Round 16 is right around the corner, who will stand up and who will be left searching for answers, as we head into the pointy end of the season?
Melbourne Knights v South Melbourne
7:30 pm, Friday, June 2, Knights Stadium
The Knights split the points with Oakleigh in Round 15, while South Melbourne defeated Green Gully at home.
Both teams come into this clash, full of confidence with South Melbourne winning its past eight matches and the Knights only losing one of its past 11 games.
South Melbourne has been in scintillating form in recent weeks but was pushed to the very end against the Cavaliers, settling for a 1-0 victory courtesy of a nice finish by Jack Painter-Andrews.
The Knights (ranked equal sixth for goals) will have a chance of a result if they restrict South's scoring power, which hasn't realised its potential this season. Dangerous winger Max Mikkola boasts the best positive differential of expected goals in the league and will be a tough match-up alongside imposing striker Ajak Riak (seven goals) who has ripped games open this season.
Captain Ivan Franjic has led from the front in the defence for the Knights, alongside Mitch Hore and Corey Sewell (3 goals) who has shown the ability to be a goal-scoring option.
Ciaran Bramwell (6 goals) is the Knights' best offensive weapon up front, while midfielder Gian Albano (6 goals) has created the second-most amount of scoring chances in the league. Jake Marshall will be handed the task of stopping Bramwell, while Morgan Evans (left-back) who was outstanding in last week's win will likely come up match-up against Gevaro Nepomuceno.
After doing a fine job against the Cannons last week, Knights' midfielders Josh Phelps, and Steve Whyte are faced with the difficult task of containing South's Marco Jankovic, Jack Painter-Andrews, and Alun Webb who are all dangerous in front of goal when given the chance.
South Melbourne defeated the Knights in Round 3 at Lakeside Stadium with Pat Langlois scoring the decisive goal.
In a original derby, which team will reign supreme and close the gap on Avondale at the top of the ladder?
Green Gully v Bentleigh Greens
8:00 pm, Friday, 2 June, Green Gully Reserve
Bentleigh lost to Moreland City at home last week and Green Gully suffered its third consecutive defeat against South Melbourne.
Green Gully has been forced to play their stars out of position in recent weeks due to necessity, but if they are going to get back onto the winners' list, they will need their front liners to gain some form against the struggling Greens outfit.
Josh Hope (7 goals, 2 assists) played more defensively last weekend, but his side will need him at his offensive best against Bentleigh. Gianluca Iannucci (1 goal, 6 assists) started the clash with South on the bench, but the Cavaliers need his creativity on the ball through midfield.
Bentleigh's midfield of Tom Strickland, Mario Barcia and Scott Hilliar was dominated last week by Moreland, making it an interesting watch to see how they respond against the talented Green Gully side.
The Greens will be looking to get the ball to Alexander Baker who has the best cross accuracy of any player in the league, while the speed and football smarts of Chris Theodorakopoulos will make the Cavaliers' defence concerned.
Bentleigh's Ben Carrigan and Alec Mills will play crucial roles this week, trying to contain Pierce Waring (8 goals) and Nahuel Bonada.
In Round 3, Green Gully defeated the Greens at Kingston Heath with goals from Josh Hope and Pierce Waring.
Will Bentleigh respond following their loss to Moreland or can Green Gully avoid a fourth defeat and biggest losing run in three seasons?
Oakleigh Cannons v Dandenong Thunder
8:30 pm, Saturday, 3 May, Jack Edwards Reserve
In Round 15, Dandenong dismantled St Albans and Oakleigh was forced to settle for a draw with the Knights.
Dandenong will be looking to catch Oakleigh off-guard this week, as the two goals the Cannons gave up last week resulted from fast breaks from turnovers.
Mersim Memeti and Kasper Hallam have combined for three goals in Dandenong's last four matches, while Leo Mazis has illustrated his speed and skill with three goals this season and will need to be closely marked.
Grad Damen (four goals, one assist) has also been superb for Dandenong in left-back creating many chances for his side with his pin-point passing.
Cannons' full-backs Brodie Boyce and Brandon Lundy will be disappointed they let two goals slip last week and will be out to prove a point against the unpredictable Thunder attack.
On the other end, Dandenong's backline will need to be on high alert, with Joe Guest (20+) creating the most scoring chances from set pieces in the league, while Oakleigh has an astonishing nine multiple-goal scorers making them so hard to defend.
Midfielder Geoffry Lino has had the second most touches inside the opposition's box this season and will need to once again provide cover against the defending Champions attack.
Dandenong's Scott Lochhead, Michael Boffey and Luke Adams (1 goal) were superb through the midfield against the Saints last week, but coming up against Guest, Cameron McGilp and Stefan Valentini will be far more difficult.
The last time the two sides met, Oakleigh defeated Dandenong 2-1, with Connor Hampson scoring a 90th-minute winner.
Heidelberg United v St Albans Saints
8:30 pm, Saturday, 3 June, Olympic Village
St Albans fell to Dandenong at home last week, while Heidelberg claimed all three points against Hume City.
The Bergers will look to string two wins together against the Saints and move into top six calculations after gaining some confidence in Round 15.
Heidelberg's Kenny Athiu rose to the occasion last week, scoring his first goal for the season in the Berger's 1-0 victory. The striker's goal continues Heidelberg's 100% record this season of scoring goals inside the box (15/15)
With only 15 goals scored for the season, Heidelberg will need to continue to work on its forward craft if they are going to be competitive with the top sides.
