It was beginning to look like nothing could beat South Melbourne into submission, but after 12 rounds South finally fell.

It was at the hands of the ever capable and almost technically flawless Oakleigh Cannons, who are proving to be the biggest competition for the ladder leaders and the undoing of clubs racing to the top.

There may have been a few bumps on the road, but Oakleigh Cannons have achieved an impressive run under Miron Bleiberg.

Now with a handpicked team and a huge pool of talent to choose from each week, Bleiberg is proving to be almost as unbeatable as their rivals.

They managed to cause the NPL’s biggest upset in the second match of round 12, dominating the game from start to finish with a clean sheet, 3-0.

South were without captain Michael Eagar after he was injured at training during the week, but substituted James Musa to take his place.

After half-time, South felt the pain, with the Cannons scoring two goals in the opening 15 minutes. Evan Christodoulou opened the scoring on 51 minutes, then the Cannons wrestled control in the midfield again and opened opportunities for Goran Zoric and Nate Foster to take them both into goals in quick succession. Zoric, a former South man, finished the run at 70 minutes.

South Melbourne coach Chris Taylor said it was the loss his side needed to have, but they’ll be expected to bounce back on their home turf on Sunday, against Goulburn Valley.

The side is severely out of form and trailing at the bottom of the ladder, failing to get a win in five matches. They fell to Dandenong Thunder 0-4 last round, a blessing for the Thunder who had two consecutive losses at the hands of South Melbourne the week before.

Just when Northcote City was looking like it could be in for a comeback, it raked up its fourth loss of the season against Green Gully.

Gully had the upper hand for most of the match and managed one of their highest scoring matches, winning 6-2.

Northcote coach Goran Lozanovski will be hoping his side settles in better when they go up against Hume City on Saturday.

One of the closest battles we’ll see in this round will come with Dandenong Thunder’s match against third placed Heidelberg United.

The Greek sponsored team has made no secret it wants to give the top two a run for their money, but in the last two matches, they have conceded four points.

Heidelberg have been having defensive problems, with their last two matches ending in draws.

Oakleigh Cannons will be desperate to keep the pressure on South Melbourne going, with only six points currently separating the two.

They will have that chance when they go up against the Ballarat Red Devils, who are desperate to climb the ladder to avoid relegation.