23 Dan Hall – 10

The rock at the centre of the Black Knight’s defence has stayed strong under pressure yet again and calmed the players around him. A true champion.

4 Nando Pijnaker – 10

Let Sydney FC players know what he was about with plenty of strong tackles. Ready for a tussle when the time came for one and pushed forward to help the midfield at times.

3 Jake Girdwood-Reich – 10

Wasn’t called upon to score this week, but did help to keep Sydney FC scoreless with some last-ditch tackles. Happy to play a risky high line and the risk paid off almost every time.

2 Hiroki Sakai – 10

Brilliant leadership from a seasoned veteran. He might not have been as aggressive going forward compared to the semi-final second leg, but he was a calming presence at the back which kept the opposition’s left flank quiet for most of the match.

6 Louis Verstraete – 10

A dominant presence in the centre of the park. Auckland FC’s MVP for this season showed why he was given the award, helping to provide stability off the ball and a worrying presence for Sydney when going forward.

7 – Cam Howieson – 10

The man who gave Auckland FC the lead. It wasn’t a pretty goal, but all that mattered was that the ball nestled in to the back of the net. It takes a special player to score their first goal for their club in a grand final and Cam Howieson is one of those special players.

77 Lachlan Brook – 10

Pressed the Sydney FC defence well in tandem with Sam Cosgrove putting them under immense pressure. Strong play going forward too and excellent passing to try to unlock the opposition.

21 Jesse Randall – 10

A name that will go down in the annals of Auckland FC history. He takes his talents to the north bank of the Firth of Tay and represents Dundee United from next season and what he has achieved in the City of Sails should fill fans of the Tannadice club with plenty of hope. He had a shocking miss with about 10 minutes to go, though.

9 Sam Cosgrove – 10

The man doesn’t miss (much), but the A-League’s top scorer wasn’t called upon to put the ball in the back of the net. Instead, his play helped to disrupt the Sydney FC defence and limited their ability to play out from the back.

Substitutes

12 James Hilton – 10

Excellent work to help keep the team motivated on the sidelines.

14 Liam Gillion – 10

Entered the pitch in the 90th minute and played the game he needed to play.

15 Francis de Vries – 10

Came on in the 72nd minute for Callan Elliot and had a few threats to deal with late in the game, but showed his class to keep the opposition scoreless.

8 Luis Felipe Gallegos – 10

Animated when warming up, showed great passion.

27 Logan Rogerson – 10

Injected some pace in to Auckland FC’s right win when he came on and kept the opposition on their toes until the end of the match. Excellent strength to shield the ball in the corner.

52 Luka Vicelich – 10

Part of the future of the club, exciting to see what’s to come.

57 Van Fitzharris – 10

Unlucky not to play, but showed great promise during the season.