Sorrento were pretty terrible, rotten luck with the red card but they literally didn't have one single decent player, a few really tall blokes that could be dangerous from set pieces and that's it, they would probably get relegated in npl vic. We were nothing special either but didn't need to be to comfortably beat them.

Hopefully an A league team in the quarter final.

Watching Heidelberg v SU58 was one of the better games I've seen in matches between two NPL teams.

I liked SU58's midfield work on the ball from Panny Nickas,  Glen Trifiro and Stavraloukas?. IMO both the former duo are good enough for HAL squad players.

Trifiro was too one foot and one side of the body reliant with CCM. Neverthleless, last night he played a lovely  left foot killer pass that split a line and the entire Heidelberg defence, but the forward didn't  read it. I'm surprised he was demoted from CCM regular straight to the NPL, rather than  be a HAL squad player.

Nickas definitely looks good enough for the  HAL. He is two footed, has good vision, decent technique and made a few terrific tackles and steals. His off the ball running was good too. Then again, Josh McDonald has similar qualities and he was surprisingly released by WSW. 

A player of Nickas's quality is a great argument  for  an expanded HAL, or HAL 2. He is too good for NPL football. We need more professional teams. 


Athiu, the big Heidelberg central striker was a handful. He had a decent first touch  and controlled some difficult balls in tight spaces. He could be a HAL player.  

Also,  the red haired, left footed Scottish player could be a  future HAL prospect. Embarrassing the Scottish bloke only plays village football in Scotland!


I liked SU58's midfield play last night. There was some slick interplay usually featuring Nickas, and/or Trifiro. SU58 played some steady build ups, with a lot of diagonal passes, featuring some very deft work in tight spaces.

Against Tasmanian teams, SU58 seem to have dropped to the level of the opposition. Against SFC and Heidelberg in national cup games, SU58 look like  a decent team, currently very strong in midfield,  but a bit  weak in defence and attack.



The former HAL players who seem to have gone backwards, or stagnated, were SU58's Pain and Sims, and Heidelberg's Adrian Zahra and Pace. Very disappointing, particularly Zahra and Pain who showed a degree of precocious talent some years ago.

On another note, South Hobart's Kosta Kanakiris has improved since he has joined Heidelberg. His opponents considered him a diver in the Tassie NPL.

Shame to read your appraisal of Sorrento.

In games against Tasmanian NPL teams, South Melb have also been terrible. The same as SU58. 

I'm looking forward to seeing South Melb play better against a higher calibre team in the next round. SU58 have played a lot better against higher calibre opposition. They were good last night.

A few years ago Sorrento played a decent defensive team against a HAL side - it might have been SFC.

I thought there wasn't much in it. It was a close, hard fought, well contested game. It could've gone either way.

SU58 played better football, but Heidelberg may have been a little better organised and more compact in defence, and had more of a cutting edge in attack.

SU58 received my tick of approval for playing some decent passing football last night - a rarity for a NPL team. Their midfield play in build ups was easy on the eye in possession.

Just looking up Panny Nikas' carer, he had a stint with CCM in 2009 and played 3 games. I'm not sure if it was Arnie or McKinna who coached CCM then? I think it was the latter.

Then he played 18 games with NQF.

Although he is now 29, I think he would be more comfortable in the HAL now. The league is now more technical with more teams building up through the  midfield. This would suit Nikas' game, although the wrong age for HAL recruitment.

Disappointing to go out on penalties but it is what it is. I thought that over the 120mins it was an extremely even contest in terms of chances.

Sim probably should've had a double, Heidelberg hit the crossbar twice, we missed an open goal at the start of the second period of ET. 

On their end, Athiu was extremely dangerous and difficult to handle. Can see why he's being touted as a potential pick-up for an A-League side. As decentric mentioned, their redhead looked good too. They were probably slightly more organised than us and looked a more comfortable for longer periods but we put together better spells of possession but we werent able to sustain them for long periods. 

Our equaliser was a brilliant piece of football - lovely driven ball from halfway into Trifiro who controlled it, turned and then timed and weighted his ball to Vranic to perfection. Great finish too. 

After Nikas put his penalty over it just felt inevitable. Manos went the wrong way every single time. He's got a pretty good record on penalties so I was confident he would at least keep one out. Maybe he would've managed to get to the last one if we had put the pressure back on their last taker. 

Decent crowd for an interstate NPL match-up and Heidelberg turned up in great numbers. Respect. 

Correct: http://www.aleaguestats.com/ALeagueStats_27MatchDetails_1505.html

Yep, probably missed the boat but certainly should've been given another crack at some point. Technically he's as good as anybody in the A-League bar a few top exceptions. If he'd been given a couple of years to adapt to the physical side of professional football in his mid-20s he probably would've got there eventually. 

The A-League's loss has been our gain over the last 3 years. I've heard he's re-signed for next year, hope that is the case. 

