Goal : Brisbane Roar’s Thomas Broich won Johnny Warren Medal at the A-League 2011-12 awards in Sydney on Tuesday, becoming the fourth-consecutive import to do so.
Six weeks on the sidelines with a heel injury did little to dampen the 31-year-old’s influence, with the German a clear winner in award’s voting one season after finishing runner-up in the medal to Marcos Flores.
Former Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Broich played just 17 games but finished with 390 votes from his playing peers, ahead of teammate Besart Berisha [252 votes], who was ineligible due to suspension, and Melbourne Victory’s Archie Thompson [243 votes].
Berisha did not go home empty handed after taking out the league’s golden boot award thanks to his 19 goals for the season, while Central Coast Mariners coach Graham Arnold was judged the A-League’s coach of the year.
One of Arnold’s key players, Mathew Ryan, claimed the dual honours of the goalkeeper and young footballer of the year awards.
It was the second successive season that Ryan, aged 20, was judged the best youngster in the country.