In the current National Premier League Men’s (NPLM) format, finishing first or second on the ladder affords you both home field advantage and a week to rest and prepare for your Preliminary Final tilt.
But there will be no rest this weekend for our NPLM ladder toppers Avondale and Heidelberg, as their push for national level silverware in the Hahn Australia Cup continues and A-League opposition await.
That’s just one of the exciting top-flight narratives Victorian football fans have ahead of them this weekend.
NPLW Super Saturday
It’s the final regular season round for the National Premier League Womens (NPLW) competition, and there is still plenty on the line.
As we do every year, all six fixtures will be played simultaneously – Saturday 3pm – setting up a good old fashioned Super Saturday.
While Heidelberg have already locked up the Premiership and our top four sides are confirmed, our second, third and fourth teams can still move up and down.
In what could very well be a preview of one of our two Preliminary Finals, fourth placed Essendon host the Bergers at Cross Keys Reserve. Essendon are just two points behind Box Hill and hold the slimmest of leads in goal difference. A win over Heidelberg and a Box Hill stumble could see Essendon jump to third.
But don’t expect Box Hill to coast into Preliminary Final weekend. A win over Preston at Wembley Park, could see them leap-frog Bulleen into second place and pinch home field advantage off the Lions.
Similar to Essendon, Box Hill would need Bulleen to lose to the bottom placed Brunswick Juventus if they want to make up the two points they trail them by. Stranger things have happened, but it would be an impressive upset indeed.
Make sure you get down and cheer on your favourite sides this weekend. Otherwise, catch every match of 2025’s Round 22 NPLW Super Saturday live on the NPL Victoria YouTube channel.
NPLM Elimination Finals
It’s Elimination Finals time in the NPLM, and our two matchups could not be bigger.
We kick things off at 6pm on Saturday night with the biggest Dandy Derby yet, as Dandenong City look to do something they have yet to achieve since their inception – beat their cross-town rivals Dandenong Thunder.
At times this season, the Thunder were right in the mix with Avondale and Heidelberg in the Premiership race. Their two-pronged attack of Yuki Ushida and Hassan Jalloh has helped the Thunder score 60 regular season goals, good for second most, and they have lost just one match at home this season.
Undoubtedly, Dandenong City come into this one as underdogs, but underestimate City at your own peril. They have finished the season as strong as anyone, having not lost a game since Round 17, and leading goal scorer Kenjok Athiu seems to have found some of that early season form of late.
The elephant in the room is the stat mentioned earlier – in their 16 meetings, City have never beaten Thunder. But wouldn’t this be the perfect time to snap that streak?
We then move to Sunday’s matchup between two of the biggest clubs in the state. A monumental clash between Oakleigh Cannons and Preston Lions at Jack Edwards Reserve from 2:30pm.
For Oakleigh, the equation is simple, if they want any hope of defending their crown, they must first tame a Preston side full of belief and momentum. Back in the top flight for the first time in years, the Lions see this as their moment to rise and reclaim their place among Victoria’s elite.
While every second of this match will be streamed live and free on the NPL Victoria YouTube channel, the atmosphere at the ground promises to be something really special. If you can get your hands on tickets, this is a match not to be missed.
Hahn Australia Cup Semi Finals
And if all that wasn't enough for you, both of the Australia Cup Semi Final matches will be played right here in Victoria, as Heidelberg host Auckland FC on Saturday night and Avondale take on the Newcastle Jets on Sunday.
Heidelberg has arguably been the best performing side since the tournament transitioned to the national stage. They are yet to concede a goal in the Round of 32, Round of 16 and Quarter Finals and have dispatched not one but two A-League sides along the way.
Now they’ve got a third A-League club in their sights, as new kids on the block Auckland FC make the trip to Olympic Village for a Saturday night blockbuster.
While Avondale can’t claim to have snuffed the Australia Cup dreams of any A-League sides, they certainly have looked impressive throughout.
A 5-1 win over Stirling Macedonia saw them through to the Round of 16 where they took care of Sydney powerhouse APIA Leichhardt 3-1. Manny Aguek was the star in the Avengers 6-2 demolition of Brisbane City in the Quarter Finals, scoring the first three goals of the match.
The win now sets up a huge clash with the Newcastle Jets at Avenger Park at 3pm.
Should one of these two sides win through to the Cup Final, it would be the first time an NPL Victoria side has played in the Final in the A-League era. Surprisingly, if both sides were to win through, it would be the first time the Australia Cup Final was an all-Victorian team affair in the A-League era.
Both of these games will be streamed live on Paramount+ and tickets are available directly through both clubs.