Glory have dominated the 2018/19 PFA A-League Team of the Season, with Diego Castro being named captain, four other of the club’s Premiership winners also making the squad and Tony Popovic taking out the Coach of the Year Award.
In addition to Castro, defenders Jason Davidson and Shane Lowry, midfielder Neil Kilkenny, forward Chris Ikonomidis and goalkeeper Liam Reddy all made the squad.
Commenting on his selection in the team and his captaincy, which is determined by the player who receives the most votes, Castro praised Glory’s performances this season and his peers for their votes.
“It’s an honour for me to receive the most votes from players from across the league and to feature in this team that has so many great players,” he said.
“It’s also fantastic to see a lot of my teammates in the team; it shows that it’s been a team effort this season and it’s not just about one or two players.
“Of course, we are all happy with this award, but we will be happier if we achieve more team success and win the Grand Final this Sunday. That must be our focus for the rest of this week.”
Glory’s Grand Final opponents Sydney FC had the next-highest number of representatives in the squad with four, while Wellington and Adelaide each had two.
In his capacity as PFA President, Sydney FC defender Alex Wilkinson praised the players selected in the team, which he said demonstrated the quality of the A-League.
“On behalf of the PFA Executive I would like to congratulate each of the players selected in the PFA A-League Team of the Season,” he said.
“It’s great to see such a diverse and talented team, with a great mix of foreign and Australian players, which reiterates the fantastic talent we have in our league performing week in and week out.
“The semi-finals provided a reminder of the ability of many of our players in this league and we should celebrate their achievements.”
Proudly supported by PFA Major Partner LUCRF Super, the 2018/19 PFA A-League Team of the Season is voted on by the players of the A-League clubs at the conclusion of the regular season.
2018/19 A-League Team of the Season:
Goalkeeper: Filip Kurto
Defenders: Jason Davidson, Shane Lowry, Bart Schenkeveld, Rhyan Grant
Midfielders: Neil Kilkenny, Brandon O’Neill, Diego Castro
Forwards: Chris Ikonomidis, Ola Toivonen, Roy Krishna
Substitutes: Liam Reddy, Michael Jakobsen, Isaias, Milos Ninkovic, Adam Le Fondre
Coach: Tony Popovic
#OneMission #OneGlory
