Review
Throw away the home ground advantage theory because it was a round where six of the seven home teams lost, and one drew. Correct. NOT ONE HOME WIN. Because of that, only 3/7 tips were correct, though two correct scorelines ain’t too bad.
Port Melbourne 0 defeated by Northcote 2 (predicted 0-2, result and scoreline correct, aww yeah)
Oakleigh Cannons 1 defeated by Pascoe Vale 2 (predicted 2-0, wrong)
North Geelong Warriors 0 defeated by Hume City 1 (predicted 1-1, wrong)
Dandenong Thunder 1 defeated by Melbourne Knights 2 (predicted 1-2, result and scoreline correct, woohoo)
Werribee City 0 defeated by Green Gully 2 (predicted 2-1, wrong)
Heidelberg United 1 drew with Avondale FC 1 (predicted 2-1, wrong)
South Melbourne 0 defeated by Bentleigh Greens 1 (predicted 1-3, correct result)
***
Hume City FC (5th) vs Dandenong Thunder SC (13th)
The form
Hume City have had a good few weeks, turning around a 1-3 defeat against Northcote with consecutive 1-0 victories over Oakleigh and North Geelong. Sandwiched in between has been an FFA Cup victory over Kingston, capping off a tiring but rewarding period. Dandenong, on the other hand, have really struggled with four defeats on the trot and are deeply entrenched in a relegation battle.
The players to watch
If you haven’t seen Brodie Paterson‘s goal last week, you’ve either been living under a rock or you lead a busy life and haven’t time to see the video highlights or the news articles about it. Here’s a gif for your convenience:
Meanwhile, City captain Nick Hegarty is said to have such good vision and passing range that he can pick out a teammate from one end of the Hume to the other. His leadership in a busy period has also been outstanding.
The prediction
With Hume currently running on momentum and adrenaline, that should be enough to see off a desperate Thunder at home. 2-0 to the hosts.
Pascoe Vale (6th) vs North Geelong Warriors FC (14th)
The form
Pascoe Vale are in a real purple patch at this point in the season, sitting pretty in 6th after a four game unbeaten run that has seen them knock off Oakleigh, Northcote and Port Melbourne. Following their win over Gully, North Geelong have been competitive without taking points, losing to Knights and Hume, with goalscoring issues still haunting the team.
The players to watch
Matthew Lazarides was buzzing around on the wing for Pascoe Vale, scoring the winner at Oakleigh and earning a team of the week spot. For North Geelong, Mark Paleka was back last week for the first time since Round 8, and while it may not have much bearing on the season’s outcome, it’s nice to see him back fit and firing on the pitch.
The prediction
Slowly giving up on tipping the Warriors for a late season revival, though they did beat Pascoe Vale in the Cup, so by all means may prove me wrong. I’ll still go with 1-0 to Paco.
Oakleigh Cannons FC (8th) vs Port Melbourne Sharks SC (11th)
The form
The Cannons have stuttered recently amid fairly packed fixtures with the FFA Cup. It’s two defeats now to Pascoe Vale and Hume City. It could be worse, though. Just ask the Sharks, who have gone from razor sharp at the beginning of the season to somewhat toothless recently, allowing every team to take a nibble at them. It was Northcote last week with a 2-0 victory.
The players to watch
Oakleigh’s Tremayne Sadler is a player with a name that wouldn’t be out of place in the NBA, and the left-back has kind of gone under the radar, but is capable of getting forward and scoring a goal alongside his defensive duties. Meanwhile, Port’s Andrew Milicevic, a player we’ve featured before, was reinstated into the Sharks’ XI recently and is the type of creative player that can help them out of their goalscoring drought.
The prediction
Both teams have struggled in recent times, but the Sharks seem to be in freefall now, and an Oakleigh on the rebound doesn’t seem like the team to give away an easy three points. If anything, it’ll be the Cannons with a 3-1 confidence booster.
South Melbourne FC (2nd) vs Heidelberg United FC (3rd)
The form
Perhaps for the first time this season we’ll say these two teams only picked up one point between them in a round. South succumbed to Bentleigh 3-1, while the Bergers dropped two points in the 92nd minute against Avondale, settling for a 1-1 draw, which follows a 0-4 defeat against the Greens in a bit of a lean league patch.
The players to watch
Steven Pace has still got it for Heidleberg, scoring against Avondale and putting in a tireless shift at the back each week. Michael Eagar is one of the league’s most capable defenders, always giving his all for Hellas on the pitch. But when it comes to FFA Cup media appearances, the Kiwi seems… a bit disinterested.
The prediction
A big occasion for a big derby, but these two depleted teams may just play out a tired 1-1 draw.
Avondale FC (9th) vs Northcote City FC (7th)
The form
Northcote are doing the whole WLWLW thing, but the crucial three points against teams around them such as Port Melbourne, Hume City and Green Gully sees them propel themselves to 7th, one place out of the top six. Avondale are unbeaten in five games, but have only won once in that time, with four draws – important draws nonetheless – accompanying them.
The players to watch
Fraser Siddall has been in good form, keeping Chris Maynard waiting in the wings since making the switch from Heidelberg. He put in a standout appearance to deny the Bergers last week. For Northcote, Marino Gasparis was exceptional against Port, striking in a lovely free kick and is always one of City’s most dangerous players.
The prediction
Ooh, tough one. Northcote’s next result in their current sequence should be a loss, and Avondale are currently difficult to break down, so maybe a scrappy 1-0 win to the hosts.
Green Gully SC (10th) vs Bentleigh Greens SC (1st)
The form
With Gully looking like they could be a relegation candidate a fortnight ago, they dispatched Dandenong and Werribee in consecutive weeks to all but confirm they’ll be steering clear of the drop this season. Bentleigh, on the other hand, all but confirmed they are 2015 title favourites with wins over Heidelberg and South Melbourne in the same period. But you wouldn’t know it if you were SEN pundit Ed Wyatt, seemingly thinking the Greens only compete in Cup competitions:
The players to watch
There are plenty of names in form for Bentleigh, with Ruthven and McCormick keeping Wallace out in his return from injury, but Jack Webster has been the one constant all season, an absolute rock at centre-back. Matthew Breeze is currently Gully’s player to watch, completing two team of the week appearances in a row with classy performances in the front third.
The prediction
In the battle of the Greens, it’s hard to see anything other than a Bentleigh victory, even if away. 2-0 to the visitors.
Melbourne Knights FC (4th) vs Werribee City FC (12th)
The form
Werribee are a hard one to assess. They were good without winning games at the beginning of the season, then they won a few, then they fell away again. They’re now on four defeats on the trot. At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Knights have made the most of a run of games against teams in the lower half of the table, winning four in a row against Northcote, Green Gully, North Geelong, and Thunder.
The players to watch
The departure of Andrew Barisic could be a blessing for Stipo Andrijasevic, who now has two goals from two games, albeit the last one coming from the penalty spot. Werribee again seem to be suffering their goalscoring yips, but Kobbie Boahene is the type of player whose creativity can help create the chances required to score.
The prediction
The Knights are generally pretty good at putting away teams below them on the ladder, and will probably do so again with a 2-0 victory over Werribee.