The Review
We suck at predicting. 2/7 results correct (no correct scorelines) from The #kounashow NPL Round 14 Preview
Port Melbourne 2 to beat Hume City 0 – Wrong result, Hume 2-1
Pascoe Vale 1 to be defeated by Heidelberg united 3 – Correct result, Heidelberg 2-1
Oakleigh Cannons 2 to be defeated by South Melbourne 3 – Wrong result, Oakleigh 2-0
Avondale 0 to be defeated by Melbourne Knights 1 – Wrong result, 0-0
North Geelong Warriors 0 to be defeated by Bentleigh Greens 4 – Correct result, Bentleigh 1-0
Northcote City 1 to draw with Green Gully 1 – Wrong result, Northcote 3-1
Dandenond Thunder 2 to defeat Werribee City 1 – Wrong result, 2-2
***
Bentleigh Greens SC (2nd) vs Dandenong Thunder SC (13th)
The form
Bentleigh remain the only unbeaten team in the comp on the ladder, beating North Geelong 1-0, but physically could be the real losers out of that game after losing top-scorer Matt Thurtell to a season-ending knee injury. Dandenong Thunder left it late to salvage a 2-2 draw against Werribee City, with Archie Tomic scoring in the last few seconds to split the six-point contest between two relegation threatened sides into one point each. At least the banter on the club’s Facebook page with Stuart Webster – somebody we’d love to see back in the top division – was on top form:
The players to watch
Not so much a single player, but rather how John Anastasiadis reshuffles Bentleigh up top in Thurtell’s absence. Lucas in the middle with De Vries and Visevic around him? How will Luke O’Dea fit in? For Dandeong, Archie Tomic is back for his second stint, the first being in 2011, bringing vital experience to the midfield and a Team of the Week spot. Also, after a short injury layoff, Yusuf Ahmed should be back to provide the spark the team needs.
The prediction
A fairly straightforward result is the initial instinct, but then Bentleigh struggled against Dandy last time, and with no Thurtell, things could get tougher. Perhaps a less straightforward 1-0 win, with the defence holding the Greens strong.
Pascoe Vale SC (7th) vs Port Melbourne Sharks SC (6th)
The form
Paco paid for their slow start against the Bergers last week by succumbing 2-1, taking their recent form to WLWLWL, which is pretty damn impressive in itself. For their consistent inconsistently they sit flush in the middle of the table on 7th. Despite being one spot above them in 6th, Port have won only one game in their last eight, and have actually won a game less than Paco have this season, with four draws making the difference.
The players to watch
To rectify their faltering mid-season, Port’s completed their transfer activity by signing central defender Bryan Bran and Knights’ attacker Adrian Zahra. The former returns from a stint in Holland, while we all know what the latter can achieve, he just needs a confidence boost, and what better way to get that than with a goal on debut. Pascoe Vale added goalkeeper Dennys Martin and Hume City’s Aaron Turner to their ranks, but pay special attention to Adrian Talarico who was on the scoresheet last week and is capable both going forward and in his defensive duties.
The prediction
Is it Pascoe Vale’s turn to win again? We’ll go out on a limb and say yes, we like those odds. Port are just struggling to get out of a mid-season slump and may need time for their new guys to gel, while Paco have retained their core squad for the remainder of the season. 2-1 home win to Pascoe Vale.
Oakleigh Cannons FC (10th) vs Green Gully SC (11th)
The form
It’s kinda hard to gauge both teams’ form. Oakleigh can lose to near-bottom Werribee City before beating near-top South Melbourne, while Green Gully smash mid-table Avondale 4-1 before comfortably losing to mid-table Northcote 3-1. In saying that, Oakleigh look more likely to propel themselves up the ladder, not just because Arthur Papas is at the helm, but because of the three new signings mentioned below.
The players to watch
The holy trinity of former A-League players and mid-season signings – right-back Matthew Foschini, along with forwards Kofi Danning and Sean Rooney, all on debut. Wow. For Gully, whilst not much has been made of his involvement in the team, Hakeem Alaraibi – once wrongly detained in his home country Bahrain and the subject of David Manuca’s award-winning article – has been regularly starting for Gully now and scored in their 3-1 defeat to Northcote. Simon Tolli rounds out Gully’s transfer activities, adding some more firepower up front.
The prediction
A win by at least two goals for Oakleigh, who all of a sudden look like a finals not-so-dark horse on paper right now. We’ll go with a 3-0 victory.
