10 – Calvin Mbarga (Northcote City via Hume City)
The flamboyant striker just couldn’t find the back of the net at Hume City, so the pressure was on when Northcote offered him a helping hand. The Cameroonian didn’t let his new club down, scoring five times, most memorably a late winner against Heidelberg United at Olympic Village. Kickstarted a mid-season revival for Northcote who surged up the latter and achieved safety relatively comfortably in the end
9 – Aaron Turner (Pascoe Vale via Hume City)
After just one start at Hume City in the first half of the season despite being a mainstay in the Hume XI last year, Pascoe Vale offered the 24-year-old an opportunity and he grasped it with both hands, impressing in midfield during his 13 games under Vitale Ferrante as Paco embarked on an unlikely finals run.
8 – Matt Sanders (Avondale FC via Green Gully)
It was a big decision to end a decade-long association with Green Gully, but it seemed as though the two-time VPL winner needed a new challenge. It turned out be the right decision for the striker, as he went from scoring four goals from 11 games at Gully this season to seven from 13 at Doyle Street as the newly promoted side secured survival.
7 – Mirjan Pavlovic (Oakleigh Cannons via Sydney United)
The former A-League man arrived with a reputation of being as volatile as he was talented, but thankfully for the Cannons his impact has been mostly productive, scoring seven goals in the league and playing a role in Arthur Papas’ side’s run to the quarter finals in the FFA Cup.
6 – Evan Christodoulou (Green Gully via Oakleigh Cannons)
After making only four appearances for the Cannons in 2015, Christodoulou switched to Green Gully where he shone in midfield, scoring at a striker’s rate with six goals from 12 starts.
5 – Robbie Zadworny (Melbourne Knights via North Geelong Warriors)
Whilst Adrian Zahra was the club’s high profile pre-season signing in 2015, he struggled to make an impact on his return to Somers Street. In came Zadworny – who had already made a significant contribution at North Geelong – during the mid-season window, wreaking havoc on the wing with three goals and more assists.
4- Gareth Richards (North Geelong Warriors via Moreland City)
Adding a 34-year-old Englishman from the NPL 1 may have seemed like a left-field signing, but Richards turned out to be goalsneak the Warriors needed up front, netting five goals to become the club’s joint top scorer and steer them from bottom place to potential league survival.
3 – Massimo Murdocca (Avondale FC via Melbourne City)
You’d expect an A-League championship winner with over 200 games experience in Australia’s top flight to add quality to the league, and Murdocca certainly didn’t disappoint. Shone in Avondale’s midfield, often dictating play with pinpoint passing and vision.
2 – Theo Markelis (Hume City via Veria)
With Hume City’s attack misfiring, Markelis was brought in to add firepower in the front third. Did his role with aplomb from the wing, scoring eight times in the league and three in the FFA Cup as Lou Acevski’s team embarked on an excellent late season run.
1 – Liam Boland (Green Gully via Oakleigh Cannons)
From being unwanted at Oakleigh to banging in goals for fun at Gully, Boland added 15 goals from 13 games to take his season tally to 17 overall, and for a while going neck-and-neck with Milos Lujic for the Golden Boot.