Rojas’ win was a close one with All Whites teammate Winston Reid coming in close behind and New Caledonia’s Georges Gope-Fenepej rounding out the top three.
In the women’s field Smith edged out Football Ferns teammates Ria Percival and Amber Hearn to earn the accolade for the second consecutive year.
Rojas, who was awarded the A-League’s Johnny Warren Medal and Young Footballer of the Year for an outstanding 2012/13 season, says it is always nice to receive recognition through awards like these.
“It’s very humbling as a player,” he says. “I’m really happy, it’s an honour to be recognised.”
Rojas joined Melbourne Victory in 2011, but it wasn’t until 2012, and under new coach Angelos Postecoglou, that he really started to flourish.
His first goal for the side came on 5 October 2012 in Victory’s 2-1 loss to Melbourne Heart – and he soon became a crucial member of the line-up.
“2012/13 was a really good season for me, and for the team.
Unfortunately we didn’t come first, which is what we wanted to do, but it was a real learning experience,” Rojas says of his 2012 club achievements.
“I learnt a lot and as you can see we played good football and scored a lot of goals so I really enjoyed it.”
Making ground at a club level, 2012 also proved Rojas’ year at an international level with the 22-year-old making 11 appearances for his country. Beginning and ending with international friendlies against China PR in March and November and filled in with the OFC Nations Cup and the London Olympics with the national U-23 team, the Oly-Whites.
“The Olympics was the standout of the year for me,” Rojas says. “Being involved in that whole set up, being in the village and seeing all the other athletes was really special.”
He says the OFC Nations Cup wasn’t one of the finest international campaigns the All Whites have had but it was still an experience he wouldn’t pass up.
“It was good to be with the boys and in an environment like that. It was my first real taste of the World Cup qualifiers and it didn’t end well, but it was good to be there and have a different experience in the Solomons.”
Women’s Player of the Year Rebecca Smith also had a great year in respects to club and country in 2012.
Football Ferns coach Tony Readings says Smith was outstanding in terms of her playing and leadership in 2012 so it comes as little surprise she was in the running, or that she won this award.
“She has always been a consistent performer and in 2012 she took the team to another level,” Readings says.
Playing in the Frauen-Bundesliga for VfLWolfsburg, Smith remained solid in the rear-guard throughout the year. The side finished runners-up in the domestic league’s 2011/12 season. Smith was also on hand to help them through the early stages of the UEFA Women’s Champions League.
Smith was heavily involved in the early stages of the 2012/13 season for Wolfsburg which eventuated in the first domestic league title for the club as well as the UEFA Women’s Champions League title – the first time a Women’s team has achieved the double.
On a national level Smith captained the Football Ferns through the Olympic Qualifying stages in New Zealand, and all the way through to the quarter-finals of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
Readings says Smith has always been a player he could rely on.
“She’s always been dependable – a rock in the heart of the defence – and led the team well,” he says.
“I think the highlight for the Ferns in 2012, and likely for Rebecca as well, was making the top eight at the London Olympics. It’s the first time the side had made it past the group stage and Rebecca played a big part in that. She performed well in general, but her goal against Cameroon just before half-time was big for us.
“Rebecca set herself apart and since she retired we’ve had to replace her and it’s not easy.”
The OFC Player of the Year awards were established in 1988 and is decided by a panel of experts that includes national team coaches, ex-players, technical directors and media drawn from around the Oceania region.
The award takes into account performances for club and country between January and December of 2012 only.

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