South Melbourne FC (3rd) vs North Geelong Warriors FC (14th)
The form
Once upon a time we wrote a piece titled “Since South Melbourne lost an NPL Victoria game“. If we were to write it again, it’d contain absolutely nothing, since that run was snapped by Oakleigh last week. Okay, there have been plenty of signings in the meantime, but you know what we mean. As for North Geelong, their form consisting of undeservedly heartbreaking defeats continues, pipped 1-0 by Bentleigh Greens.
The players to watch
Not to be outdone by Nikola Jurkovic‘s Team of the Week exploits this season, near-namesake Nicholas Jurcic got in on the exploits, doing well at right-back against Bentleigh. Both NJs could trouble a depleted South line-up. At Lakeside, there’s been a plethora of new signings, including Lachie Jackson – with the young defender scoring not long ago in the A-League with Brisbane Roar – and two Melbourne A-League NPL players, Thomas Lakic and Nick Morton. How prominently will they feature? Kiwi Andy Bevin has also signed from the USA, but is awaiting international clearance. Now, Tim Mala may have had a tough game against Oakleigh, but expect him to bounce back with the support of his manager, who has been there for him since his Thunder days. A Flashback Friday kinda moment coming up:
Dat hairstyle and fashion sense.
The prediction
It should be a regulation victory for South tonight. But with no Milos Lujic, who earned his 5th yellow card of the season, no Michael Eager, who got a red card trying to get his 5th yellow card of the season (and will return next week still on four yellows) and no Milovanovic due to injury, this could be North Geelong’s best chance to sneak a result. Not that we expect them to. 2-0 South.
Avondale FC (9th) vs Hume City FC (5th)
The form
Hume City showed the kind of form they wanted out of their new signings, with both Paul Harvey and Theo Markelis scoring in the team’s 2-1 away win over Port Melbourne, rectifying the previous week’s defeat against Pascoe Vale, with all three teams currently vying for the bottom few finals spots. Avondale tightened the screws following their 4-1 loss to Green Gully, scrapping a 0-0 draw out of Melbourne Knights.
The players to watch
Avondale made a huge splash in the transfer market, signing Massimo Murdocca and Francesco Stella, though only the latter may line up, as the former’s 10 game guest stint can only commence next week. Meanwhile, Hume City have signed former Werribee City and Victory youth Daniel Chaabani. Now, we’re big fans of the talented youngster, who runs up and down that right wing with aplomb, but we also can’t help think of a certain brand of yoghurt when we say his name.
The prediction
Can Avondale hold off Hume’s new-found attacking threat? Perhaps not, with Hume to escape with a narrow 1-0 away win.
Northcote City (8th) vs Melbourne Knights FC (4th)
The form
The Knights continue to pick up enough points to keep them comfortably in fourth spot on the ladder, though they’ve been stuttering in recent weeks, backing up a 1-1 draw against Port Melbourne with a scoreless draw against Avondale, spurning a number of chances in the process. Northcote City have shown some fight in recent weeks, just losing to South Melbourne 2-1, before clinically putting away Green Gully 3-1, to propel themselves into 8th.
The players to watch
Bonel Obradovic returns to John Cain from a stint at South Melbourne, with his old club welcoming him back with open arms. He got a run off the bench last week, and after not being able to cement a spot at South, will be keen to make a big impact again. There’s more reason for optimism at Northcote, especially defensively, with Wilkes and Lombardo leading a more solid back four. At the Knights, Milan Batur and Josh Brekalo did well against a plucky Avondale, but perhaps the whole team needs to rally to make some of their chances on goal finally stick.
The prediction
On paper, perhaps Melbourne Knights should win, but Northcote’s resilience in the fortnight following their 4-0 capitulation against Bentleigh has been promising. That recent confidence may just get them over the line against the Knights in an upset 2-1 win.
Heidelberg United FC (1st) vs Werribee City FC (12th)
The form
Heidelberg and Werribee have both been good in recent times. Heidelberg have won their last two games by a combined scoreline of 8-2, while the Bees are now three unbeaten, picking up seven points from a possible nine and making a bit of a charge up the ladder.
The players to watch
Whilst Cristaldo was a big departure, Werribee have brought in former Victory youth teammate Kobbie Boahene from Bentleigh and Dean Tomeski from Hume City to strengthen the squad and improve their chances of survival. At Olympic Village, Griffin McMaster, whilst ably assisted by a solid defence, has himself been impressive in goals this season. Another confident performance between the sticks is almost a given. But we also recently came across a rather complimentary comment on the team’s Facebook team photo.
So what’s better than one Griffin McMaster? A whole team of sexy thangs.
The prediction
Cristaldo is a big loss, and while Werribee have brought in other players, it’s hard to see them have much impact against a rampaging Heidelberg. Therefore, 2-1 to the Bergers.