"Johnny A is the best coach outside the A-League" - or so goes the conventional wisdom. But after Heidelberg's 7-0 aggregate win over two A-League sides in the Australia Cup, has he surpassed some of his professional counterparts? 

Josh, Lachie and Ivka break down the Bergers' cup triumph over Wellington, as well as a heartbreaking 1-1 stoppage time draw with Oakleigh that leaves Avondale with the upper hand on the final day. 

Over at Frank Holohan, the only thing more disgraceful than the state of the playing surface was the listless performances of the Knights players. The 7-1 shellacking confirms their first relegation since the 1970s - where did it all go so wrong? 

Plus, Preston eke out a 1-0 win at Gully thanks to Ryan Scott's heroics, a Sean Ellis masterclass keeps Bentleigh in prime position for promotion, and Northcote selfishly ruin the final day drama in VPL1.

The NPL Victoria Podcast is brought to you in 2025 by Melville Bodyworks, located at 106 Melville Rd Brunswick West. For all your panel beating and smash repairs, give them a call on 8378-5555, or visit melvillebodyworks.com.au - and let them know we sent you!

We’re also excited to announce that Content Hype are supporting the show!

From website management and club newsletters, to matchday photography, videography and social media, Content Hype will tailor a package that suits your club's needs.

Visit contenthype.com.au to find out how we can help you raise your game.

Enjoying the show? Keep in touch via our socials!

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➤ Tell Lachie he's wrong here: @lachieflannigan
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➤ Keep up with Ivka's transfer scoops here: @mivkaa

Half-time substitute Campbell Dovison was the unlikely hero for South Melbourne as they successfully defended the Dockerty Cup trophy in a thrilling and controversial win over Heidelberg. 

Josh, Lachie and Ivka discuss the decisions that went against the Bergers, and how South's bravery under Sinisa Cohadzic resulted in a cup final classic.  

Plus, there's plenty of Australia Cup action to break down, including Johnny A's masterclass against A-League opposition, Avondale maintaining Victorian supremacy against NSW, Nunawading taking Wellington to the wire and South's run ironically ending in a barrage of long throws. 

And to finish, we look ahead to Round 25 and the permutations for the rest of the season. 

The NPL Victoria Podcast is brought to you in 2025 by Melville Bodyworks, located at 106 Melville Rd Brunswick West. For all your panel beating and smash repairs, give them a call on 8378-5555, or visit melvillebodyworks.com.au - and let them know we sent you!

We’re also brought to you by Sacred Herbs who are fuelling us in 2025 with their delicious Yerba Maté and offering a special deal to our listeners.

Use codeword “NPL” for a 15% discount on anything at www.sacredherbs111.com/ including some of that sweet, sweet maté 🧉

Enjoying the show? Keep in touch via our socials!

➤ Twitter: @NPLVicPod
➤ Instagram: @NPLVictoriaPod
➤ Pester Nick here : @NickDurbano_
➤ Tell Lachie he's wrong here: @lachieflannigan
➤ Direct hate mail to Josh here: @joshparish_
➤ Keep up with Ivka's transfer scoops here: @mivkaa

Nick, Lachie, Josh and Ivka go full Gary Neville after an un-bee-leeevable finish at Avenger Park. Why was there so much stoppage time? Why did Heidelberg end up with one defender left on the pitch? And do Avondale have the mental advantage heading into the finals? 

Over at Churchill Reserve, Preston put in their most mature, disciplined performance of the season as they clinically dispatched in-form St Albans. Could the Lions be a smoky for the playoffs? 

Plus, a Steven Bradbury-esque finish is brewing in the race for sixth as Hume, Dandy City and Green Gully stumble over the line, and the Knights need a mathematical miracle to avoid the drop.

The NPL Victoria Podcast is brought to you in 2025 by Melville Bodyworks, located at 106 Melville Rd Brunswick West. For all your panel beating and smash repairs, give them a call on 8378-5555, or visit melvillebodyworks.com.au - and let them know we sent you!

We’re also brought to you by Sacred Herbs who are fuelling us in 2025 with their delicious Yerba Maté and offering a special deal to our listeners.