As i said we were nothing special..they were just extremely poor, they have one tactic which is hang high balls to the back post and use the tall timber to create havoc, when we put the ball down they were cooked. We have better players in every position but again thats not saying much. I would rate them as the worst interstate team we have played over the years. To be fair to them the tactics they use probably work on the smaller grounds in perth, but on the wide open spaces of lakeside they looked clueless.

Confirms my watching of the game overall.
When SU were on it they played out from the back far better than Bergs.
IMO Bergs used more hoof ball than I epected for a winning PL club this season.
I suspect their tall striker won much ball through the season that way.
Overall, yes chances created by both teams but imo SU's style of play should have won the day but not to be.
The late equaliser was magic to watch.
Payne was not in the game enough.
Bergs defense was SU's stumbling block but for all of Nikas's class his missed pen was a shocking miss being first up, why not low hard into the corners a given 90% of the time.

Honestly how good was that Sydney United and Heidelberg game though. Too good for semi pro football. Imagine how good these guys would be playing and training in a professional environment. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

What was the crowd, SC?

Times are changing. I probably agree with very word in your post!

Based on quality of football, along with APIA and Bentleigh Greens, I have a bit of a liking for SU58 because of the style of football they play.

To be fair to Heidelberg playing on synthetic pitches is a foreign concept to teams here in Victoria, only one team in npl vic has one in bulleen and most teams struggle to beat them on it. Also Heidelberg were coming off a game 3 days earlier, Sydney united had a lengthy rest having not made the nswpl finals. I think Sydney united would be dissapointed they didn't get over the line here.

What does that say about Brisbane?

I think a player like Nikas is a real waste of talent because he is not playing in the HAL. It is also good to see a player with technical quality, which is sadly lacking in so many past HAL players. The best Aussie players should be playing in the best league.

In the past Nikas may have been appraised as not being physical enough for the likes of McKinna.

I think Glen Trifiro is unlucky not to be playing HAL too -  at least as a squad player.

Nikas's style of play reminds me of SFC's Ninkovic a little.

and well done Adelaide......

It is the best game I've seen between two NPL teams.

I think when one views the game last night between these two teams, the way APIA played against Olympia in Tas, and Bentleigh Greens usually perform,  plus Blacktown, these teams have closed the gap on HAL teams.

It would be interesting to see them play when the HAL is in full swing and A League players are match fit.

Yet this quality player isn't even in the HAL!

No point in him going to the HAL now when he can earn more staying in the NPL

At this stage this is not the point. He's past it so to speak but his quality is for all to see.
Decentric just making the point he is good enough.
D, you made the point re McKinna possibly thinking his physicality is not up to HIS liking way back then.
This is my bitch of coach's/trails etc - what one sees is not what may become. Too many look for the physical aspect at YL/PL level.

These teams seem to really produce top football for the cup, i know you dont rate us but we comprehensively beat bentleigh 2-0 the other week and we smashed heidelberg 3-0 at aami park about 2 months ago. We just cant produce that level of football in cup games frustratingly. They seem to turn it on for the cameras.

The A league teams from this stage onwards should make light work of the remaining npl teams.

I know SM wants an AL team next round but I think GCC at home would be the best match. The seem like the easiest team left and werent so imprssive in their match. Also if you get a cold night it would help. 

I think the next 4 games all the away teams will win. A good ride to the semis could be on the cards and if you are going to upset an AL league clubs its better to do it in the semi than 1/4 final. Cant see FFA giving you an eventual home final though. Not sure if it is in the rules, but FFA would probably change it anyway. 

Crowd numbers for last night? 

Really? The goss doing the rounds is he's linking about with old mate Tseka & Flea next year


Weird that it hasn't caught on in Victoria. 8/12 grounds in PL1 will be synthethic in NSW next season. Only Belmore, Gong (will never be bcos rugby league) Marconi & Bonnyrigg


Adelaide - Victory  = 3342

MBU - GCC = 1032

SU58-Bergers = 2513

South - Sorrento = 939

The south crowd figure of 939 is from the outdoor entrance gate/public.

Those that were scanned through the social club (club members, corporates and VIPs) are not included in the figure, like last years grand final the ffv screw up again. Am hearing the official figure may be changed in the coming days.

Well if it doesnt ill be disappointed. 

Feels like a bit of scrambling going on.
The biggest club in the country should get minimum the second lowest crowd of the round.

Weather was horrid, if South got 2,500 it would be a decent result midweek against another NPL side.

Hoping you guys draw a HAL side next round, that will be the real crowd test.

I think this is simply shocking.

Many South Melb supporters constantly talk up their HAL credentials.They  claim they average crowds of circa 4 000 for big games. Based on this I thought they had  decent claims for HAL inclusion.

A game against Sorrento in the biggest comp for any NPL club in Australia draws such small crowds at SM.  

Tasmania draws much bigger crowds for games against mainland clubs. 1300 was considered a dismal failure for Olympia v APIA compared to 2 500 for the state FFA Cup Final between Olympia and Knights.