# 1985 National Soccer League

The 1985 National Soccer League was the ninth season of the National Soccer League. The season was again played with two Conferences as separate leagues, followed by a conference playoff final. The Grand Final was won by Brunswick Juventus 2–0 on aggregate over Sydney City. The season began on 9 March 1985, and concluded on 8 September 1985.

## Teams

Twenty-four teams competed in the league (twelve in the Northern Conference and twelve in the Southern Conference) – the sixteen teams from the previous season and eight teams accepted from their respective state leagues.

### Stadiums and locations

    Note: Table lists in alphabetical order by conference.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
| Northern Conference ||||
| APIA Leichhardt | Sydney (Leichhardt) | Lambert Park | 7,000 |
| Blacktown City | Sydney (Seven Hills) | Gabbie Stadium | 5,000 |
| Canberra City | Canberra | Canberra Stadium | 25,011 |
| Inter Monaro | Queanbeyan | Seiffert Oval | 15,000 |
| Marconi Fairfield | Sydney (Bossley Park) | Marconi Stadium | 9,000 |
| Newcastle Rosebud United | Newcastle | Adamstown Oval | 2,000 |
| Penrith City | Penrith | Cook Park | 1,000 |
| St George-Budapest | Sydney (Mortdale) | St George Stadium | 12,000 |
| Sydney City | Sydney (Bondi) | ES Marks Athletics Field | 8,000 |
| Sydney Croatia | Sydney (Edensor Park) | King Tomislav Park | 10,000 |
| Sydney Olympic | Sydney (Waterloo) | Pratten Park | 15,000 |
| Wollongong City | Wollongong | Wollongong Showground | 22,000 |
| Southern Conference ||||
| Adelaide City | Adelaide (Kensington) | Olympic Sports Field | 8,000 |
| Brisbane City | Brisbane (Newmarket) | Spencer Park | 5,000 |
| Brisbane Lions | Brisbane (Inala) | Lions Stadium | 5,000 |
| Brunswick Juventus | Melbourne (Brunswick) | Olympic Park No. 2 | 6,000 |
| Footscray JUST | Melbourne (Footscray) | Schintler Reserve | ? |
| Green Gully | Melbourne (St Albans) | Green Gully Reserve | 10,000 |
| Heidelberg United | Melbourne (Brunswick) | Olympic Village | 12,000 |
| Melbourne Croatia | Melbourne (Essendon) | Olympic Park | 18,500 |
| Preston Makedonia | Melbourne (Fitzroy) | B.T. Connor Reserve | 5,000 |
| South Melbourne | Melbourne (Middle Park) | Middle Park | 18,000 |
| Sunshine George Cross | Melbourne (City of Melbourne) | Chaplin Reserve | 5,000 |
| West Adelaide | Adelaide (City of Adelaide) | Hindmarsh Stadium | 16,500 |

### Head coach changes

The Australian Soccer Annual 1985 reported seven managerial changes.
| Team | Outgoing head coach | Date of vacancy | Position in the table | Incoming head coach | Date of appointment |
| Adelaide City | Frank Pimblett | 1985 | Pre-season | Tony Lowndes | 1985 |
| Brunswick Juventus | John Margaritis | 1985 | Pre-season | Tommy Traynor | 1985 |
| Inter Monaro | — | 1985 | Pre-season | Josef Procop | 1985 |
| Melbourne Croatia | Tony Vrzina | 1985 | Pre-season | Tommy Cumming | 1985 |
| Preston Makedonia | Frank McAleer | 1985 | Pre-season | Willie Murray | 1985 |
| Sunshine George Cross | Billy Wilkinson | 1985 | Pre-season | John Gardiner | 1985 |
| West Adelaide | Sam Salabsides | 1985 | Pre-season | Neil McGachey | 1985 |

## Regular season
### League tables
#### Northern Conference

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 1 | Sydney City | 22 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 42 | 19 | +23 | 35 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 2 | Sydney Croatia | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 50 | 22 | +28 | 33 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 3 | Marconi Fairfield | 22 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 44 | 23 | +21 | 29 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 4 | Sydney Olympic | 22 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 29 | 25 | +4 | 27 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 5 | St George-Budapest | 22 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 31 | 26 | +5 | 22 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 6 | Canberra City | 22 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 33 | 35 | −2 | 22 | |
| 7 | Inter Monaro | 22 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 29 | 37 | −8 | 20 | |
| 8 | Blacktown City | 22 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 30 | 34 | −4 | 18 | |
| 9 | APIA Leichhardt | 22 | 7 | 2 | 13 | 20 | 34 | −14 | 16 | |
| 10 | Wollongong City | 22 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 29 | 46 | −17 | 16 | |
| 11 | Penrith City (R) | 22 | 4 | 6 | 12 | 24 | 35 | −11 | 14 | Relegation to the 1986 NSW State League |
| 12 | Newcastle Rosebud United | 22 | 4 | 4 | 14 | 20 | 45 | −25 | 12 | |

