Bentleigh Greens have secured their return to the NPL – The Cannons finished the regular season with a commanding victory in the derby against South Melbourne Hellas – Nea Hellas is reeling, still in shock after their unexpected relegation to VPL1.
The appetisers of the regular season are done and dusted, now it’s time to serve up the main course of the big finals. That’s where the top outfits of the campaign will duke it out.
Ladder-leaders Avondale and second-placed Alexander – both of whom have also locked in their spots in the new national league kicking off in October – along with Dandenong Thunder, Oakleigh Cannons, Preston Lions, and Dandenong City.
Next year in VPL1, it’ll be Melbourne Victory, Port Melbourne Sharks Nea Hellas, and Melbourne Knights.
The final round of the regular season dished out some cracking footy and stunning goals.
Let’s start from the Greek-dominated Oakleigh and the massive derby between the local Cannons and South Melbourne Hellas.
The match was fairly even early doors, with most of the action stuck in the middle of the park. But everything changed in the 25th minute when the hosts won a penalty and Hellas were reduced to 10 men after Yuzo Iwakami’s red card. The Japanese lad from the visitors used his hand to stop a Cannons goal on the line, and ref Yiannis Zisis rightly showed him the door to the sheds.
Oakleigh Cannons skipper Joe Guest stepped up for the spot-kick and coolly slotted it home for 1-0. That was the scoreline as the sides headed in for the half-time oranges.
Hellas, despite being a man down, came out competitive in the second half, making life tough for the hosts. But that pressure only lasted 10-15 minutes and ended in the 58th when McGlip made it 2-0, effectively putting the game to bed. The cherry on top came from the brilliant Salmon in the 81st. The Cannons forward picked up the ball just inside his own half, carried it into Hellas’ box, and at the perfect moment, finished past Lopez to make it 3-0 and send his side into the finals with top-notch morale.
Southwest of Oakleigh, in the lovely Port Melbourne, we had the showdown between the doomed-to-drop Nea Hellas and title-chasers Alexander.
The hosts fought hard but found themselves chasing the game from the 24th minute when the season’s top marksman, the unstoppable Bul Juach, opened the scoring with a close-range tap-in.
But Nea Hellas didn’t chuck in the towel. They lifted their game, tightened up, and eventually levelled things up with a goal from Anthony Leban in the 43rd. 1-1 was the score as the teams trooped off for the break.
The hosts came out flying in the second half, even taking the lead in the 47th through Greek-Australian Jonathan Vakirtzis. The visitors hadn’t said their last word, though. In the 75th they drew level again and snatched a point from the draw, thanks to an own goal from Trajcevski.
Alexander will now focus on the finals, where they’re expected to give it everything for the title, while Nea Hellas must slowly gear up for a tricky summer and life in VPL1 next year. It’s been a right shocker of a season for the Greek-Australian club, which in just a few months went from top-six contenders and protagonists to… bit-part players.
VPL1
George Katsakis’ side capped off a dream season, securing their return to the NPL with a performance that will be remembered for years. In their final match of the campaign, the “Greens” hosted Iraklis in what turned into a promotion party for the home side. The passion and drive displayed by Pankyprian proved decisive, leading to a commanding 3-1 victory. As the referee’s final whistle echoed, the scoreboard reflected the triumph, and tears of joy streamed down the faces of the club’s loyal supporters. After two seasons in VPL1, the mighty Pankyprian is back where it belongs—in Victoria’s top tier.
Leonidas wrapped up their season in fifth place on the ladder after a clinical 2-0 win over Melbourne City. It was the perfect end to a solid campaign for the Greek-Australian club. The Brunswick-based side delivered a respectable performance throughout the season, though their journey could have been even more successful had they capitalized on winnable matches. Nonetheless, this result provides a strong foundation for the future.
Kostas Tagkalakis’ Clarinda concluded their season with a 2-2 draw at home against Eastern Lions. Alongside Kingston City, two other teams—Eastern Lions and Moreland City—were relegated to the lower division. For the Greek-Australian outfit, it was a nightmare season, and they now face the challenge of regrouping and planning for a stronger showing next year.
VPL2
Box Hill United closed out their season with a disappointing 1-3 home defeat to Altona City. Pythagoras, as the Greek-Australian side is known, finished the campaign in eighth place on the VPL2 table.
NPL – Results
Avondale – Green Gully 2 – 1 (15′ G. Ott, 70′ S. Valentini – 11′ A. Brice)
St Albans Saints – Hume City 0 – 4 (44′ A. Mills [OG], 76′ R. Harker, 88′,90+2′ O. Kelaart) Preston Lions – Dandenong Thunder 2 – 0 (42′ M. Bozinovski, 43′ L. Brooks)
Melbourne Victory – Dandenong City 0 – 3 (41′ W. Bower, 45+1′ J. Letham, 47′ K. Athiu) Port Melbourne Sharks – Heidelberg United 2 – 2 (43′ A. Leban, 47′ J. Vakirtzis – 24′ B. Juach, 75′ M. Trajcevski [OG])
Oakleigh Cannons – South Melbourne 3 – 0 (27′ J. Guest, 58′ C. McGlip, 81′ A. Salmon) Melbourne Knights – Altona Magic 1 – 5 (1′,29′ P. Hatzopoulos, 27′ A. Frangie, 68′ L. Gillard, 76′ B. Habib)
NPL – Finals Schedule
Saturday, 30 August
Dandenong Thunder – Dandenong City 18:00 Oakleigh Cannons – Preston Lions 18:00
The semi-finals are set for 6/9/25 and the grand final for 14/9/25.
NPL – Standings
Team Matches Points
1. Avondale 25 58
2. Heidelberg 25 56
3. Dandenong Thunder 25 53
4. Oakleigh Cannons 25 46
5. Preston Lions 25 44
6. Dandenong City 25 37
7. Hume City 25 35
8. Green Gully 25 31
9. South Melbourne 25 28
10. St Albans Saints 25 27
11. Altona Magic 25 24
12. Melbourne Victory 25 18
13. Port Melbourne 25 16
14. Melbourne Knights 25 15
VPL1 – Results
Caroline Springs – Western United 8 – 0
Brunswick City – Melbourne City 2 – 0
Bentleigh Greens – Northcote City 3 – 1
Langwarrin – North Sunshine Eagles 1 – 4
Manningham United – Moreland City 1 – 2
Kington City – Eastern Lions 2 – 2
Bulleen Lions – Melbourne Srbija 0 – 2
VPL1 – Standings
Team Matches Points
1. Bentleigh 26 58
2. George Cross 26 57
3. Melbourne City 26 54
4. Western United 26 46
5. Brunswick 26 42
6. North Sunshine 26 39
7. Melbourne Srbija 26 37
8. Bulleen Lions 26 33
9. Northcote 26 32
10. Langwarrin 26 29
11. Manningham 26 25
12. Eastern Lions 26 22
13. Kingston City 26 21
14. Moreland City 26 20
