Photos: Bentleigh Greens, The Sporting WALL (L-R)
The Corner Flag’s Player of the Month for June saw five players in the NPL and the NPL2 do battle for the title of the league’s best performer over Round’s 15 through 18. With over 1000 unique fan voters contributing alongside a panel of journalists, we are proud to present the NPL and NPL2 Player of the Month for June. Congratulations to the following four players.
READ MORE > June Nominees: NPL & NPL2 Player of the Month
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NPL: Davey van ‘t Schip (Pascoe Vale)
The NPL’s very own answer to Arjen Robben, Pascoe Vale’s flying Dutchman Davey van ‘t Schip has wowed supporters, players, coaches and media alike after an electric month of football, which saw him score five times as well as bring some terrific tricks out of the bag. Playing across the front three, van ‘t Schip was heavily responsible for Paco’s upturn in fortunes for the month of June, and has proven a real x-factor capable of dragging Pascoe Vale to an unlikely finals berth. Collected 39.29% of the total vote, with Craig Carley coming in at a distant second with 23.81% of the vote.
Media vote: Craig Carley (Hume City)
A series of consistent performances leading the lines for Hume City has seen Craig Carley pick up the Media Vote for the Player of the Month. Carley’s goals came at crucial moments for Hume, coming in the form of an injury time winner against Avondale, an equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Bentleigh Greens and a match-deciding brace in the 3-1 win over Northcote City. Scored six goals for the month of June, including goals in all four games for the month.
NPL2: George McHeileh (Bendigo City)
Sometimes, a team and player can have good or bad runs either side of the beginning or the end of the month. Luckily for Bendigo and George McHeileh, their four-game unbeaten streak came smack bang in the month of June surrounded by defeats in Rounds 14 and 19 in May and July respectively. It was the perfect storm for Jose Santamarta’s side, which had been on a mid-season revival following a season of instability within the coaching ranks, and poor results on the pitch. With increased leadership off the pitch, captain George McHeileh has also thrived on it.
One of the more mature heads in a largely inexperienced side, he has helped his side doubling their goal tally from 10 to 18, and cutting their average goals conceded from an average four a game to 1.25 for the month with his end-to-end performances. In the process, Bendigo improved their tally from one win and one draw for the year to three and three in June alone. A commanding presence in midfield, McHeileh’s work rate is exceptional, he has been able to marshal a young side to improved results, and also has the ability to pop up and score an exceptional winner. This has been reflected by the influx in voting for him, as he tallied 40.07% of the total vote, with Ofli finishing second on 20.04%.
Media Vote: Atilla Ofli (Whittlesea Ranges)
Unanimously voted in by the media contingent, Ofli’s nine-goal month, which almost single-handedly earned Whittlesea outright top spot in the West, earns him the Media’s NPL2 Player of the Month. Funnily enough, despite making each Team of the Month so far, this is Ofli’s first individual player gong this season, and it comes off the back of a breathtaking month, arguably his best and most important to date. While the hat-trick against Goulburn Valley Suns was impressive enough, the double against Thunder earned a massive point – the first time anyone had taken a result from the Thunder – while a hat-trick against Kingston City ensured the East’s top two sides were a happy hunting ground for him – no easy feat. Ironically, he didn’t cash in against Nunawading, scoring the solitary goal.
However, in a month where Whittlesea were expected to lose ground in the promotion race due to the difficulty of the opponents there were facing, they emphatically went on an unbeaten run as teams around them dropped points. It could just be the month people look back on as decisive to the title race, with Ofli’s contribution being the main catalyst.