Steve Corica, Alex Paulsen and Francis de Vries all scored at the A-Leagues 2025 Dolan Warren Awards.
Steve Corica was named Isuzu UTE A-League Coach of the Year. Men’s Shark Fan Player of the Year went to Francis de Vries and for the second year running, Alex Paulsen picked up Isuzu UTE A-League Goalkeeper of the Year.
The Bournemouth bound keeper also picked up Save of the Year for his phenomenal reflex save to deny Melbourne Victory’s Nikos Vergos at AAMI Park in Round 27.
The awards add to numerous individual awards already picked up by the trio this season. All three were named in in PFA Team of the Season.
Head Coach Steve Corica was pleased to pick up the award.
“It’s the first time I have ever won this,” said Corica, “and that makes it special.
“It’s a great personal honour but it takes a team, both on and off the field to make it possible.”
Corica won coach of the month, every month of the Isuzu UTE A-League. Although the season ended in bittersweet defeat on Saturday, the team picked up numerous records on the way and won over a legion of fans. A cumulative total of 264,000 people watched the team at Go Media Stadium, giving the club the best average attendance in the A-League.
They were also the fastest team to score 50 goals in A-League history and went 14 games unbeaten.
Defender Francis de Vries was grateful to the fans who voted for him and talked about his own journey, from playing in the Northern League with Eastern Suburbs, to winning the Premier’s Plate with Auckland FC inside 12 months.
“It’s been quite the journey and despite the season ending as it did, one heck of an experience,” says de Vries.
“Being fan voted this is a huge accolade to receive and I’m thankful to all the fans who have turned out every week to support us and all the people who voted for me.”
