By Marcus Uhe
Both of Dandenong’s National Premier League (NPL) sides will begin their journeys this weekend in the quest to be crowned the best amateur club in Victoria.
Dandenong Thunder hosts Green Gully on Saturday night, while Dandenong City opens its season with a Croatian derby against St Albans at home on Sunday evening.
Let’s look at how both sides are shaping up.
DANDENONG CITY
INS: Yogoub Mustafa (Woolongong), Pierce Clark (Dandenong Thunder), Jamie Latham (Green Gully), Taylan Unal, Corey Sewell (Melbourne Knights).
OUTS: Stefan Brecevic (Melbourne Knights), John Hall (South Australia).
STAYING: George Lambadaridis, Brad Plant, Will Bower, Jackson Lino, Tim Atherinos, Kenny Athiu, Danny Kim, Jacob Alexander, Jack Webster, Damian Iaconis, Tom Giannakopoulos, Valli Cesnik.
It was a run of fairytales last season, but the challenge now is to prove it was no fluke.
Dandenong City made NPL history by qualifying for the finals on the back of receiving promotion from the second division in the previous season, the first occasion in the competition’s tenure to do so, in one of the sporting stories of the year at the grassroots level in Dandenong.
The rollercoaster ride included a 2-0 away win over champions, Oakleigh Cannons and a dramatic 2-1 defeat of minor premiers South Melbourne at Lakeside Stadium among countless electric moments from the talented and eager City squad, led expertly by Jack Webster at the heart of the defence and Nick Tolios from the sidelines.
But 2025 will present a new challenge; from being the hunters last season, there will now be a target placed in the centre of their backs every time they take the pitch.
The first item on Tolios’ agenda must be addressing his side’s ability to defend.
City was the only team to qualify for the finals that finished with a negative goal differential (-1), having conceded 51 at nearly two per game from its home-and-away season.
Of the teams above them, Avondale and Hume City were the next worse with 29, while South Melbourne, which finished two games clear at the top of the table, allowed just 20.
The average goals conceded among the top five was 25.4, meaning City needs to half its efforts from 2024 to contend.
There were few causes for concern at the other end of the pitch, as returning hero Kenny Athiu led a front line of dynamic and creative attacking options that buzzed and caused havoc for opposing defenders.
With 51 goals, City scored more than Hume City (fifth) and Heidelberg United (fourth), proving that the defence was indeed their achilles heel.
Tim Atherinos (seven goals), Damian Iaconis (seven), Will Bower (six), Brad Plant (four) and Tom Giannakopoulos (three) kept defenders on their toes while the class of George Lambadaridis (six goals) was hard to ignore in the middle of the park.
The arrivals of forwards Yogoub Mustafa and Taylan Unal, both with A-League credentials alongside previous periods in the NPL, suggest City will double-down on its attacking approach, with experienced duo Corey Sewell and Jamie Latham to add stability in the middle of the park.
John Hall will be a critical loss with the gloves but former A-League and Dandenong Thunder gloveman Pierce Clark will fill the breach between the posts perfectly.
City will hope dashing defender Jacob Alexander, meanwhile, can stay on the park, having battled injuries and fitness in 2024.
Alexander was a crucial component of 2023’s success but the rapid development of Jackson Lino in his absence means City has options out wide at the back.
With Stefan Brecevic’s departure, those two will be expected to play key roles if City are to back up 2024’s heroics.
DANDENONG THUNDER
INS: Kyle Taylor (Exeter City), Hassan Jalloh (NPL veteran), Anthony Ianchello (Port Melbourne), Thijs Van Amerongen (international), Andrew Withers (Bentleigh Greens), Ben McCauley (Bentleigh Greens). Joaquin Fernandez, Daniel Clark (Queensland), Yuki Uchida (Northcote City), Kasper Hallam.
OUTS: Birkan Kirdar (Hume City), Pierce Clark (Dandenong City), Josh Karantz (Melbourne Knights).
STAYING: Jay Romanovski, Ben Djiba, Mersim Memeti, Sevdim Ismaili, Daniel Alessi, Lirim Elmazi, Muamet Selimovski, Ali Sulemani, Wade Dekker.
He may be beginning just his second season at the helm at George Andrews Reserve but there is sure to be pressure on Thunder manager Adam Piddick to return the proud club back to the heights it desires.
Piddick did an amicable job under tough circumstances last season, appointed just weeks before the NPL season got underway and forced to cram an entire preseason of work into a fortnight.
With eight wins, four draws and 14 losses, Thunder finished 10th, a fifth consecutive season in the top flight of the NPL without finals action.
At times, Thunder played attacking decisive football that showed why Piddick has achieved success in previous coaching stints, and at others, they looked a side that was very much learning their new manager’s approach on the fly.
Only once did they string together consecutive wins – an unexpected double against rival, Dandenong City and champions, Oakleigh Cannons – with the ability to put the ball in the back of the net a constant struggle.
Embarrassing losses, including an 8-0 hammering at home to Avondale, and 4-0 to the relegated Moreland City, put a severe dent in their goal difference.
With just 29 goals for the season, no team scored less, and considering one came from goalkeeper Pierce Clark, the concerns up front are legitimate.
Second-leading scorer, Birkan Kirdar, has departed for fellow NPL club Hume City, with Clark heading to the other side of Dandenong to join City.
City’s success, in their first season back at the top level, only added salt to the wound for Thunder, forced to watch their local rivals stun the competition time after time on its extraordinary run.
Experienced striker with overseas and NPL experience Hassan Jollah will bolster the attacking line alongside Wade Dekker, Ali Sulemani and burgeoning 18-year-old Jay Romanovski.
They will be fed by former Premier League midfielder Kyle Taylor, who will form a new-look nucleus in the middle of the park with fellow recruits Yuki Uchida and Anthony Ianchello.
Stability at the back will be vital, with Mersim Memeti, Daniel Alessi and Muamet Selimovski all returning, with Dutch defender Thijs Van Amerongen.
Former Bentleigh Greens gloveman, Andrew Withers, is likely to get first crack between the sticks.
The Thunder have a brutal opening five weeks, with away trips to 2024 finalists Hume City and Heidelberg, plus a local derby with City.
A fast start to the new campaign will be crucial, and offer a forensic examination of the progress made during a long summer.
