Late winners, blowouts and a derby dagger: NPL VIC doesn’t miss

Round 10 action in NPL Victoria had everything. Statement wins, late chaos and a derby decided at the death.

South Melbourne kept rolling, brushing aside St Albans Dinamo 4–0 with a ruthless second-half surge, even while juggling continental commitments.

Oakleigh Cannons matched the statement, dismantling rivals Bentleigh Greens 4–0 to extend their unbeaten run to five, with Chris Taylor’s side building serious momentum.

Hume City got their response, edging Melbourne City 1–0 as Godfrey Debele proved the difference in the second half to snap their two-game slide, while Preston Lions delivered one of the most dominant performances of the round, thrashing winless Green Gully 4–0.

A first-half red card to Thomas Woerndl opened the door, and Preston stormed through it, with Lleyton Brooks and Matthew Bozinovski doing the early damage in a ruthless burst in a forgettable bow for new Cavaliers boss Andy Vargas.

Caroline Springs George Cross left it late, very late, with centurion Morgan Filer rescuing a point in the 96th minute against Altona Magic, but the biggest moments came at the death elsewhere.

Marcus Humbert lit up the round, striking in the 90th minute to lift Heidelberg United past Avondale in a heavyweight clash, cancelling out a stunning effort from Blake Carpenter, while in the Dandenong derby, Laat Manyec delivered the final word - a stoppage-time winner that handed Thunder the bragging rights and silenced their rivals Dandenong City 1-0.

South are flying. Oakleigh are building. And across the league, games aren’t finished until the final whistle.

It is also worth noting the significance of that Heidelberg fixture as the 2025 Australia Cup finalists rallied around club great Ange Goutzioulis, who recently shared his MND diagnosis. The Bergers dedicated the Round 10 match to Ange in a bid to raise funds.

And there were touching scenes between both teams at the full-time whistle.