Use codeword “NPL” for a 15% discount on anything at www.sacredherbs111.com/ including some of that sweet, sweet maté 🧉

Enjoying the show? Keep in touch via our socials!

➤ Twitter: @NPLVicPod
➤ Instagram: @NPLVictoriaPod
➤ Pester Nick here : @NickDurbano_
➤ Tell Lachie he's wrong here: @lachieflannigan
➤ Direct hate mail to Josh here: @joshparish_
➤ Keep up with Ivka's transfer scoops here: @mivkaa

It's a full house this week as Josh, Lachie, Nick and Ivka review last week's Australia Cup results and frivolities, before diving into the NPL. 

Dinamo are left with whiplash as Gully come back from two goals down, a Markovski wonder strike wins it for Preston, and Dandy City stun Oakleigh to stay alive in the finals race. 

Meanwhile, it's another coach out the door at Somers St, an Olympico at Paisley Park, and South scrape a controversial draw at Heidelberg, teeing up a Premiership-deciding blockbuster in Round 24. 

The NPL Victoria Podcast is brought to you in 2025 by Melville Bodyworks, located at 106 Melville Rd Brunswick West. For all your panel beating and smash repairs, give them a call on 8378-5555, or visit melvillebodyworks.com.au - and let them know we sent you!

We’re also brought to you by Sacred Herbs who are fuelling us in 2025 with their delicious Yerba Maté and offering a special deal to our listeners.

Use codeword “NPL” for a 15% discount on anything at www.sacredherbs111.com/ including some of that sweet, sweet maté 🧉

Enjoying the show? Keep in touch via our socials!

➤ Twitter: @NPLVicPod
➤ Instagram: @NPLVictoriaPod
➤ Pester Nick here : @NickDurbano_
➤ Tell Lachie he's wrong here: @lachieflannigan
➤ Direct hate mail to Josh here: @joshparish_
➤ Keep up with Ivka's transfer scoops here: @mivkaa

This week's edition of the NPL Victoria Podcast has been scripted and recorded by a specially-trained LLM.

Hume City's miserable run continued on Friday night as Oakleigh put four goals past another finals contender. Is Nick Hegarty under the pump already?

St Albans brushed aside Melbourne Victory, with 17-year-old Oli Dragicevic pulling the strings. But have Dinamo left it too late for a finals charge?

Meanwhile, a sorry Melbourne Knights gift three goals to Preston, Heidelberg's Yaren Sozer pulls off the save of the season, and Avondale drop yet more points in the title race. 

And in VPL1, Bulleen's impressive array of attackers do enough to beat Northcote, Eastern Lions nab a 97th-minute equaliser, and Melbourne City's Beckham Baker lives up to his namesake. 

The NPL Victoria Podcast is brought to you in 2025 by Melville Bodyworks, located at 106 Melville Rd Brunswick West. For all your panel beating and smash repairs, give them a call on 8378-5555, or visit melvillebodyworks.com.au - and let them know we sent you!

We’re also brought to you by Sacred Herbs who are fuelling us in 2025 with their delicious Yerba Maté and offering a special deal to our listeners.

Use codeword “NPL” for a 15% discount on anything at www.sacredherbs111.com/ including some of that sweet, sweet maté 🧉

Enjoying the show? Keep in touch via our socials!

➤ Twitter: @NPLVicPod
➤ Instagram: @NPLVictoriaPod
➤ Pester Nick here : @NickDurbano_
➤ Tell Lachie he's wrong here: @lachieflannigan
➤ Direct hate mail to Josh here: @joshparish_
➤ Keep up with Ivka's transfer scoops here: @mivkaa

It's an Espresso Edition (by our standards) of the pod this week and Josh, Nick & Ivka dive into the Dockerty Cup semi finals and catch-up round games.

With a 3-1 upset win over Avondale, South Melbourne are officially 'Box Office' again. How has Sinisa Cohadzic transformed the playing style in the space of a few months? Meanwhile, a strange Avondale XI has the pod scratching our heads. 

