Five Newcastle Jets players have been included in the voting shortlist as Fans will get to choose 13 players in the All Stars squad to take on Barcelona – and voting is underway now.
Olivier Boumal, Beka Mikeltadze, Angus Thurgate, Jason Hoffman and Daniel Penha have all been shortlisted as options fans can vote for in their All Stars team.
Here’s how the voting system works:
CLICK HERE TO CAST YOUR VOTES
The composition of the All Stars squad will become clear over the next two weeks, beginning with the shortlist of 65 players who know they are in contention and could be called for duty in late May.
These names, unveiled on Thursday, were chosen by a panel of nine experts, all ex-players who are members of the panels that vote for prestigious awards including the Johnny Warren Medal.
From today fans will be able to choose their Best XI from those 65 names; picking a goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three attackers in a 4-3-3 formation.
The highest polling in each of those categories by the time votes close on May 12 will be the first 11 names in a squad of 30, with the next two coming as the two players – of any position – receiving most votes outside that initial list of 11.
Another 15 players will then be chosen by Coach Dwight Yorke and his assistants, and another two by A-League Commissioner Greg O’Rourke, ensuring that every club is represented and that no club has more than five players in the 30 that is announced on May 19.
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Once the identities of the two teams in the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final are known, their players in the All Stars squad will be given “non-playing” status – keeping the honour of being part of the cohort of All Stars chosen for this year.
The other 20 or more – possibly augmented by one or two coach’s call-ups – will then assemble in Sydney for a camp like no other, preparing to join sides with players who are normally their opponents to take on the might of Barcelona.
