Nicholas James Lawyers Men’s Match Preview: Royals Look to Back Up Breakthrough as Bayside Test Awaits Under Lights
Our Men’s Match Previews are presented by Nicholas James Lawyers.
Two wins from five. Level goal difference. Ninth on the table but separated from fourth by a single point. That is the shape of VPL Men 2 after five rounds, and Essendon Royals sit right in the thick of it.
Last Saturday’s 3-1 win at Werribee City did more than add three points to the column. It answered the question that had hung over this side since Round 1. Can this group start a match? At Costas Mitre 10 Park, they finally did. Jordan Adeyemi opened the scoring in the 31st minute and doubled the lead before half-time in the 44th. Marcus Kotronis sealed it in the 77th. For the first time this season, the Royals controlled a match from the front. No early deficit. No second-half rescue mission. Three goals, three points, and the composure to manage the game after Werribee pulled one back through Stephan Mitre in the 84th.
Adeyemi now has five goals in five rounds, the most by any Royal this season and a figure that puts him among the competition’s leading scorers. His movement, his direct running, and his ability to finish in different ways have been the brightest thread through an uneven opening month.
Friday night brings Bayside Argonauts to Nasiol Stadium in the third and final scheduled home fixture at the venue before the return to Cross Keys Reserve in April. Bayside arrive fourth on the ladder, level on eight points with Box Hill United in third. Two wins, two draws, one loss. They have scored ten goals and conceded seven, and their results tell the story of a promoted side that can hurt you but is still finding its feet at this level.
Their season opened with a 5-3 defeat at Malvern in Round 1, a result that revealed both their attacking ambition and their defensive vulnerability. Since then, the Argonauts have steadied. A thumping 4-0 win at Werribee in Round 2 showed real firepower. Draws at Kingston (0-0) and at Box Hill (1-1) demonstrated they are hard to beat on the road. And their Round 5 result against Whittlesea at home added to a run of form that has quietly pushed them into the top four.
The tactical challenge is clear. Bayside will travel. They have taken points at every away ground they have visited except Malvern’s. The Royals need to use home advantage, the crowd under the lights, and the surface they know. The blueprint from Werribee applies: start fast, take the initiative, and force the visitors onto the back foot before they settle.
There is a cluster of six teams on six or seven points between fifth and eleventh. A win here would lift the Royals to nine points and potentially into the top four. A loss, and the table tightens around them again.
Friday night. Nasiol Stadium. 8:30pm under lights. Back it up.
Round 6 | Friday 20 March | 8:30 PM | Nasiol Stadium (Home)
Around the Grounds – VPL Men 2 Round 6
Friday Night
Nunawading City FC vs Kingston City FC Mahoneys Reserve | 7:30pm
Two of the most consistent sides through the opening five rounds. Nunawading sit second on ten points with three wins and a draw, their only loss coming in Round 2 at Geelong. Kingston are sixth on seven points from just four matches, unbeaten at home and with the kind of defensive solidity that has made them difficult to break down all season. A genuine top-half battle that could go either way.
Eastern Lions SC vs Malvern City FC Gardiners Creek Reserve | 7:45pm
The headline match of the round. Malvern arrived as league leaders with a perfect record through four rounds before Altona stunned them 2-1 at Egan Lee Reserve in Round 5, their first defeat of the season. Michael Hornsby’s five goals in five games remain the competition’s benchmark, but the aura of invincibility is gone. Eastern Lions sit eleventh on six points and need a result to stay in touch with the pack. Can they capitalise on Malvern’s first wobble?
Whittlesea United SC vs Box Hill United Pythagoras FC Epping Stadium | 8:30pm
Whittlesea are second from bottom on four points and in need of a response after a difficult run. Box Hill sit third on eight points with two wins and two draws, and their goal difference of plus four is the best in that cluster of mid-table sides. A tough ask for Whittlesea at home against a side that has shown the ability to score freely.
Keilor Park SC vs Springvale White Eagles FC Keilor Park Recreation Reserve | 8:30pm
Two sides sitting in the middle of the table, both on six and seven points respectively. Keilor Park have been streaky, capable of a big result one week and a flat performance the next. Springvale have won two and lost two since their pointless opening round. A match where both sides will feel they can take three points.
Saturday
Altona City SC vs Werribee City FC HC Kim Reserve | 3:00pm
Altona pulled off the upset of Round 5, beating league leaders Malvern 2-1 at home to jump to seventh on seven points. That result will have done wonders for confidence. Werribee sit bottom on four points with a goal difference of minus six, and back-to-back defeats have them searching for answers. Altona will be expected to make it two wins in a row.
Moreland City SC vs Goulburn Valley Suns FC Campbell Reserve | 2:00pm
A long trip south for the Suns, who sit eighth on six points after two wins and three losses. Their goal record of twelve scored and twelve conceded tells you everything about their style: they will attack, but they will give you chances. Moreland are twelfth on five points from four matches, with two draws suggesting a side that is competitive but struggling to find the decisive moment.