Hiroki Sakai and Steve Corica celebrate with the A-League Premier's Plate. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Steve Corica has been named A-League Coach of the Year after steering Auckland FC to the Premier's Plate in their maiden season in the football league.
The premiership winners fell at the season's penultimate hurdle on Saturday night, when they lost 2-0 to Melbourne Victory before 29,000 fans at Mt Smart Stadium in the second leg of their semi-final tie.
Auckland FC just needed a draw to go through, but the Victory with a 2-1 aggregate score, will play Melbourne City in the grand final this weekend.
Corica was left fuming about a ruling that denied them a goal after Logan Rogerson headed a Guillermo May high cross into the net in the 69th minute.
The Australian took out the top coaching award at the Dolan Warren Awards on Tuesday night, which recognises the best and brightest across the men's and women's 2024/25 A-League season.
Auckland FC's Francis de Vries took out the Fan Player of the Year award, receiving the most votes for his outstanding season at the back for Auckland which also included two goals and seven assists.
For the second year in a row, Alex Paulsen, was named the Goalkeeper of the Year. Paulsen was a brickwall at the back for the eventual Premiers that saw him record 73 saves and 12 clean sheets throughout the regular season.
Alex Paulsen Photo: Alan Lee / www.photosport.nz
The Auckland FC star was also recognised for the Save of the Year for his reflex save to deny Melbourne Victory's Nikos Vergos at AAMI Park in Round 27.
Football Ferns goalkeeper Claudia Jenkins, who plays for Adelaide United, won the save of the year award in A-League Women, for keeping out a longe-range attempt by Cass Davis of the Newcastle Jets in round nine.
Western Sydney Wanderers' attacker Nicolas Milanović, claimed the Johnny Warren Medal, awarded to the best player in the 2024/25 Men's A-League.
Auckland captain Hiroki Sakai finished third in the Johnny Warren Medal voting, with 24 votes to Milanović's 28.
