Nerves will be on edge at a number of matches during the final round of the Victorian NPL this Sunday. Fans will be paying close attention to the around the ground scores, as all bar one of the seven final round matches have a potential bearing on the final six and the relegation play-off.

Top spot, fourth and fifth, and the two automatic relegation spots are all locked in, but all other positions are contestable.

Bulleen Lions’ upset defeat of Melbourne Knights’ last Monday, means that four teams, Port Melbourne Sharks, Melbourne Knights, Dandenong Thunder and Kingston City are still in the running to grab sixth spot on the ladder, currently occupied by the Sharks. The Sharks remain in the box seat to clinch sixth spot needing a win against South Melbourne at Lakeside on Sunday to ensure they will feature in the opening week of the finals. It’s been a disappointing run home for both teams with Port’s winless run in their last five games, jeopardising their place in the finals. South Melbourne have conceded heavily in their last three games with the losses preventing them from pulling clear of the relegation play-off spot.

South is one of three teams at risk of finishing in 12th place. They’re currently in 10th place just one point clear of Hume City and two points clear of Green Gully which currently occupies the relegation play-off spot.

In contrast to Port and South’s recent poor results, Kingston City’s run of good results has not only pulled it clear of the relegation battles, but remarkably gives it an outside chance of reaching the finals. City will need other results to go its way. In fact both Kingston City and South Melbourne fans will likely be supporting each other’s teams on Sunday as a win to both will be mutually beneficial.

A win to Kingston over Green Gully will save South slipping below Gully into the relegation Play-off spot, whilst a win to South at home to Port will keep Kingston’s finals hopes alive. That’s providing of course, that the other two contenders for sixth spot, Thunder and the Knights take points off each other in their finals match up. That’s the best case scenario for Kingston. The next best is that the Knights don’t win.

Bentleigh Greens are favoured to secure second spot, needing just a point at home to an already relegated Bulleen Lions. Third placed Avondale will be hoping for an upset Greens loss, but Avondale would still need to defeat Heidelberg at Olympic Village to push the Greens out of second spot.

The Greek derby between Northcote City and Oakleigh Cannons is the only dead rubber of the round with the Cannons assured of fifth place and Northcote already relegated.

In NSW NPL, Sydney Olympic has already booked its spot in the Grand Final next weekend, following last week’s 4-0 win over Sydney United in the Major Semi-final. A hat trick from Olympic goal-scoring sensation Alex Sanchez and a single to skipper Jason Madonis, means that Olympic now awaits the winner of this weekend’s preliminary final between Apia and Sydney United, for a chance to achieve the NSW NPL Championship-Premiers double.

Final Round Victorian NPL, Sunday 2/09/18 3.00 pm

  • Northcote City v Oakleigh Cannons
  • Heidelberg United v Avondale FC
  • South Melbourne v Port Melbourne Sharks
  • Pascoe Vale v Hume City
  • Melbourne Knights v Dandenong Thunder
  • Green Gully v Kingston City
  • Bentleigh Greens v Bulleen Lions