At the mid-way point of the NPL2 East season both Dandenongs lead the way, but after that it gets murky. 4th to 10th is separated by just seven points, with the race to avoid the drop sure to heat up in the second half of the season.
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Box Hill United
Current Standings: 8th
Last Year Finish: 4th
Key Players: Todd Dekker, Joshua Calle
Box Hill have struggled to find the back of the net this season with goals very hard to come by both home and away. The season started with three goalless draws and didn’t register a win on the board until Round 12. Since then it has been much better from the boys from Wembley Park with three wins on the bounce and 12 goals to the good. Mid-season additions Dominic Furness and Phil Petrevski will help this resurgence as they look to get back on track and move up the table.
Grade: C-
Dandenong City
Current Standings: 1st
Last Year Finish: 3rd
Key Players: Shaun Filipovic, Mate Dugandzic
Top of the shop for Dandenong City who have been very good this year. Nine wins under the belt and above cross-town rivals Thunder on goal difference has Hajduk in the driving seat in a vehicle heading straight for the top flight. Shaun Filipovic and Mate Dugandzic have been lethal in front of goal while City have the tightest defence in the league. A massive automatic promotion decider could be on the cards when they face cross town rivals Dandenong Thunder on the 5th August. Every man and his dog will be there to watch that! With a star-studded line up for City, promotion is more of a must rather than a want.
Grade: A
Dandenong Thunder
Current Standings: 2nd
Last Year Finish: 2nd
Key Players: Brandon Barnes, Rodrigo Vargas
Dandenong Thunder will still be ruing last year’s playoff loss to North Geelong Warriors but they have started the season well and will also be a team with promotion firmly in the front of their minds. Second behind their arch rivals, I’m sure all involved with Thunder would love to finish top and not have to worry about another play off. Sharpshooter Brandon Barnes has been on fire once again with 21 goals so far and he will hope to continue that if he wants to top his 2016 tally of 41. With over 50% of his side’s goals this year, it’ll be interesting to see if Thunder can continue their good form if he is out of the team through injury or suspension.
Grade: A
Eastern Lions
Current Standings: 9th
Last Year: 7th
After a good start to the season which included two draws and a win, it has not been an enjoyable season for Eastern Lions. Having lost six of their last seven matches, they sit outside the drop zone on goal difference and need to change something if they want to secure NPL football for another year. Cameron Neales’ departure in the summer left a void that has not been filled and it has showed, with only Box Hill United scoring less goals so far. A goalscorer is needed at Gardiners Creek Reserve and they aren’t easy to come by. Unless they uncover a diamond in the rough during the midseason transfer window, they could see themselves embroiled in a relegation scrap against a number of teams all fighting for survival.
Grade: D
Goulburn Valley Suns
Current Standings: 5th
Last Year: 8th
Key Players: Robert Hughes, Shaun Kane
Regional outfit Goulburn Valley Suns have gone about their business quietly this season and sit 5th in the East. A big 7-2 win at home to Richmond in their last match showed the best of what they can do but a 6-2 drubbing by Whittlesea on the same ground show that they can serve up a mixed bag. With the tight nature of the Eastern Conference this season, the Suns sit just five points off the relegation zone and will hope that Robert Hughes and Shaun Kane can continue their their good form in front of goal. With a goal difference of 0, it shows that if they can continue their goal scoring and tighten up the defence, they can replicate the form that saw them beat Melbourne City, Richmond and bitter rivals Murray United and survive the drop comfortably.
Grade: B-
Melbourne City
Current Standings: 3rd
Last Year: 3rd in Western Conference
Key Players: Gerrie Sylaidos, Marko Delic
It’s been a relatively good first half of the season for the Y-League champions who sit 3rd in the Eastern Conference after making the switch from the West in the summer. After a slow start with draws to Richmond and Murray United at home, they have proven their class with some emphatic victories including a 5-1 thrashing of rivals Melbourne Victory. However, losses to GV Suns and Whittlesea Ranges prove that they can be beaten and their losses to both Dandenong sides could prove their undoing in their hunt for promotion. It’s a big ask owing to the nature of being the NPL team for an A-League club but promotion should be the ultimate goal.
Grade: B+
Murray United
Current Standings: 4th
Last Year: 9th
Key Players: James Coutts, Zac Walker
It’s been a fantastic turnaround for the border side who sit 4th in the league after a baptism of fire in their first two years of existence. The addition of coach James Coutts back to the line up alongside compatriot Ashley Dunn has given United a strong midfield to build the team around. Marksman Zac Walker has been reliable upfront once again while Abdulkerim Koc, who signed from Whittlesea Ranges in the summer, has shored up a previously problematic position in between the sticks. 17-year-old Lewis Greenwood is really starting to make a name for himself while ex-Socceroo and Melbourne Victory legend Archie Thompson took a while to get going but looks settled after signing for the rest of the season. Promotion may be too much of an ask this season for the reds but with the junior program in great hands and players such as Greenwood coming through, top flight football might not be too far away.
Grade: B+
Nunawading City
Current Standings: 7th
Last Year: 10th
Key Players: Mitch Cooper, James Brown
What a difference a year makes! After two seasons which saw City take a combined total of four points, they now sit 7th in the league with 15 points and hope for the future. When the season started, not many people would have given Nuna a prayer, but with the additions of James Brown, Jason Trifiro and Mitch Cooper, they have really surprised a few! An emphatic 3-0 win away at Whittlesea Ranges showed just how far they have come and although they are only 3 points from the drop zone, things are looking up for Nunawading City. A last day match away at Murray United was tipped to be a relegation decider at the start of the season but at this point, could be a celebration of two teams who have defied the odds.
Grade: C+
Richmond SC
Current Standings: 10th
Last Year: Relegated from NPL
It’s never easy to bounce straight back up after a relegation but Richmond are staring down the barrel of an unthinkable double drop as they sit rock bottom of the NPL2 East standings. Wholesale changes were made in the summer but with just 12 points from 14 matches, the club has its work cut if they’re to stay in the division. With a goal difference of -20, defence has been the problem and is in desperate need of a leader. There are still 14 matches to go but with three heavy defeats in their last three and a final day trip to Dandenong Thunder looming, Richmond need points and they need them now.
Grade: D-
Springvale White Eagles
Current Standings: 6th
Last Year: 6th
Key Players: Vojo Milojevic, Nebojsa Pejic
It’s been a strange first half of the season for the boys at Springvale. Many saw them as the team to beat as they took 10 points from 12 in their first four matches including wins over both Dandenong teams. This was soon forgotten however as a horror run of results saw them win just one match in nine and ultimately led to the exit of coach Vlado Tortevski. Life after Tortevski looked to be very similar to life under him as they went 2-0 down after 30 minutes in Wodonga against Murray United but a stunning comeback saw them take all three points and potentially galvanise the side to kick on. With the Eastern Conference very tight from 4th all the way down to 10th, the White Eagles and their new gaffer will hope that their win on the border will be the first of many.
Grade: C-