Featured Images: Behind the Lens (LMR) and Sally Tsalikidis
The 2024 Australia Cup is shaping up as one of the most thrilling iterations yet, spearheaded by two of Victoria’s biggest clubs.
South Melbourne and Heidelberg United completed stunning ‘cupsets’ to knock out A-League opponents Wellington Phoenix and reigning Champions Central Coast Mariners in the Round of 32, to book their place in the next phase.
In fact, they were two of three NPL Victoria sides to beat A-Leagues opposition, after local rivals Oakleigh Cannons also eliminated Sydney FC.
Despite all three A-Leagues opposition being in the midst of their pre-season preparations, in comparison to the Victorian outfits who are gearing up for finals football, the wins over professional outfits can’t be understated.
Cupsets remain the exception, not the norm, in the Australia Cup. Prior to the 2024 campaign, there were only 13 cup-sets. Last season, there was just one, when NPL South Australia outfit Campbelltown City FC knocked out 2022 winners, Macarthur in the first round.
There have already been three cupsets in the Round of 32 this campaign – the first time in competition history that has occurred.
Read more analysis of the Australia Cup between (2014-2022) in the PFA’s 2022 Australia Cup Report.
According to two players in this year’s Australia Cup, this may be a a sign of the closing gap between the professional A-League teams and the semi-professional outfits in the NPL, which gives NPL teams perhaps the best chance yet to lift the Cup for the first time in the competition’s 10 years.
“I think maybe it’s a case of the NPL getting a lot more competitive, especially in Victoria,” South Melbourne captain Harrison Sawyer told the PFA.
“Each year we are strengthening & attracting players from overseas who have added a real quality. The likes of Nahuel Bonada, Javi Lopez, and Mario Barcia from my team among others in the league who have been performing better each season.
“It creates a lot more tough matches, which then in turn, I think that’s been a big factor in closing the gap towards the A-League.
“A few years ago there was a big gap, I think. And you can tell in the games in the Australia Cup, or the FFA Cup as it was, but now you can kind of see how competitive these NPL sides have been getting and growing, which has closed that gap a lot more.”
Heidelberg United goalkeeper Yaren Sozer – who previously played for the Central Coast Mariners – echoed Sawyer’s sentiments.
“Having experienced both the A-League and the NPL, I’d say I have a unique perspective. The Victorian NPL is a very strong league, and I think recent results are showing just how much talent there is,” he told the PFA.
“The A-League does seem to be getting a lot younger with its players, so the NPL is definitely pushing and narrowing that gap.”
Previously, the Australia Cup draw was set up in a way that would guarantee a state-federation representative’s place in the semi-finals of the competition, which saw the likes of Bentleigh Greens and South make deep runs in the early years of the Cup.
However, since then, Football Australia has opened up the draw, meaning state-federation representatives have to earn their place in the semis, which by the same token makes deep runs in the Cup all the more significant.
Sydney United 58 and Oakleigh Cannons both made the final and semi-final respectively in 2022, while Melbourne Knights reached the semi-final last year and this year – with the introduction of a randomised bracket from the Round of 16 onwards – an NPL side is guaranteed to make the semi-finals again this year.
This means more eyeballs on players outside the A-Leagues system can only be a positive for those looking to get back on the radar of A-Leagues clubs.
Kenny Athiu, Elvis Kamsoba, Danijel Nizic, Joe Knowles, and from a coaching perspective, Ben Cahn, are just some of the players to have previously been identified by A-League clubs following strong performances in the Cup.
Sawyer believes A-Leagues sides are recognising the closing gap and giving NPL teams a greater level of respect in the tournament.
“I think the cup is providing a bit more credibility as to where the NPL sits in its quality and competitiveness,” Sawyer said.
“And they go: ‘well, these NPL clubs are a lot more competitive now and the level might be higher than what it was’ or might be a bit of like an eye opener to show that the quality has risen a lot.
“So the Cup definitely, I think, can provide a gage or a marker as to where the players are when you compare the two leagues.”
Both South Melbourne and Heidelberg have been the major benefactors of the competition’s new draw format.
Just six A-League Men sides remain in the Round of 16, but only two on the same side of the draw as the Bergers and South. Those two teams – Newcastle Jets and Macarthur FC – will be whittled down to one as they playing each other in the Round of 16.
Consequently, there may not be a better opportunity for South and Heidelberg to achieve ultimate glory, as they gear up for clashes against Olympic FC and Oakleigh, respectively, in the next round.
South are guaranteed to face a non-A-Leagues side in the quarter-finals, should they progress against Olympic.
“I mean, there’s no bigger challenge than beating the Australian champions in the Round of 32, so I think that shows us that there’s no team that we can’t beat and playing against Oakleigh in the Round of 16, it’s another big game for us, but we are confident,” Sozer said.
“I think we’re taking it a game at a time, but we took immense confidence out of the Mariners game knowing that if we stick to what we do and we stay confident and we work hard, there isn’t a team out there that’s not within reach or not beatable.”
Regardless of what happens from here, Sawyer and his South teammates have already had a year to remember.
Not only did they knock off Wellington – thanks to Sawyer’s first-half strike – but they took home a ninth-Dockerty Cup crown on penalties against Oakleigh, and sealed the NPL Victoria Premiership against Avondale all in the space of seven days, which is a remarkable feat.
Now, they are in the running to seal not one, but two pieces of silverware in the coming weeks, with the NPL Victoria finals series running simultaneously to their Cup run.
“It’s been a massive year,” Sawyer said.
“You couldn’t really be happier with how we’ve been traveling in terms of wrapping up the league. Your first objective, usually is to win the league and finish as minor premieres or finish first. So reflecting on that as captain, I couldn’t be happy with how it’s gone so far.
“To be honest, we have a little bit of experience in terms of playing those midweek games leading up to the past week, which has obviously been the biggest with all those vital games and fighting for a trophy.”
Meanwhile, Heidelberg have been a side rejuvenated by the arrival of Australian football legend John Anastasiadis, who has spearheaded the Bergers back into finals contention after they missed the finals last year.
Anastasiadis has experienced success as head coach of both South and Bentleigh Greens, before joining Western United where he helped mastermind the club’s first A-League Men Championship in 2022 as assistant coach.
On the field, Sozer has been a big part of this turnaround, returning from his stint overseas in Malta with a brilliant season between the sticks as he finally enjoys consistent playing time after spending most of his career as a backup goalkeeper.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it,” Sozer said about his time at Heidelberg.
“First and foremost, it’s good to be playing consistently again. John Anastasiadis has really transformed the club, and he’s running the club no different to a professional environment, and I think the boys have all been on the board from the start of the season, and I think as the season goes on, we’re slowly starting to reap the rewards of that.
“However, nothing’s complete yet. We’re just approaching finals, and we’re a very ambitious club, so our focus over the next few weeks is to be as successful as possible.”
Over at South, Sawyer has done his damage at the other end of the field, returning from his overseas sojourn in India and Finland in a big way by finishing equal-first in the NPL Victoria Golden Boot race.
His performances throughout the year have gone a long way to South wrapping up silverware, but he believes their collective approach has been just as important, especially in some of the big games this season.
“I think it doesn’t start with those games. It starts earlier in the pre-season, the way you build the team and the togetherness and kind of the mentality that you come together with from the start of pre-season, we’ve come together as a group of hard working players, and kind of in our dressing room, no player can go without hard work,” he said.
