Clarence Zebras v Olympia Warriors
Date: Wednesday 2 September
Venue: Wentworth Park
Kick Off: 7:30 PM
2020 Record:
Olympia (6-0-0)
Clarence Zebras (5-1-0)
Top Scorers
CZ: (10) Zoe Nichols
Oly: (9) Bonnie Davies
Recent Head to Head Record
2020: Summer Cup Final: Clarence Zebras 4 – 1 Olympia Warriors
Match Primer
The two title favourites are finally set to meet as the Clarence Zebras host the Olympia Warriors in this rescheduled game from Round 5. Heavy rain made the pitch unplayable that day and forced a postponement but that has only served to add to the sense of anticipation around this one and potentially added some extra spice to it. Whilst technically this will only be the second meeting of these two clubs following the Clarence United/Hobart Zebras merger, this still feels like the latest chapter in a storied rivalry of the past few seasons rather than something new. That final day clash to determine the title in 2019 will still be front of mind for many of the Warriors brigade and beating out the Clarence Zebras in 2020 would undoubtedly exorcise a few of those demons. The Warriors are flying right now shrugging off a lackluster opening round display where they were fortunate to escape with a 1-0 win over South Hobart with with five thumping victories in a row. They've scored 30 goals across those last five games and have produced some truly scintillating football with Bomford and Michael bossing the midfield and Bonnie Davies looking absolutely unstoppable leading the line. After a slow start by her standards, star winger Madi Chamber also appears to be rounding nicely back into her devastating 2019 WSL MVP form too. They are playing a very nice technical passing game and look a much better side than the one that fell 4-1 to Zebras in the Summer Cup Final. They are also somewhat remarkably yet to concede a goal this season, with their defensive 3 of Chambers, Leszczynski and Black forming a fine unit at the back, whilst Jenna Farrow has claims to being the best keeper in the competition. When called upon she has been flawless so far but she can be expected to be worked a bit more heavily in this clash. The Warrriors are yet to be challenged by an attacking unit quite like this one and they are set to be sternly tested by this Zebras attack who posses weapons that other sides in the league simply do not. There is a clear gap from the top two to the rest in the Super League and ultimately these 3 games between these two sides look set to decide the title race this season. The Clarence Zebras have also been playing some really nice attacking football, also scoring 31 goals in 6 games with star striker Zoe Nichols leading the way with 10 of her own to lead the Golden Boot race, but with 10 different players having found the back of the net, it's fair to say they aren't reliant on her and have a diverse attacking threat. It's an attacking threat that has been augmented by the return of Allie Berry who shone on Sunday against South Hobart and if the Warriors are to get a result, she is a player they are desperately going to need to find a way to shut down. If Berry is on song she is a match winner who can win games off her own boot. They did have one slip up on the road to Ulverstone, drawing 1-1 which has left them sitting two points behind Olympia on the table and probably increases the importance on getting all three points from the game. A draw will certainly suit their opponents far more than the hosts. Their defence hasn't been as tight as the Warriors but personnel wise they are completely stacked with Zara Dixon at times forced out to full back in order to accommodate their abundance of talented centre backs. Whether she stays out there to help counter the threat of Madi Chambers or plays more centrally to deal with Davies will be an interesting wrinkle. This is Round 1 in a super heavyweight title bout and whilst neither side can land the knockout blow at this early stage, with Olympia already holding a two point advantage over the Zebras, a win here would open up a 5 point buffer that could yet prove decisive. Catch a full Live Stream of the game via the link below, or via the FT Facebook Page from 7:20pm. https://youtu.be/P0wIjxqALmw