#### Southern Conference

| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | South Melbourne | 22 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 39 | 21 | +18 | 33 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 2 | Brunswick Juventus (C) | 22 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 33 | 19 | +14 | 29 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 3 | Heidelberg United | 22 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 29 | 17 | +12 | 27 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 4 | Melbourne Croatia | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 29 | 21 | +8 | 24 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 5 | Preston Makedonia | 22 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 30 | 28 | +2 | 24 | Qualification to Finals series |
| 6 | Sunshine George Cross | 22 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 25 | 22 | +3 | 23 | |
| 7 | Brisbane Lions | 22 | 9 | 4 | 9 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 22 | |
| 8 | Green Gully | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 24 | 29 | −5 | 18 | |
| 9 | Adelaide City | 22 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 29 | 35 | −6 | 18 | |
| 10 | West Adelaide | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 24 | 37 | −13 | 17 | |
| 11 | Brisbane City | 22 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 25 | 42 | −17 | 17 | |
| 12 | Footscray JUST | 22 | 5 | 2 | 15 | 25 | 41 | −16 | 12 | |

### Results
#### Northern Conference

| Home \ Away | API | BLA | CAN | INT | MAR | NRU | PEN | STG | SCI | SCR | SOL | WOL |
| APIA Leichhardt | — | 0–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–4 | 0–4 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 4–2 |
| Blacktown City | 1–1 | — | 2–3 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 4–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–0 |
| Canberra City | 0–0 | 3–2 | — | 1–2 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 2–4 | 1–3 | 1–1 |
| Inter Monaro | 0–3 | 2–1 | 0–3 | — | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–1 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 |
| Marconi Fairfield | 0–0 | 2–1 | 4–1 | 4–1 | — | 2–2 | 6–0 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 6–1 |
| Newcastle Rosebud United | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–2 | — | 1–1 | 3–4 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–3 |
| Penrith City | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 3–4 | 1–3 | 4–1 | — | 0–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 |
| St George-Budapest | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 3–2 | — | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–1 |
| Sydney City | 2–0 | 3–1 | 4–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–0 | — | 2–0 | 2–1 | 5–2 |
| Sydney Croatia | 3–0 | 4–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 2–2 | 2–0 | — | 5–0 | 5–1 |
| Sydney Olympic | 2–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 3–1 | — | 2–0 |
| Wollongong City | 1–0 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | — |

#### Southern Conference

| Home \ Away | ADE | BRC | BRL | BRU | FOO | GRE | HEI | MEL | PRE | SOU | SGC | WES |
| Adelaide City | — | 1–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 4–1 |
| Brisbane City | 2–1 | — | 0–2 | 0–0 | 3–2 | 3–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–0 |
| Brisbane Lions | 3–0 | 3–0 | — | 0–0 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 |
| Brunswick Juventus | 3–1 | 5–4 | 2–1 | — | 3–2 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 |
| Footscray JUST | 1–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | — | 1–0 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 |
| Green Gully | 2–3 | 4–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | — | 1–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 |
| Heidelberg United | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 4–0 | 1–3 | — | 0–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 |
| Melbourne Croatia | 3–0 | 4–1 | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | — | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 |
| Preston Makedonia | 4–2 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 0–1 | 1–4 | 3–2 | — | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
| South Melbourne | 2–1 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 3–1 | 3–2 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 3–0 | — | 2–1 | 4–2 |
| Sunshine George Cross | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–2 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–1 | — | 1–0 |
| West Adelaide | 2–1 | 1–3 | 5–3 | 2–1 | 1–5 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | — |

## Finals series

Northern Conference
| Elimination and qualifying Finals | Elimination and qualifying Finals | Elimination and qualifying Finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary Final | Preliminary Final | Preliminary Final | Northern Final | Northern Final | Northern Final |
| | | | 1 | Sydney City | 1 | | | | 1 | Sydney City | 2 |
| | | | 2 | Sydney Croatia | 0 | | | | 3 | Marconi Fairfield | 0 |
| 2 | Sydney Croatia | 2 | | | | 2 | Sydney Croatia | 0 | | | |
| 3 | Marconi Fairfield | 1 | | | | 3 | Marconi Fairfield | 1 | | | |
| | | | 3 | Marconi Fairfield | 3 (7) | | | | | | |
| | | | 4 | Sydney Olympic | 3 (6) | | | | | | |
| 4 | Sydney Olympic | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | St George-Budapest | 0 | | | | | | | | | |
Southern Conference
| Elimination and qualifying Finals | Elimination and qualifying Finals | Elimination and qualifying Finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Preliminary Final | Preliminary Final | Preliminary Final | Southern Final | Southern Final | Southern Final |
| | | | 1 | South Melbourne | 0 | | | | 2 | Brunswick Juventus | 2 |
| | | | 2 | Brunswick Juventus | 1 | | | | 5 | Preston Makedonia | 1 |
| 2 | Brunswick Juventus | 2 | | | | 1 | South Melbourne | 4 (4) | | | |
| 3 | Heidelberg United | 0 | | | | 5 | Preston Makedonia | 4 (5) | | | |
| | | | 3 | Heidelberg United | 0 | | | | | | |
| | | | 5 | Preston Makedonia | 2 | | | | | | |
| 4 | Melbourne Croatia | 1 | | | | | | | | | |
| 5 | Preston Makedonia | 2 | | | | | | | | | |

### Grand Final

* Brunswick Juventus win 2–0 on aggregate

## Individual awards

| Award | Winner | Club |
| National Soccer League Player of the Year | Graham Honeyman | West Adelaide |
| National Soccer League Under 21 Player of the Year | Alan Hunter | Brisbane Lions |
| National Soccer League Coach of the Year | Eddie Thomson | Sydney City |