The Saints will regain key midfielder Joey Monek (2 goals, 2 assists) this week after copping a red card in Round 14 and will partner with Ivan Razumic and Sean Timmins against Heidelberg's key playmaker Josh Pinn and Deion Nikolaidis.
Key striker George Ott (2nd in the league for duels) missed last week's clash; however, the Saints will be sweating on his availability with the striker their most reliable scoring option with five goals for the season.
The Saints will be without keeper Jasko Keranovic after picking up a red card last week and will also be sweating on the selection of George Ott, who was absent in last week's clash with the Thunder. The Striker ranks in the top five for duels won and is the team's leading goal scorer.
St Albans defeated Heidelberg 1-0 in Round 3, with George Ott scoring the winning goal.
Can Heidelberg continue its momentum from its big win last weekend or will they their forgetful season continue?
Moreland City v Port Melbourne Sharks
3:00 pm, Saturday, 3 June, CB Smith Reserve
Moreland defeated Bentleigh last week, as Port Melbourne easily brushes past North Geelong.
Port Melbourne remained in the top five following their win over the Warriors with Kristian Bombaci, Jalil Regague and Ross Archibald playing fantastic games in defence. This week they will come up against Fletcher Fulton and Apai Ukuno who both found the back of the net in against the Greens.
Port Melbourne forward Mohamed Adam scored his second goal of the season last week and will line up alongside Dor Jok up forward in the absence of Chris Duggan, who has been the Sharks' most potent forward with 7 goals.
George Mells, Dan Edwards, Luka Tevere and Valli Cesnik played starring roles in their sides demolition of North Geelong and will continue to be a catalyst for the Sharks moving forward. Moreland's Jamie Latham continued his terrific season with a goal in Moreland's 3-1 over Bentleigh, but coming up against the shear strength of the Port Melbourne midfield may prove too much.
Port Melbourne and Moreland drew when they met in Round 3 earlier this season, with Chris Theodorakopoulos clinching the point for Moreland with a second-half goal.
Can Moreland jump out of the bottom three, or will Port Melbourne give themselves some breathing space within the top six?
North Geelong Warriors v Altona Magic
3:00 pm, Saturday, 3 June, Elcho Park
North Geelong was defeated by Port Melbourne last week, while Altona fell to Avondale in a high-scoring affair.
Altona has lost five of its past six matches and is starting to lose a grip on the top six, making this week's match a must-win for the Magic.
Jonas Markovski (#1 NPLM for goals) continued his goal-scoring form, scoring two late goals against Avondale to give the ladder leaders a late scare, and will be a tough match-up for Marvin Brauweiler or Charlie Fleming if he comes back into the side after missing Round 15.
Altona winger Tommy Semmy hasn't found the back of the net for three weeks and will be eager to regain some form against the cellar-dwellers. Anthony Banovac (ranked top three for clearances in NPLM) will come up against the crafty forward and will need to be at his defensive best to ensure Semmy doesn't get in behind the North Geelong defence.
North Geelong's midfield of Nikola Jurkovic and Aden Gardner will need to prevent the influence of Altona's key playmaker Cian Cuba (2 goals, 4 assists) who has created the second-most scoring shots in the NPLM.
In Round 15, North Geelong had Luka Jurkovic and Ryan Oppoerman playing up front, but with neither player yet to register their first goal they may look to the versatile Steve Fidele to provide a spark on the wing or midfielders Aden Gardner and Luke Zivcic (2 goals) to push forward and create an option.
Altona defeated North Geelong when they faced off in Round 3 this year, with Jonas Markovski scoring the winning goal.
Can Altona get back on track on their hunt for the top six or will North Geelong continue the Magic's bad run of form continues?
Hume City v Avondale
6:30 pm, Saturday, 3 June, Hume City Stadium
Last Friday night, Hume City was defeated by Heidelberg, and the following night Altona managed to get two goals past Avondale but ultimately by three goals.
Hume City would have been devastated they came away from Olympic Village without a point last week, making it back-to-back losses for the first time since June 2022.
Avondale gave up two late goals against Altona last week, which would give the Hume forwards belief they can score if given the chance.
If Hume are going to break the Avengers, they will need to stretch their defence and take the game to the ladder-leaders. Last week, Kaan Eibol played up front, with Josh Bingham (4 goals, 1 assist) and the talented Dylan McGlade was an unused substitute.
Hume will likely deploy Jewad Rezai (5 goals) and Matthew Lazarides/Yagoub Mustafa on the wings, which should create plenty of headaches for Dilon Jakupi and Blake Carpenter.
Avondale's Kristian Trajceski (5 goals, 7 assists) and Yitay Towns have created a dangerous midfield partnership, creating a massive challenge for Ben Bowler and Mark Ochieng of Hume.
Hume full-back Tomas Maricic and Hayden Tennant will have their hands full this week, with Striker Liam Boland rekindling his early season form when he scored from the spot last week to notch his 100th career goal, while Stefan Zinni and Zander Guy lead the league in goals with nine for the season.
The home side will be hoping Brandon Lauton can return to the starting line-up to provide some defensive cover after missing their Round 15 clash with Avondale forward Manny Aguek also a dangerous threat as he has not only scored seven goals but provided seven assists.
Avondale defeated Hume 3-2 when they met earlier this season, Liam Boland scored the winning goal in the 74th minute.