South Melbourne’s reserve team is flying high in the NPL Victoria U23s competition and finds themselves in third place with five wins in seven games. A recent 5-1 win against Dandenong City represented the best result for the season.

However, the most important point about the team this season is their meaningful contribution to the Senior Squad. Due to the overlapping OPL and NPL competitions, U23 players have seen more game time in the senior competitions. Senior wins against Altona Magic (2-1) and against Green Gully (1-0) were secured with many U23s in the starting line ups and contributing meaningfully in the games. The highlight was undoubtedly 18-year-old George Saristavros, who scored the winning goal against Green Gully. An outstanding achievement for the South academy product.