It was a week in which we struggled to pick our goalkeepers for TOTW, with all of Chris Oldfield, John Honos, Chris May, Ryan Scott and Michael O’Farrell commended for solid showings between the sticks, with a few unlucky to miss out.
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GK: Chris Oldfield (Hume City)
Avondale will feel aggrieved they didn’t get any sort of result out of this one, be it a win or draw, and they can blame, in-part, Oldfield for this one. Made some really important saves to keep his side in with a sniff and was a major contributor towards the three points.
RCB: Jack Webster (Bentleigh Greens)
Richmond will also wonder how they got no points out of their clash against Bentleigh, responding to falling behind with numerous waves of attacks to try take a result out of this clash. Yet it was defensive lynchpin Webster who worked overdrive to ensure as many dangerous situations as possible were dealt with in the absence of the likes of Ruthven, McCormick, Wallace, Pilkington.
CB: Shane Rexhepi (Hume City)
Like Oldfield, Rexhepi had to stand tall in the face of forward advances from his opposition, but he went home from the contest as one of the attacking heroes of the contest, having put in Hegarty’s delivery for the equaliser, subsequently allowing Craig Carley to go on and score the winner.
LCB: Reuben Way (Heidelberg United)
Way’s transition to left fullback in Doumbalis’ absence has been one worry off George Katsakis’ mind as the usual forward, not for the first time, had put in a tireless shift. Did it to help his side earn a clean sheet on the road to Knights at Somers Street, which is no easy feat.
CM: Massimo Murdocca (Avondale FC)
Classy as usual in the middle of the park, Murdocca did what he could to break up opposition moves, win possession and get passages of play going for his side. The veteran helped dictate the play in midfield.
CM: Marcus Schroen (South Melbourne)
While Lujic will take all the plaudits for his hat-trick, two of his goals directly came from assists via Schroen, who was awarded man of the match against Northcote with a clinical display in attacking midfield. Sliced open his opponents time and again.
RM: Alex Caniglia (Richmond SC)
It’s become a bit of a broken record to nominate Caniglia as one of Richmond’s standouts in a game, but once again he was doing all the right things to get his team back in the contest, scoring a goal and looking threatening throughout until his forced substitution.
LM: Jamie de Abreu (Port Melbourne)
Against Victory, all Port had to do was release the speedster on the wing. With his pace and finishing, de Abreu was able to bag himself a brace in a great individual display to help earn his side the three points.
CAM: Evan Christodoulou (Green Gully)
The chief destroyer for Gully over Pascoe Vale on the weekend, Christodoulou showed his array of abilities by scoring with his left foot and head as well to cap off yet another productive night out for the attacking midfielder.
ST: Dimi Hatzimouratis (Oakleigh Cannons)
Doing the damage not long after the first whistle and not long before the final whistle, Haztimouratis ensured Oakleigh secured three points over Bulleen with the best possible start and finish. His final goal especially was quite the effort.
ST: Milos Lujic (South Melbourne)
Displaying the usual instinct of being in the right place at the right time, Lujic bagged himself a hat-trick to ensure he and South Melbourne remained top of the golden boot and NPL Victoria races respectively.
Substitutes
John Honos (Oakleigh Cannons)
On paper it looked like a cut and dried result for Oakleigh against Bulleen, but in reality the 3-0 scoreline may have been harsh on the visitors. There were numerous nervy moments for the hosts which required Honos’ intervention to keep Bulleen at bay, and he did his job between the sticks to preserve a clean sheet.
Lambros Honos (Bentleigh Greens)
This may actually be the first time the Honos brothers have appeared in a team of the week together. Lambros makes it on after a more than promising debut for Bentleigh, in which he provided a regular attacking outlet for his 77 minutes on the park.
Jakob Williams (Richmond SC)
Unlucky not to make the starting XI of TOTW, Williams had a point to prove against his old employers and he took his opportunity with an excellent showing in midfield. Provided real energy in the middle of the park to justify Richmond’s faith in him.
Jay Davies (Green Gully)
Football if often circumstantial, and if you consider the circumstances of Davies’ performance – moving from Cairnlea in SL1, to debut for Gully just after signing, and making an immediate impact by scoring and linking well with teammates – it’s a commendable effort and good signs for Gully.
Steven Pace (Heidelberg United)
Held firm to deny the Knights at home with an assured performance as usual at the heart of defence. Worked well with the likes of Hall and Petrie in front of him, providing adequate protection down Heidelberg’s spine.