VPL Round 17 Team of the Week

The finals race for the 2013 is well and truly heating up. Round 17 saw 24 goals scored across 6 matches; an average of 4 per game. There were some brilliant individual performances and some disciplined team efforts, making this weeks’ selection an easy but hard one.

On Friday night Bentleigh put Pascoe Vale to the sword in a 4-1 victory. John Anastasiadis’s switch to a more attacking formation paid handsome dividends as Luke Sherbon had his best game in a Greens shirt, bagging a hat-trick.

Port Melbourne bounced back from a disappointing loss to Northcote with a 3-0 triumph over a rejuvenated Richmond side. The Sharks were made to work hard for the points with goals coming from Luke Bowen, Felix Rosman and Graham Hockless.

The other Friday fixture saw Dandenong down Oakleigh in part two of the Grand Final rematch. Oakleigh led early but fell to pieces from the 20th minute onwards, allowing the reigning premiers to cling onto finals hopes with a 3-1 win.

Perennial finals contenders Green Gully raised a few eyebrows, knocking off league leaders Northcote despite playing the second half with 10 men. Jeffrey Fleming’s men were clinical in their 3-1 dispatching of City, who now appear extremely fragile after a magnificent start to the season.

Saturday night’s clash seemed destined to be a goal difference booster for the Melbourne Knights after leading inside 8 minutes, but Southern Stars battled their way back and deserved to get more out of the game than a 1-0 loss.

South Melbourne hit their opponents for six for the second time in three weeks. On the receiving end of the bludgeoning was Hume City, triggering a fuming post match interview with captain Nick Hegarty. The highlight of the match was this gorgeous free kick from Nicky Soolsma

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Adam Hrehoresin (Port Melbourne Sharks)
One of only two glovemen to keep a clean sheet on the weekend. Fortunate not to give away a penalty, the Sharks custodian made some good saves against a sprightly Richmond side.

Mitchell Bissinger (Green Gully)
Gully’s right back was a reliable contributor in defence, even managing to get up the other end and score, although his strike has since been marked as an own goal.

Bryan Bran (South Melbourne)
Bran was his usual imposing self at the heart of South Melbourne’s defence. He see,s to be excelling under the tutelage of Chris Taylor but must start keeping clean sheets if his side are to finish in the top 5.

Brendan Elmazovski (Dandenong Thunder)
Elmazovski had a stellar game in midfield before being shifted to left back. He scored the equaliser, setup the sealer and put his body on the line for his team all night, drawing deserved praised from Stuart Munro.

Nicholas McKoy (Southern Stars)
McKoy had a strong game against the unusually poor Melbourne Knights. His passing, tackling and positioning allowed Southern Stars to dominate most of the match after a poor start.

Nicky Soolsma (South Melbourne)
Soolsma has been a revelation since joining midseason. He was one of the chief destroyers in blue, setting up goals for Rixon and Hopper before rounding out the game with a fabulous free kick.

Osagie Ederaro (Green Gully)
Gully’s live-wire winger produced another energetic display, giving Northcote all sorts of problems down the flanks. If he can maintain his form, Green Gully will no doubt make the finals.

Luke O’Dea (Bentleigh Greens)
The former Victory Youth player backed up his best on ground performance against Oakleigh with another strong showing on Friday against Pascoe Vale. The number seven was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet, smacking his first-half effort against the bar.

Trent Rixon (South Melbourne)
Rixon was in fine form and got the ball rolling for South Melbourne with two first half strikes. The Hume backline struggled to handle the physical presence posed by Rixon and Hopper.

Luke Hopper (South Melbourne)
One of Chris Taylor’s ex-Dandenong contingent at Lakeside Stadium, Hopper nailed his first VPL treble in the 6-1 rout of Hume City.

Luke Sherbon (Bentleigh Greens)
Last year’s Media Player of the Year winner returned to his best with a marvellous hat-trick and an assist. His third goal was one to savour, dancing past three defenders before blasting the ball into the back of the net from distance. Despite missing four games through suspension, the Welshman is one goal off double figures with 5 rounds to play.

Subs

Sean McIlroy (Dandenong Thunder)
Worked tirelessly up forward for his side, and applied the finish to Frazier’s cutback.

Eric Frazier (Dandenong Thunder)
Was a constant threat all night, cutting in from the left and exposing the Cannons. A goal and an assist in a top display would likely have got him into the starting eleven, but he has been eclipsed by the likes of Sherbon and Rixon

Andrew Viola (Southern Stars)
The ex-Richmond man was crucial in keeping the margin to just one goal almost managed to score himself with a piercing run from his own half.

Graham Hockless (Port Melbourne)
Port Melbourne’s top scorer is always threatening when on the pitch and added to his tally in stoppage time with a classy finish.