Over at Olympic Village, Heidelberg put a beatdown on helpless VPL2 opposition, as Nunawading's magical run comes to a close.

Elsewhere, Knights and Oakleigh play out a six-goal thriller that went right to the wire, and Josh was in attendance at CB Smith to make sure the lights stayed on for Brunswick Juventus v Werribee City.

Plus, all our predictions for Round 22, as the title race and the battle for the top six heat up, and it's crunch time for the sides still marooned in the bottom three. 

The NPL Victoria Podcast is brought to you in 2025 by Melville Bodyworks, located at 106 Melville Rd Brunswick West. For all your panel beating and smash repairs, give them a call on 8378-5555, or visit melvillebodyworks.com.au - and let them know we sent you!

We’re also brought to you by Sacred Herbs who are fuelling us in 2025 with their delicious Yerba Maté and offering a special deal to our listeners.

Use codeword “NPL” for a 15% discount on anything at www.sacredherbs111.com/ including some of that sweet, sweet maté 🧉

Enjoying the show? Keep in touch via our socials!

➤ Twitter: @NPLVicPod
➤ Instagram: @NPLVictoriaPod
➤ Pester Nick here : @NickDurbano_
➤ Tell Lachie he's wrong here: @lachieflannigan
➤ Direct hate mail to Josh here: @joshparish_
➤ Keep up with Ivka's transfer scoops here: @mivkaa

Has there ever been a better round of goals in this competition? 

From Diego Cuba's physics-defying free kick to a pair of Preston pile-drivers, we were spoilt for choice for goal of the week. Add in two six-goal thrillers and a pair of backflip celebrations, and NPL Victoria fans were eating good this past weekend.

We start at George Andrews, where Thunder found themselves 3-0 up against Oakleigh inside half an hour, before the Cannons roared back to life in the second half. Then, over at Frank Holohan, a Ren Nagamatsu-inspired South Melbourne ran riot before King Kenny led a late fightback. 

Dinamo's decisive derby win leaves the Knights on the brink, Preston bounce back in emphatic fashion, and Nick Hegarty's Hume lose their third on the trot.

Plus in VPL1, we dig into Northcote's decision to sack their coaching duo, and Kingston's incredible 6-1 demolition of Manningham. 

The NPL Victoria Podcast is brought to you in 2025 by Melville Bodyworks, located at 106 Melville Rd Brunswick West. For all your panel beating and smash repairs, give them a call on 8378-5555, or visit melvillebodyworks.com.au - and let them know we sent you!

We’re also brought to you by Sacred Herbs who are fuelling us in 2025 with their delicious Yerba Maté and offering a special deal to our listeners.

Use codeword “NPL” for a 15% discount on anything at www.sacredherbs111.com/ including some of that sweet, sweet maté 🧉

Enjoying the show? Keep in touch via our socials!

➤ Twitter: @NPLVicPod
➤ Instagram: @NPLVictoriaPod
➤ Pester Nick here : @NickDurbano_
➤ Tell Lachie he's wrong here: @lachieflannigan
➤ Direct hate mail to Josh here: @joshparish_
➤ Keep up with Ivka's transfer scoops here: @mivkaa

Josh, Nick and Ivka dive into the Knights' 2-1 win over Victory in a relegation six-pointer. Is this the start of an unlikely revival? Plus, Ivka delivers a first-hand account of last week's SGM, and we discuss the approach of the new board to dissenting voices. 

Preston were humbled inside 20 minutes at the hands of Oakleigh, in a behind-closed-doors affair at Jack Edwards Reserve. Was this Joe Guest's masterpiece? And what went wrong for the Lions? 

Elsewhere, everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for Green Gully in a surprise 3-2 defeat to Altona Magic, while both Dandenong sides rose to the challenge with draws away at Avondale and Heidelberg. 

And in VPL1, there's a return of a Bulleen favourite to the Veneto Club, and a big twist in the battle for automatic promotion.

The NPL Victoria Podcast is brought to you in 2025 by Melville Bodyworks, located at 106 Melville Rd Brunswick West. For all your panel beating and smash repairs, give them a call on 8378-5555, or visit melvillebodyworks.com.au - and let them know we sent you!

