The big winners of Round 25 were...
Macarthur Bulls, who have been piling on the goals in the last three weeks to keep their season alive after losses to Sydney FC, Melbourne City and Western Sydney had the doubters amassing.
Having played one more game than each of their seven clubs above them, they're still certainly the ones with their backs against the wall, but there has been some scintillating chemistry from midfielders Marin Jakoliš and Saîf-Eddine Khaoui, whilst their last three games producing seven different goalscorers suggests that things offensively are beginning to peak at the right time.
Their 5-1 thumping of Brisbane Roar boosted their goal difference to +8, which will be especially handy since the league has restored that as the first tiebreaker to be taken into consideration.
The mood around the club should be quite buoyant now that head coach Mile Sterjovski has been locked in for another three seasons, and if they can win their so-called 'six pointers' against Melbourne Victory and Western Sydney in the final two weeks, don't discount them sneaking in especially with Sydney FC now reportedly prioritising their AFC Champions League 2 campaign for the prizemoney.
The big losers of Round 25 were...
Adelaide United, and head coach Carl Veart in particular.
Following their 3-2 loss to Sydney at the weekend, Veart has reportedly been told behind closed doors that the board is running out of patience with their poor run of results, illustrated by the Reds losing six of their last ten A-League games to fall out of the top six on goal difference.
Only last-placed Perth Glory have a poorer defence than Adelaide, who are conceding an average of more than two goals per game and have recorded just one clean sheet from their 14 games since Christmas Day.
Veart told reporters at the weekend that one of Adelaide's biggest issues in 2025 has been a habit of continually making mistakes, which is one of the most difficult things to stamp out as a football coach.
Golden Boot race
Adelaide United's Archie Goodwin has been giving his supporters at least one thing to cheer about, scoring in each of their three consecutive losses to move to the front of the race.
Goal of the Week: Round 25
Wellington Phoenix head coach Giancarlo Italiano has already famously declared his team's final chances were over weeks ago, but somehow they continue to produce some stellar highlights such as this brilliant football from Kosta Barbarouses, Tim Payne and Kazuki Nagasawa to break Newcastle hearts.