Round 17 is here and with six big match-ups ahead of us, who will stand up and stake their claim for a spot in the top six as we head into the final 10 rounds?
Melbourne Knights v Port Melbourne Sharks
7:30 pm, Friday 16 June, Knights Stadium
The Knights continued in their winning ways with a victory over the Greens in Round 17 and Port Melbourne went down to Green Gully at home.
After losing grip on the top four, Port Melbourne has a golden chance to close the gap if they can claim all three points.
The Sharks will be desperate to bounce back following a disappointing performance against Green Gully and will need to ensure they prevent the Knights' midfield from getting forward after the Cavaliers were able to score through their dominance in the middle of the pitch last week.
Dan Edwards (midfielder) was a shining light in the loss for Port Melbourne, with Luca Tevere scoring his side's only goal for the match. This week they will come up against Knights' Luca Kolic who provided his fourth assist for the season last weekend, Jack Morton, and Mohammed Sumaoro who proved the difference in the match.
Jackson Courtney-Perkins returned to action for Port Melbourne last week and will form a dangerous frontline along with Dor Jok, but face stiff competition in Anthony Duzel, Steve Whyte, Corey Sewell, and Ivan Franjic.
After Port Melbourne gave up three midfield goals last week, Knights' Mohammed Sumaoro (Melbourne Knights) will cause the Sharks plenty of headaches as he has the best shot conversion of any player in the league.
Knights' forward line of Gevaro Nepomuceno, Gian Albano, and Ciaran Bramwell may prove too strong for the Sharks, but full-back Jalil Reagague, Ross Archibald, and Kristian Bombaci have been impressive this season and won't go down without a fight.
The Knights claimed all three points when they traveled to JL Murphy Reserve in Round 5, defeating the Sharks 3-2 courtesy of a Mohammed Sumaoro late winner.
Port Melbourne has been inconsistent of late, but can they re-find some form and stay intact with the top four?
Melbourne Knights defender Corey Sewell lunging for the football. Picture: MKFC Facebook
Green Gully v Altona Magic
8:00 pm, Friday 16 June, Green Gully Reserve
Altona won its first game in a month in Round 17, defeating Moreland City 3-0, while Green Gully also snapped a three-game losing streak to defeat Port Melbourne away from home.
Both sides played themselves into form last week, setting up a mammoth sixth v seventh clash with the winner claiming a spot inside the top six at the end of the round.
The Cavaliers reminded the competition how dangerous they can be with their convincing victory over the Sharks with more scoring options appearing in Nahuel Bonada and Adolph Koudakpo.
Pierce Waring has been one of the league's best forwards this season, but after going scoreless last week he would fancy his chances against Altona's Alex Castiello and Thomas Woerndl.
Taylor Schrijvers and James Doyle (Green Gully) will try to contain NPLM Golden Boot leader Jonas Markovski after the striker scored a brace last week to bring his season tally to 12 goals. His partner in crime Tommy Semmy once again tore up defence's last week as he set up his side's first goal with a blistering run into the box, setting up an interesting battle against Jordan Lampard.
Green Gully's Josh Hope (two assists) was influential in last week's victory while Gianluca Iannucci produced his eighth assist for the season. The creative duo alongside Nahuel Bonada will come up against the mercurial Cian Cuba (2 goals, 5 assists) Charlie Leech and Ashton Ahluwalia in midfield.
Green Gully won the last encounter between the two sides with Nahuel Bonada scoring the winning goal in the 2-1 victory.
In this massive clash with top six complications, which side can make it two wins in a row?
Oakleigh Cannons v St Albans Saints
8:30 pm, Friday 16 June, Jack Edwards Reserve
Oakleigh enjoyed a comfortable victory against Heidelberg at home last week, while St Albans regained their early season form in a big win against Hume City.
St Albans broke a three-game losing streak against Hume but winning two on the trot will be a tall task as they come up against the reigning Champions.
George Ott (6 goals in 2023) found the back of the net once again last week and will present a tough challenge for Cannons' full-back Brodie Boyce as he is dangerous in the air and on the ground when he is up and running.
Oakleigh's Alex Salmon was impressive up front last week, while Joe Guest played higher than usual and vindicated the decision with a goal to his name. Saints' defenders Michael Grgric, Chris Dib and Sean Timmins have been have been amongst their side's best all season, although this week will be no easy task.
The Cannons may get in control of this game through the midfield with Stefan Valentini full of confidence after a best-on-ground three-goal performance last weekend.
Brian Summerskill and Mouad Zwed will lead the way for the Saints but with the talented Dylan Clark, Chris Lucas, and Oliver Kubilay also making up the Cannons' midfield; Oakleigh's depth may prove too much to handle.
The two sides split the points when they met in Round 5, with Chris Dib (St Albans) and Stefan Valentini (Oakleigh) hitting the scoreboard.
