The big winners of Round 28 were...
Auckland FC, as well as the four clubs beneath them fighting for second place on the standings.
Steve Corica's men vindicated club owner Bill Foley's pre-season prediction that the team would win silverware within their first three years of existence by doing so at the first time of asking, sealing the Premier's Plate with their 1-0 home win over Perth Glory.
Corica's decades of experience in the A-League and the NSL comes with a lot of wisdom and memory and that's why he has proclaimed that it is not yet job done, with Auckland now setting their sights on becoming the first A-League debutant to do the premiership-championship double in their inaugural season, 12 years after Western Sydney Wanderers topped the 2012/13 table only to lose the Grand Final 2-0 to Central Coast Mariners.
The curious rules of the A-League covering two confederations means that Auckland are ineligible for both the AFC Champions League Elite and OFC Champions League, let alone the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup, so their spot in the league phase will instead be going to the highest placed Australian club, and it is Melbourne City who are in the box seat to earn that place.
The big losers of Round 28 were...
Macarthur FC, who were knocked out of contention for the finals race with their 2-1 loss at home to Melbourne Victory.
Despite no shortage of motivation according to head coach Mile Sterjovski, he told reporters after the match that they started "flat" and "were punished" for doing so when falling to a 2-0 deficit that could not be overcome despite a better effort after half-time.
Being unable to commit to a full 90-minute performance was the story of the season for the Bulls, who opened the scoring 13 times but converted those 13 opening goals into just seven victories and a league-high five losses.
Sydney FC also suffered a significant setback when they fell 1-0 away to Western United, but their superior goal difference to that of current sixth-placed Adelaide United means a draw for them this coming weekend will be enough to book their place in the knockouts.
Where did all the goals go?
The A-League Men takes pride in its status as one of the most goal-heavy top-flight leagues in the world, averaging an enormous 3.35 goals per game in 2024/25 prior to the start of this round.
Round 28 was the lowest scoring of the 13-team era and one of the lowest in the competitions, producing just seven total goals across six games.
Golden Boot race: Round 28
The dearth of goals last weekend means there has been no change whatsoever to the 2024/25 Golden Boot leaderboard, with not a single one of the seven men to have scored at least ten goals this season adding to their individual tallies.
Goal of the Week: Round 28
Sometimes a goal is more about its setup than its finish, but when the two are both highlights in their own regards, it's a goal worth replaying over and over and over again.
Take a bow, Asumah Abubakar and Florin Berenguer. This was a pretty special way for Brisbane Roar to end what was otherwise a miserable home campaign with just two wins from 13 attempts.