With the largest match attendance in over twenty years packed in at Genis Steel Stadium last Friday evening, you could be forgiven for thinking that this week’s match of the round would involve a top-flight encounter involving Victoria’s unbeaten combatants.
But the story at the other end of the table could well see the first genuine encounter to influence this season’s relegation battle, as Port Melbourne Sharks host Melbourne Victory at their one-time home away from home.
Melbourne Victory are the genuine nomads of Victorian football at this level. Their first season in 2015 wasn’t just remarkable for the fact that they played all 28 of their NPL1 home-and-away fixtures away from home, but they achieved promotion via back-to-back playoffs to complete a remarkable debut. The club have called Epping Stadium home for much of their time since, until a move to The Home of The Matildas this season saw them join their A-Leagues Women contemporaries as co-tenants.
On the other side of the spectrum, JL Murphy Reserve has been the home of Port Melbourne since the club was formed by Greek migrants in 1968, and the club has enjoyed a fruitful time in the NPL, even if it has failed to secure silverware in any form.
Back-to-back finals appearances under Adam Piddick suggested that a title challenge was on the cards in 2024, but the club has struggled to find any consistency since his departure at the start of the season and were hopeful that John Markovski would bring the Midas touch to an overhauled youthful squad.
However, an upset win over Green Gully in Round 3 is all the Sharks have to show for their efforts, conceding ten goals against South Melbourne, Avondale, Oakleigh Cannons and Melbourne Knights. The fact that three of those clubs occupied the first three positions in the table suggest that an easier draw will follow, but Victory offer a sterner challenge than their position suggests, having shown promise despite their own leaky defence.
Back-to-back losses at the hands of the Cannons and Avondale were preceded by a thrilling 3-3 draw with last season’s Premiers in one of the stand-out matches of the season thus far. The kids have shown promise under Boris Seroshtan but have lacked the experience to finish matches, conceding a number of goals in the final fifteen minutes of play.
The Sharks can take confidence from their past record, having won both previous encounters against their opposition. However, with nine years since their last meeting and an early contested relegation battle unfolding, past results may not tell the full story.
And what a tense relegation battle it is going to be! Remember, three clubs will move to VPL1, so stakes are high, and this may prove to be a crucial match for both sides when it comes time to review the 2025 season in spring.
It’s rare that three points means so much at this early stage of the season, but for both these youthful squads, this could be the catalyst for an ascent up the NPL table.