The time has come for the playoffs in the NPL championship. Where the six best sides in the league will battle for the coveted title. The top two teams on the ladder, Avondale and Alexandros, have already secured their spots in the semi-finals, so it remains to see which of Oakleigh Cannons, Preston Lions, Dandenong Thunder and Dandenong City will come out alive from the quarter-final stage.
The match stealing the limelight among the football fans of the Greek Australian community is none other than the one between last year’s premiers, Cannons, and the newcomers Preston Lions.
The big quarter-final is scheduled for Sunday afternoon (31/8) at 2.30pm. A massive crowd is expected at the Cannons’ ground, where for the first time the new, particularly impressive grandstand—which was completed just a few days ago—will open. The new grandstand will house the Oakleigh Cannons supporters, while those of Preston Lions will be hosted on the other side of the pitch.
The two opponents seem to be in form over recent weeks. The home side Cannons come off a home win over South Melbourne Hellas, while the visitors are on a run of five straight wins. Preston’s last league defeat came at the end of June, when they were beaten inside Oakleigh by the Cannons with a score of 4-0. It remains to be seen if the Greek Australian outfit can put the Lions to the sword again and be the one to seal the ticket for the semi-finals of the competition.
VPL1
The celebrations in the Pancyprios camp have no end. George Katsakis’ side managed to seal the promotion ticket to the NPL, and everyone inside and around the historic club seems to be in seventh heaven. Now it remains to see if yet another Greek Australian club will manage to grab promotion through the playoffs process. The four teams chasing promotion are Melbourne City, North Sunshine Eagles, Western United and Leonidas from Brunswick.
Brunswick City will take on Western United in one semi-final, in a fixture scheduled for 6 September.
The competitive obligations have wrapped up for the other two Greek Australian teams in the division.
Iraklis closed the season in ninth spot on the ladder, while Clarinda (Kingston City) unfortunately will be playing in VPL2 next year, having finished 13th, just above the bottom side Moreland City.
VPL2
The competitive action for the only Greek Australian team in VPL2 has come to an end. The historic Pythagoras saw the regular season close out from eighth position on the ladder.
The Box Hill side had a relatively good year, picked up some important wins and came close to slotting into the top six on the ladder. The six-point gap separating them from sixth-placed Goulburn Valley Suns could easily have been bridged if Pythagoras had shown a somewhat better attacking image than the one they displayed during the season. Tellingly, United had the fourth-worst attack in the championship, having scored just 32 goals in 26 matchdays. A very poor return that clearly explains why the Greek Australian outfit failed to make the top six on the ladder.
Below you can see the final standings as well as the schedule of the playoff fixtures for all three divisions.
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
NPL – Playoff Fixtures
Saturday 30 August
Dandenong Thunder – Dandenong City 6pm
Sunday 31 August
Oakleigh Cannons – Preston Lions 2.30pm
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
VPL1 – Playoff Fixtures
Saturday 6 September
Melbourne City – North Sunshine Eagles 3pm
Western United – Brunswick City 5pm
VPL2 – Standings
Team Matches Points
1. North Geelong 26 58
2. Eltham 26 53
3. Juventus 26 44
4. Altona 26 40
5. White Eagles 26 39
6. Suns 26 39
7. Royals 26
8. Box Hill 26 33
9. Werribee 26 31
10. Whittlesea 26 29
11. Nunawading 26 27
12. Boroondara – Carey 26 27
13. Geelong 26 26
14. Pascoe Vale 26 23
VPL2 – Playoff Fixtures
Friday 5 September
Altona City – Springvale White Eagles 8pm
Saturday 6 September
Brunswick Juventus – Goulburn Valley Suns 6pm