We’re also brought to you by Sacred Herbs who are fuelling us in 2025 with their delicious Yerba Maté and offering a special deal to our listeners.

Use codeword “NPL” for a 15% discount on anything at www.sacredherbs111.com/ including some of that sweet, sweet maté 🧉

Enjoying the show? Keep in touch via our socials!

➤ Twitter: @NPLVicPod
➤ Instagram: @NPLVictoriaPod
➤ Pester Nick here : @NickDurbano_
➤ Tell Lachie he's wrong here: @lachieflannigan
➤ Direct hate mail to Josh here: @joshparish_
➤ Keep up with Ivka's transfer scoops here: @mivkaa

St Albans looked set for a fourth straight Desmond, before Mickel Platt stepped up in stoppage time. Are Dinamo set for another great escape? And why do Oakleigh always seem to get the June blues?

Victory's goalkeeping woes continue as Port Melbourne takes the chocolates in Bundoora. But can the Sharks keep hold of their star man? 

Kalilou Kamara saves a point for Avondale against Preston, there's drama on the touchline at Frank Holohan, and the unthinkable now seems inevitable for the Melbourne Knights. 

Plus, the Luke Lofts show continues in VPL1 as Georgies edge ahead of Bentleigh in the race for promotion. Will George Katsakis light up the bat signal? 

The NPL Victoria Podcast is brought to you in 2025 by Melville Bodyworks, located at 106 Melville Rd Brunswick West. For all your panel beating and smash repairs, give them a call on 8378-5555, or visit melvillebodyworks.com.au - and let them know we sent you!

We’re also brought to you by Sacred Herbs who are fuelling us in 2025 with their delicious Yerba Maté and offering a special deal to our listeners.

Use codeword “NPL” for a 15% discount on anything at www.sacredherbs111.com/ including some of that sweet, sweet maté 🧉

Enjoying the show? Keep in touch via our socials!

➤ Twitter: @NPLVicPod
➤ Instagram: @NPLVictoriaPod
➤ Pester Nick here : @NickDurbano_
➤ Tell Lachie he's wrong here: @lachieflannigan
➤ Direct hate mail to Josh here: @joshparish_
➤ Keep up with Ivka's transfer scoops here: @mivkaa

It's all hands on deck this week as Nick, Lachie, Josh & Ivka dive into South Melbourne's storybook finish against Preston, with Max Mikkola scoring a 90th-minute bicycle kick to win the game. Where did South's best performance of the season come from, and why are Preston failing to click in attack?

Melbourne Victory defied the doubters to produce perhaps the greatest result in the history of their academy program, demolishing Oakleigh 5-2 away at Jack Edwards Reserve. Will the young Vucks avoid the drop?

The Melbourne Knights face a reckoning after coughing up the lead to Port Melbourne in stoppage time. Will splashing the cash in the transfer window be too little, too late?

Plus, it's deja vu for Dinamo as they nab an unlikely draw away at Avondale, Heidelberg outclass the Thunder, and one member of the podcast finds out what it feels like to be the VAR. 

The NPL Victoria Podcast is brought to you in 2025 by Melville Bodyworks, located at 106 Melville Rd Brunswick West. For all your panel beating and smash repairs, give them a call on 8378-5555, or visit melvillebodyworks.com.au - and let them know we sent you!

We’re also brought to you by Sacred Herbs who are fuelling us in 2025 with their delicious Yerba Maté and offering a special deal to our listeners.

Use codeword “NPL” for a 15% discount on anything at www.sacredherbs111.com/ including some of that sweet, sweet maté 🧉

Enjoying the show? Keep in touch via our socials!

➤ Twitter: @NPLVicPod
➤ Instagram: @NPLVictoriaPod
➤ Pester Nick here : @NickDurbano_
➤ Tell Lachie he's wrong here: @lachieflannigan
➤ Direct hate mail to Josh here: @joshparish_
➤ Keep up with Ivka's transfer scoops here: @mivkaa