This week’s edition of the NPL Team of the Week takes into account the two games that took place mid-week as a part of Round Three’s fixtures. As such, a number of North Geelong players have made the cut, following their memorable 6-1 drubbing of Green Gully, with the main deciding point being the importance of their importance in terms of winning the game.
***
GK: Daniel Zilic (North Geelong Warriors)
North Geelong coach Micky Colina has rightly named his shot-stopper as one of the very best in the league, and that’s little surprise as he put in another brave display in his side’s 1-0 loss to Melbourne Knights. The goal he did cop was unlucky; the keeper merely a spectator as Andrew Baresic trickled the ball into the net for the winner.
RB: Julien Cannizzaro (Avondale FC)
Avondale defender Julien Cannizzaro went a long way towards earning his side their first point of the season as he shut down danger man Kamal Ibrahim, who had basically won Port Melbourne their last two games. For that, he earns a berth in this week’s edition of the NPL Team of the Week.
CB: Ryan Filipovic (Werribee City)
Filipovic and Cudrig put in two admirable displays in the last seven days, with the pair coming away from two tough games against Bentleigh and South Melbourne with their pride intact. Despite copping three goals in total over the pair of fixtures, Filipovic was best on for Werribee in the 2-1 loss to South, as he added an assist to his defensive stability while he was amongst the best in the game against Bentleigh.
CB: Michael Eagar (South Melbourne)
A host of injuries in defence – Kristian Konstantinidis and Tim Mala both departed before half-time against Werribee – saw Michael Eagar slot back into his role of 2014, where he led from the back to secure South an important 2-1 win. He was a monster in defence, and his ability to cut out danger as a stopper and his smart distribution went a long way towards the three points.
LB: Luke Pilkington (Bentleigh Greens)
Was in the votes against Heidelberg as he nabbed an assist, while unlucky not to have a clean sheet to his name also. Same can be said about his performance against Werribee. With Chris Lucas starting to hit some form ahead of him, a lot of that can be attributed to the former Melbourne Victory man.
CM: Iqi Jawadi (South Melbourne)
A consistent performer in the South engine room, Jawadi was one of the best performers against Werribee as the box-to-box midfielder ran the show, scoring his first goal in South colours with a curler from 20 yards, while keeping it tidy with his passing and good ability to carry the ball.
AM: Marino Gasparis (Northcote City)
Had a goal and an assist from midfield for Northcote City and was voted the best on ground. He first connected onto an inch perfect cross from Jonathan Bounas for the opener, before sending a wicked free-kick across the face of goals, which was eventually put over the line by a Pascoe Vale body in Joseph Youseff.
AM: Jem Berkant (Green Gully)
It might seem a bit harsh having only one Green Gully player in the starting XI, but it was mainly due to the fact their 5-2 win over Dandenong was a real team effort. The man pulling the strings however was Jem Berkant, whose vision and passing range made the Thunder defence look like a colander at times.
LW: Robert Zadworny (North Geelong Warriors)
Robbie Zadworny earns his spot in the Round Three + Four Team of the Week for his mid-week exploits, where his clinical touch from the wing saw him nab a memorable hat-trick against Green Gully, which included a wonderful lobbed effort.
ST: Juso Julardzija (North Geelong Warriors)
Zadworny’s partner in crime was Juso Julardzija who nabbed a brace for his troubles, to truly blow the contest apart. He scored the fourth and sixth goal in the 6-1 hiding over Green Gully, and while he didn’t have the impact he would’ve liked against the Knights, there’s plenty of promising signs about the Warriors attack.
RW: Jonathan Bounas (Northcote City)
Two assists from the right wing is enough for the versatile Jonathan Bounas to sneak into our starting XI, as his passing in the first half against Pascoe Vale proved too much to handle. He delivered Gasparis’ goal on a plate with a teasing cross, before playing a clever pass across his body for James Kalifatidis for the winner.
Bench:
Liam McCormick (Bentleigh Greens)
The midfielder may consider himself incredibly unlucky to have found himself a bench player at Bentleigh this season, but if he keeps having an impact in his 20-30 minute spells, it won’t be for too long. He added plenty of energy against Werribee and was arguably the best on in his short time on the pitch. He turned the game against Heidelberg with a goal, again from the bench, so it’s fitting that’s where he finds himself this week.
Jake Nakic (Pascoe Vale)
Scored a goal in Pascoe Vale’s narrow 3-2 defeat against Northcote City. Tom Milardovic also impressed onlookers with his tenacious display in midfield, but it’s the forward we’ve opted for instead.
Vito Cichello (North Geelong Warriors)
The fourth and final Warrior to make the cut this week, and the third to make it on the back of his mid-week performance is midfielder Vito Cichello. Was in the votes and was largely involved in an attacking capacity in the 6-1 win over Green Gully last Wednesday.
Rinor Muriqi (Green Gully)
Was impressive for Green Gully running the flanks, offering plenty of trickery and creativity. He scored a penalty and troubled the Dandenong defence with his vision and delivery.
Adrian Zahra (Melbourne Knights)
Was adjudged the best on ground in the Knights’ narrow 1-0 win over North Geelong Warriors on the weekend, and it was his lofted pass that freed up Andrew Baresic for his third goal of the campaign.