A wealth of new faces have made their way into the Round Two NPL Victoria Team of the Week with what we count as six debutants in this week’s squad of 18. Some big performers were forced to miss out due to the wealth of standout performances this week, notably by the guys in between the posts, with five gloveman putting on quality performances.
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GK: Stjepan Gal (Port Melbourne)
The Port Melbourne stopper held off a number of quality forays forward from Melbourne Victory on Friday night, making crucial one-on-one stops off Lucas Derrick and Josh Hope, as well as clawing away a dangerous Joey Katebian free-kick. Counterpart Lucas Spinella also played well in that clash.
RB: Nick Symeoy (Avondale FC)
Avondale saw their fair share of the ball against Hume City, despite falling to a 2-1 defeat but weren’t particularly threatening in possession. Symeoy was one man that looked to make things happen and wasn’t afraid to carry the ball forward, balancing his forays into the final third with responsible, accountable defending.
CB: Ross Archibald (Bentleigh Greens)
The centre-half has been in good form since returning to Bentleigh Greens this season, helping his side to a big win over Richmond SC. He was rarely beaten on the night and added a goal early in the second half to cap off a good night. His night was nearly soured with the game all but done, as his defensive turnover nearly saw Richmond grab a second consolidation goal.
CB: Nathan Megic (Pascoe Vale)
Megic put in a supremely confident shift against Green Gully and contributed heavily to their 2-1 win and fast start to the season. He was fantastic in the air and strong in the tackle, and won his fair share of 50/50 challenges and loose balls.
LB: Milos Ilic (Heidelberg United)
Yes, shafted onto the left flank in our Team of the Week, but young defender Milos Ilic was fantastic on the right of defence, where he battled against the directness of Jacob Colosimo and helped shut down James McGarry from having too much of an influence in midfield. He was good in the air and made a goal-line clearance to deny Stipo Andrijacevic a first-half goal. The entire back four for Heidelberg was superb on the day.
CM: Anthony Duzel (Melbourne Victory)
The clash at JL Murphy Reserve against Port Melbourne saw two combative midfields come up against each other. At the heart of everything for Victory was Anthony Duzel who was there to break up play when Port transitioned forward and to recycle possession going the other way. Has made a great start to life in the NPL.
CM: Jack Petrie (Heidelberg United)
Combative, tenacious and a great goal to boot, Heidelberg’s Jack Petrie was afforded more space to roam forward than we’ve seen in the past, with centre-half Lewis Hall playing a defensive midfield role for Heidelberg in their mammoth 6-1 win over the Knights. This saw him contribute more in an attacking sense while also displaying his usual graft through the middle.
RAM: Matt Millar (South Melbourne)
The first player to feature in consecutive Team of the Week’s, South Melbourne winger Matt Millar was once again superb as his side registered another big win to start the NPL Victoria season. His pace was too much for Northcote City to handle as he hit the post, won a penalty and laid off a goal for Marcus Schroen in a dominant performance.
LAM: Marcus Schroen (South Melbourne)
Speaking of Schroen, the attacking midfielder becomes the second South Melbourne player to feature in the starting XI this week after netting twice and earning man of the match honours for his performance. He was brilliant in support of Milos Lujic and took his chances well in the 4-0 win.
ST: Sami Nour (Bulleen Lions)
The contest between Bulleen and Oakleigh Cannons was screaming out for a moment of brilliance to break the stalemate and Nour delivered it emphatically. Turning his man, he bore down on the goals with a dash down the wing and took a shot that deflected into the net, which ultimately proved to be the winner. He provided many dangerous moments later, including a shot that would’ve sealed the result late if not for a save by John Honos.
ST: Chris Lucas (Bentleigh Greens)
One of the easier picks for this week’s team, Chris Lucas ran the show against a lacklustre Richmond SC, grabbing four goals and an assist to put the recently promoted side to the sword. He was clinical on the night, slotting his fourth – and his 20th goal for Bentleigh – from the penalty spot late in the game.
Bench:
Nikola Roganovic (South Melbourne)
While all the attention has been on South’s superb start to the season in an attacking sense, it’s been Roganovic’s calmness of mind at the back that’s allowed them to comfortably play football from the defence forward. A good performance against Heidelberg was backed up against Northcote as he saved a penalty – that admittedly he gave away – while also putting in his usual assured performance. Beat out other notable performers Griffin McMaster and Pierce Clark for a spot on the bench.
Eli Luttmer (Bulleen Lions)
Bulleen Lions grabbed their first win in the NPL Victoria top-flight, not only beating Oakleigh Cannons, but also keeping a clean sheet in a 1-0 win. Fullback Eli Luttmer was one of the men responsible for such a stringent defensive performance as a number of chances were scuppered on his defensive flank, despite Oakleigh enjoying their fair share of possession in the forward third at the Veneto Club. Wasn’t afraid to put his body on the line and put in a real team performance.
Alan Kearney (Port Melbourne)
Much like Duzel for Victory, most of the work through Port’s midfield came through their trusty Irish import who was exceptional in a 1-0 result. He was confident on the ball, strong in possession and enjoyed plenty of freedom going forward. Lambros Honos situated in front of him has thrived on the freedom to create.
Jamie de Abreu (Port Melbourne)
The winger was a bright spark on his home debut for Port Melbourne, grabbing the deciding goal with a well taken finish on the right wing. If it wasn’t for a number of good saves by Spinella, de Abreu could’ve finished with a hat-trick on Friday night as he used his pace and energy to chase down all loose ends.
Liam Boland (Green Gully)
Last year’s runner-up to the Golden Boot put in an industrious shift over the 90 minutes, despite Pascoe Vale coming away with the victory. The striker was missing the craft of Matthew Breeze and Evan Christodoulou – both missing through injury – in support of him, but was still able to come away with a goal.
Kenny Athiu (Heidelberg United)
With Kaine Sheppard, Sean Ellis and Andreas Govas all missing due to injury – which looks to be for the next few weeks – the performance of Kenny Athiu leading the line for the Bergers is one that’ll please Katsakis and his coaching staff. He caused headaches for the Knights defence across the 90 minutes with his athleticism and physicality, and got fair reward for effort with a second half goal. Could have had a handful more goals and assists had he and his teammates been any more clinical.
Kym Harris (Hume City)
The super-sub for Hume City made an immediate impact in his time off the bench, netting the winner against Avondale just minutes after making his way into the fray. His impact was telling in a contest that lacked a spark, as he smartly turned his defender in the box, before blasting a finish past Chris May. Fittingly, he finds himself on the bench for Round Two’s Team of the Week and will no doubt push for a starting berth at Hume in the near future.