NPL VIC Round 10 Wrap: Thunder Roars, Avondale Maintain Lead

James Stuart

The NPL Victoria ladder is beginning to take shape after a dramatic Matchday 10 that saw top sides flex their muscles, struggling giants slip further, and a few bruising encounters shift momentum mid-season.

Avondale Ruthless, South Melbourne Suffer at Home

League leaders Avondale FC extended their lead at the summit with a ruthless 4-0 demolition of Altona Magic. Goals from Stefan Valentini, Kur Kur, Jackson Courtney-Perkins, and Joey Ketabien ensured the Avengers kept their foot on the gas and made it three wins on the bounce. At 9-0-1, Zoran Markovski’s side are flying, and their +22 goal difference tells the story.

If Avondale were slick, Heidelberg United were sheer dominance. In arguably the most lopsided contest of the weekend, they dismantled South Melbourne 3-0 away from home, and it could have been worse. The Warriors outshot Hellas 18 to 1, with goals from Anthony Lesiotis, Bul Juach, and Asahi Yokokawa sealing a fifth straight win. They now sit on 22 points, still level with both Oakleigh and the Thunder.

For South Melbourne, it’s now eight games without a win. A proud club is struggling to find rhythm, and their lack of threat in the final third is becoming a major concern. They’re 11th, just three points off the bottom.

Oakleigh and Thunder Keep Pressure On

Oakleigh Cannons, too, are humming along, brushing aside Dandenong City 3-0. Early goals from Joseph Knowles and Jacob Tratt set the tone, before Alex Salmon rounded out the result in the 65th. It’s now four wins in a row for the Cannons, who remain second thanks to a slightly better goal difference than Avondale.

Dandenong Thunder weren’t to be outdone, registering a dominant 3-0 win of their own away to Melbourne Knights. A 36th-minute penalty converted by Hassan Jalloh was followed by strikes from Daniel Clark and Thijs van Amerongen. With four wins in five, Thunder have emerged as serious title contenders, sharing the same 22-point mark with Oakleigh and Heidelberg.

Drama Elsewhere: Cards, and Comebacks

At the bottom of the table, Port Melbourne’s woes deepened after a 3-1 home defeat to Hume City. Despite a 44th-minute goal from Thomas Alisandratos giving a glimmer of hope, the Sharks never really threatened, managing just four shots on target. Already trailing 2-1, Riade Mouyette was sent off in the 84th minute, and Hume quickly added a third via Joel Russel. Hume leapfrogged Victory into sixth, while Port remain dead last with just six points and eight losses.

Melbourne Victory and Preston Lions played out a goalless draw in Bundoora, but not without drama, with John Radimisis seeing red in the 75th minute. Despite the man advantage, Preston couldn’t find a breakthrough, though the result snaps a three-game losing streak.

Green Gully grabbed a vital three points away at St Albans. Amar Abdallah gave Gully the lead in the 16th, but they were reduced to 10 men when Matthew Crooks received a second yellow in the 65th, just six minutes after the Saints' equaliser. Despite playing a man down, a Josh Hope strike in the 82nd minute gave Gully a gutsy win.

Knights in Crisis

It’s been a brutal run for the Melbourne Knights, and Saturday’s loss to Thunder was their seventh of the season. The Knights are now part of a growing cluster of clubs nervously glancing over their shoulder.

Joining them in the relegation scrap are Altona Magic and Port Melbourne, both of whom continue to struggle at both ends of the pitch.

League Table Snapshot

Avondale remain the side to catch, but the chasing pack of Oakleigh, Heidelberg, and Thunder are all locked five points behind and playing compelling football. Meanwhile, the bottom sides are increasingly in danger of being cut adrift.