Can St Albans continue its momentum, or will the Cannons continue its undefeated run?
Moreland City v Avondale
3:00 pm, Saturday 17 June, CB Smith Reserve
Avondale won its 15th game for the season in Round 17 and Moreland City fell to Altona.
The Avengers continue to flex its depth, with Joey Katebian providing another option up front in the absence of Manny Aguek, while Yousef Ahmed scored a brace in his first start in a while.
Yousef Ahmed repaid the faith in his return to the starting lineup against North Geelong with a brace and Zander Guy provided plenty of scoring options on the opposite wing.
Moreland's task of containing the dangerous Avondale attack has become even harder with full-back Michael Tzoutzidis getting a red card last week, putting even more pressure on Nicholas Bavcar to keep his opponents at bay.
Moreland's Apai Ukuno was impressive in defeat in the midfield alongside Jamie Latham and Corey Thomas and will come up against Stefan Zinni who played more centrally last week, Ayden Brice and Liston Diaz.
Moreland has only won one of its past 11 matches, but after scoring four goals in the last three weeks; three points may not be too far away. Fletcher Fulton (4 goals) James Hooper, Jamie Latham, and Apai Ukuno (3 goals) have all found the back of the net in recent weeks, and will all be options going forward.
Moreland will be hoping for a better showing than their Round 5 encounter when they were dismantled 5-0.
Will Avondale record yet another three points or can the underdogs salvage a point?
Dandenong Thunder v Bentleigh Greens
3:00 pm, Saturday 17 June, George Andrews Reserve
Dandenong fell just short of South Melbourne last week, and Bentleigh lost valiantly at home against the Knights.
The Thunder put up an almighty fight in the two-day thriller against South Melbourne last week and will be determined to return to the winners' list this week and return to the top six.
Dandenong Thunder Kasper Hallam forward has been on fire of late, being directly involved in six goals in his last five games, scoring three goals and making three assists across that period.
Geoffry Lino has also been damaging this season with five goals as has Kieran Dover (4 goals) and Leo Mazis. The same can't be said for Bentleigh who have converted only 7% of their total shots into goals in the 2023 NPL Victoria Men season, the lowest return of any team in the competition.
Bentleigh's Ben Carrigan and Jackson Morgan will need to carefully mark Thunder midfield duo Scott Lochhead (1 goal, 3 assists) and Grad Damen (6 goals, 1 assist) who have been pivotal in Dandeong's forward play this year.
The Thunder beat the Greens 3-0 in Round 5 with two first-half goals setting the tone for the victory.
Will Bentleigh record their fifth victory in six matches against the Thunder or will Dandenong make it two wins over the Greens for season 2023?
Hume City v North Geelong Warriors
6:30 pm, Saturday 17 June, Hume City Stadium
Hume City was convincingly beaten last Sunday by St Albans, while North Geelong lost to the ladder leaders on the road.
After a spirited performance against Avondale two weeks ago, Hume dished up a disappointing performance against St Albans, going down 3-0.
North Geelong has gone scoreless in its past three matches, with striker Luke Zivcic the club's highest goal scorer with two for the season with experienced Hume defenders Tomas Maricic and Hayden Tennant experienced enough to keep the young forward quiet.
This week could be the week Warriors' midfielder Caleb Mikulic finds the back of the net, as he has made 27 shots at goal this year, the most of any player yet to score a goal this campaign.
Josh Bingham (4 goals) with play up front for Hume with Dylan McGlade (3 goals) playing in attacking midfield, while Jewad Rezai (5 goals) and Yagoub Mustafa (3 goals) will play on the wings.
Dylan McGlade has made 12 carries ending in a scoring chance created this season, the joint-most of any team in the competition and three times as many as any North Geelong Warriors player.
North Geelong defenders Charlie Fleming, George Ellis, and Anthony Banovac will put up a fight, but the Hume attack may be too much to handle as the Warriors have conceded eight shots more than they’ve made per game this season.
Aden Gardner continues to perform for North Geelong through midfield, but the task appears too great this week as he comes up against Hume's Ben Bowler, Mark Ocheing, and Matthew Lazarides.
Hume defeated the Warriors 4-0 earlier this season led by Brandon Lauton who scored a brace.
With five losses from its past six matches, is Hume primed for the picking for the cellar-dwelling Warriors?
Heidelberg United v South Melbourne
7:30 pm, Wednesday 16 August, Olympic Village
This clash has been postponed until August due to Olympic Village undergoing works unplanned work earlier than expected to prepare the ground for the FIFA Women's World Cup.
NPLM fans will need to wait a little longer to see the rematch much-anticipated Round 5 rematch where Heidelberg's shocked the second-placed South Melbourne 2-0 victory in Round 5 in head coach George Karatsis' milestone game.