A-League tipping Round 2: Perth, Brisbane and Central Coast looking to back up quick starts to the season

It was, of course, a tipping nightmare to start the 2025-26 season. Stuart Thomas flew out of the gates with his opening two selections cashing in, before failing to register another across the weekend.

The Crowd was the pick of the group with three and the less said about the selections of Texi Smith and Andrew Prentice the better. The Jets and Victory kick of the Round 2 action tonight. Auckland hosts Western Sydney in a beauty on Saturday afternoon and champions Melbourne City welcome Perth in the twilight.

Saturday night should be a ripper when Sydney FC tackle Central Coast and Sunday features just one match, as the Phoenix face Brisbane Roar in the second of two games to be played in New Zealand this weekend.

Monday night football is back when the Bulls grapple with Adelaide in Sydney. Be sure to enter your tips in the sheet below and have a say in the voice of the people. Good luck with your tips and here are the thoughts and selections of the panel on all the action.

Stuart Thomas

Victory, Auckland, City, Central Coast, Wellington, Adelaide

What a start to the season we had. Big upsets and some of the teams who battled in 2024/25 making good and promising beginnings. The Jets will need to shake off the disappointment of the loss to the Mariners in the opening round. Victory might condemn them to consecutive losses.

Auckland and Western Sydney is a tough one to call. Both will be determined to settle in and make themselves tough to score against, a draw is likely. Auckland with a lone second half goal to win it. City will be a little too good for a developing Perth, the Mariners will sit atop the table after knocking off Sydney FC on Saturday night and Wellington will find the goal they need to beat the Roar on Sunday.

Brandon Borrello of the Western Sydney Wanderers is closely marked by Aziz Behich of Melbourne City. (Photo by Texi Smith)

Everyone seems to fear the Bulls and they have a tricky one against the Reds on Monday. I’m leaning the way of the visitors.

Andrew Prentice

Newcastle, Auckland, City, Central Coast, Wellington, Macarthur

After the diabolical crapshoot that was my attempt to tip last week, I’m just throwing darts now.

I’m going with unpredictability and the Jets beating Victory is certainly it. Weirdly though, the Jets looked more impressive last week in losing than the Victory did in NOT losing. It’s all I’ve got, but let’s hope Alex Badoloto gets a few sighters on goal and unleashes a rocket or two.

Both teams coming off a draw but Auckland coach Steve Corica still has a little sky blue left in his veins and would love to put one over the Wanderers. The Black Knights were hard to topple at home last season and will hope their forward line isn’t as toothless as last week A 1-0 result looms.

Two more teams with draws first up. Perth will entertain but City will close down that nonsense and get the job done. Glory are already a point better than last season’s form would dictate and they’ll make a game of this, but it’s a tough gig facing the champions away.

There should be no good reason to pick the Mariners after their off-seasonus horribulus. But they were magnificent against the Jets and Sydney looked like sheep without a shepherd in Adelaide. While the new signings look great on paper, putting it together on grass might still be a couple of weeks away.

Ufuk Talay can be at least comforted by the fact Sydney aren’t owned by that lunatic who runs Nottingham Forest, or he’d be out the door on Saturday night if the Mariners get up. 

Sydney FC coach Ufuk Talay. (Photo by Mark Brake/Getty Images)

A four-goal thriller involving the Phoenix? What alternate universe has the A-League spun into? They’ll have been buoyed by going halfway around the world for a point in Perth. The New Roar did their bit last week but if Wellington have suddenly transformed themselves into a scoring team, then Jay O’Shea penalties won’t be enough for Brisbane to win at the Cake Tin.

Macarthur are banking on Adelaide forgetting that their game is on Monday and wondering why no-one is at Campbelltown the day before. This is the Bulls secret weapon for handling Lord Craig Goodwin. The other is Tomislav Uskok and a hard-pressing defence who will not afford the Reds the kind of space Sydney did last week.

Texi Smith

Newcastle, Auckland, City, Sydney, Wellington, Adelaide

The Jets will be stinging after grabbing defeat from the jaws of victory in the F3 derby, and their team selections were a little off. The same mistakes will not be made against Victory as Eli Adams and Lachie Rose both start, but it’s a tough ask against Melbourne Victory who defended resolutely against premiers Auckland FC on the weekend. Expect the Jets snatch a late win in a one-goal thriller.

Auckland FC showed enough in their trip to Victory to make them favourites for their home game with the Wanderers, who themselves were toothless in a drab season opener last weekend. Guillermo May to strike early and Logan Rogerson to make the points safe, coming off the bench to score with his first touch.

In recent times, Melbourne City winning at home to Perth Glory would be a safe bet, but times have changed. Glory have strike power, but they showed their weaknesses on the weekend, spurning a golden opportunity to start the season with a win.

Nathaniel Atkinson of the Melbourne City A-League team (Photo by Texi Smith).

Brian Kaltack’s own goal in the opening stages sets the stage and Mathew Leckie has City cruising at the break. Despite some flashes of inspiration from Jaiden Kucharski, there is no coming back for Glory, and Nathaniel Atkinson strokes home a late third to embellish the score.

Leichhardt Oval will be bouncing on Saturday night. Sydney FC’s powderpuff attack will be shackled by the well-organised Central Coast Mariners’ defence, and the crowd will be disgruntled as the home team go into the break a goal down.

Jordan Courtney-Perkins scores a long-range screamer to bring the crowd back onside, and Paul Okon-Engstler finishes off a flowing move to turn the game around. Ufuk Talay’s season off and running, but unconvincingly.

Wellington Phoenix will mark their first home game of the season with a display from the top drawer, as much-fancied Brisbane Roar are put to the sword.

Georgios Vrakas and Carlo Armiento trade goals to have the game bubbling at half-time. A host of changes at the start of the second half gives Phoenix the edge and Ifeanyi Eze follows up his opening day heroics with two quality goals.

Macarthur FC will be finding out the hard way that AFC Cup fixtures and the A-League are hard to navigate together, and after arriving back in from Vietnam with injury concerns, Monday night comes too soon.

Adelaide United seize the initiative and are ahead with their first break though Luka Jovanovic. Despite Anthony Caceres having a field day on the right side, there is no end product for the hosts, and Dylan Pierias finishes a crafty team move to give the visitors a thoroughly deserved win in Campbelltown. Alarm bells and cow bells ringing in unison.

Round 1StuartAndrewTexiCrowdNEW v MVCMVCNEWNEW?AUK v WSWAUKAUKAUK?MCY v PERMCYMCYMCY?SYD v CCMCCMCCMSYD?WEL v BRIWELWELWEL?MAC v ADLADLMACADL?Last week2113Total2113

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