Football: Burns voted Aussie media Player of the Year

Nathan Burns of the Wellington Phoenix. Photo / Getty Images.

Wellington Phoenix's Nathan Burns has been voted by Australia's football media as the player of the season for 2014-15.

Burns is only the second Australian-born A-League player to take out the award.

Previous winners have included Thomas Broich (Germany), Alessandro del Piero (Italy), Besart Berisha (Kosovo), Matt McKay (Brisbane) and Carlos Hernandez (Costa Rica).

The 26-year-old Orange-born midfielder/striker has enjoyed a career resurgence since returning to the A-League with Wellington, scoring 13 goals and being an important part of Wellington Phoenix's performances this season.

Burns scored an average 8.4 points (from 10) from the Football Media Association's (FMA) members with Melbourne Victory's Gui Finkler (7.8) and Sydney FC's Marc Janko (7.6) in second and third place.

The remainder of the FMA shortlisted players were (in order of voting) were:

* Milos Dimitrijevic (Sydney FC) and Fahid Ben Khalfallah (Melbourne Victory)
* Marcelo Carrusca (Adelaide United)
* Roly Bonevacia (Wellington Phoenix)
* Tarek Elrich (Adelaide United)
* Danny Vukovic (Perth Glory), and
* Michael Thwaite (Perth Glory).

Burns began his A-League career with Adelaide United in 2006 before a seven-year period overseas with AEK Athens and Kerkyra (both in Greece) and Incheon United (Korea). He returned last year for a loan period with Newcastle Jets before signing with Wellington Phoenix.

His stellar form during the season was rewarded with selection in the Socceroos squad for the 2015 Asian Cup at a time when the national team needs some fresh, creative talent to join its ranks.

FMA also named Sydney FC as the Club of the Year. The award is given in recognition of a club's relationship with, and responsiveness to, the football media.

This is the first time Sydney FC has won the award. Wellington Phoenix and Melbourne Victory were equal second.

Previous winners have been Melbourne City and Central Coast Mariners.

Burns and Sydney FC's Media Manager, David Warriner, will be presented with their awards in coming weeks.

The Football Media Association is a professional association for women and men working with print, broadcast, online or digital media related to Australian football, established in 2008.