South Melbourne and Marconi Stallions will battle for the inaugural Australian Championship trophy on Saturday afternoon, as a pulsating nine weeks of action draw to a close.
Read on for our comprehensive, and final, matchday preview.
South Melbourne v Marconi Stallions
Kick-off: Saturday 6 December 2025, 3pm AEDT
Venue: Olympic Village
It will be another Victoria and NSW clash on Saturday to take out the first-ever Australian Championship title.
South Melbourne have had a near-flawless run in the Championship, winning all but one of their eight matches so far.
The side produced five wins and one draw in their Group A campaign, with 12 goals scored and only six conceded.
To make the Final, Hellas have overcome NPL NSW Premiers NWS Spirit and Hahn Australia Cup Finalists Heidelberg United, and are yet to concede a goal in the knockout phase.
This means the NPL Victoria giants have kept clean sheets in five of their eight games, with their goalkeeper Javier Lopez integral to the record.
Lopez was vital in goals for South Melbourne in the Semi Final, as he saved Bul Juach’s penalty and then produced several top saves to keep their clean sheet intact.
Key to the team’s success has been their exploits from set pieces, particularly throw-ins. Max Mikkola has demonstrated a wicked aerial delivery, which broke the deadlock against both Spirit and Heidelberg.
Oli Lavale has been a consistent threat from midfield with his three goals so far, while full-back Jordon Lampard has also achieved three goals.
Striker Manny Aguek has been a consistent difference-maker as well and scored the winning goal against Heidelberg United in the Semi Final.
The Stallions had a somewhat bumpy ride to the knockout stages of the competition, finishing one ahead on goal difference of Wollongong Wolves to come second in Group B.
Going into Round 6 of the Group Stage against the Wolves, Marconi just needed to avoid a 6-0 loss to progress. They lost 5-0.
In finals football, Marconi have downed both the Champions of NSW and the Premiers of Queensland.
Goalkeeper James Hilton has been the star of the show at the back for the side.
Against Wests APIA, amongst a raft of saves in regular and extra-time, Hilton saved three penalties before firing home one of his own.
A week later against Moreton City Excelsior, the goalkeeper was less busy as Marconi successfully stifled the otherwise lively Moreton City team.
Excluding that Wollongong smashing, Marconi have conceded just three goals in the tournament.
Another of the Stallions’ important players is Matej Busek, whose goal scoring has proved pivotal in turning the match in their favour. The striker has scored in three of his last four outings, including twice off the bench.
He scored against South Hobart in Round 5, followed by the opener against APIA and the winner in the Moreton City clash.
Some good news for Marconi is the return of attacking midfielder Franco Maya from suspension following his red card against APIA.
These teams have battled to some impressive results across the Championship, with strong defensive records, setting up a hard-to-call encounter on Saturday.