeing up Maren Mjelde who played the perfect ball to England for the winner.

Kerr’s Matildas teammate and Cup Final opponent Cailtin Foord also had a sensational match and was one of the Gunners’ best but was unable to steer her side to the win over her new London rival.

Two influential members of the PFA reached significant appearance milestones in the A-League as enduring defenders Nigel Boogaard and Scott Jamieson reached 250 matches in the competition.

Both players tasted victory during their milestone matches, with Boogaard, an Executive Member on the PFA’s Committee, helping the Jets to a shock 2-1 win over Perth Glory, while Jamieson’s City secured a vital 1-0 win over Brisbane Roar at AAMI Park as City look to secure second place on the ladder.

The 33-year-old central defender has been an ever-present in the A-League, having commenced his career with Central Coast Mariners (2005-2010), before enjoying four successful seasons with Adelaide United and is now into his fourth season with Newcastle since.

But perhaps less celebrated is Boogaard‘s work off the pitch; he has sat on the PFA Executive since November 2016, helping to influence discussions and advocate for the players during Collective Bargaining Agreements.

Although two years younger than Boogaard, Jamieson has reached the milestone aged 31 and having played at two more clubs. The current City captain commenced his career with Adelaide United, before playing at Perth Glory, Sydney FC, Western Sydney Wanderers and City. Jamieson serves as a PFA Delegate at Melbourne City where he plays a key role in communicating the PFA’s to with his peers. 

In the W-League, PFA Executive Committee member Lydia Williams played her 50th game for Melbourne City as the Premiers wrapped up the season as ‘invincibles’ for the second time with a 3-1 win over Brisbane Roar.

Williams celebrated the 12-game unbeaten streak during a special Indigenous Recognition double-header at AAMI Park in a match day that acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the land and their contribution to Australian football.

For City’s rivals, Melbourne Victory, Melina Ayres featured in her 50th game in the W-League as second-placed Victory now prepares to host Sydney FC in the first semi-final on March 14.

In Saturday night’s ‘Original Rivalry’ between Melbourne Victory and Adelaide United, Marco Rojas celebrated making his 100thappearance with a goal as Victory edged the Reds in a dramatic encounter which was sealed by a late Andrew Nabbout pile-driver.

Rojas returned to Victory during the January transfer window on a two and a half-year deal, returning to the team that launched his career overseas on two occasions; first in Germany and Switzerland and later in Holland and Denmark.

In A-League action on Sunday, Western United’s 6-2 thrashing of Central Coast Mariners threw up several player milestones during the eight-goal game.

After 44 goalless A-League matches, 25-year-old midfielder Max Burgess not only scored his first A-League goal, but added two more to his tally, notching a first-half hat-trick in a spectacular 19-minute period.

The treble earns Burgess the title of the first Western United player in the club’s short history to score a hat-trick in the A-League.

The former Wellington, Newcastle Jets and Sydney FC player enjoyed a break-out campaign in New Zealand last year before making the move alongside Mark Rudan to Western United, but had missed a goal-scoring dimension to his play.

In the goal fest at GMHBA Stadium – the most prolific striker in A-League history – Besart Berisha – netted a brace to take his tally to 20 goals against the Gosford-based club; the most of any player against any one team.

The milestones kept coming for Western as Melbourne Knights product Luke Duzel made his debut in the second half, with thhe 18-year-old coming on for fellow teenager Jerry Skotadis.

For the Mariners, New Zealand youth international Gianni Stensess scored his first A-League goal for the Mariners, with an acrobatic bicycle kick in the first half. The Mariners also provided a debut to 18-year-old Goulburn Valley Suns product Alou Kuol.

Upcoming Milestones:

  • Central Coast Mariners’ Kye Rowles (50) and Brisbane Roar’s Jacob Pepper (150) are set for appearance milestones
  • Natalie Tobin is set to play her 50th match in the first semi-final in a fortnight