The Central Coast Mariners have kicked off their pre-season tour of Tasmania with a win, downing the NPL Tasmania Select team 3-1 at Darcy Street.
After a full slate of NPL games on Saturday and limited training time as a squad, the Tasmanians fought hard but were ultimately outclassed by their A-League opponents. Goals to Jordan Murray, Ziggy Gordon and Michael McGlinchy gave the Mariners a comfortable buffer, before Ben Hamlett pulled one back late to give the local fans something to celebrate.
Coming in as a strong favourite, Central Coast were on the front foot from the opening kickoff and won multiple corners in the game's opening minutes. It was fitting, then, that their first goal came from yet another corner, as a cross swung into the box took a deflection through the area and was slammed home by Murray.
The Mariners could have easily added to their lead in quick time if not for some heroics from Nathan Pitchford in the Tasmanian goal. After another stellar season for Devonport, the Golden Glove winner was at his very best with a series of reflex saves to deny Central Coast's forwards. At the other end, his Mariners counterpart Ryan Pearce was called into action and did well to keep out Keenan Douce's close-range volley just before half time.
That excellence in goal, as well as some wayward finishing from the visitors, saw the score stay at 1-0 heading into half time. While the Mariners created the bulk of the chances before the break, Tasmania were far from overmatched and competed hard throughout. Maybe that was because they knew they would soon have the chance to rest, as coaches Rick Coghlan and David Smith substituted their whole lineup coming out of the break.
Not wanting to be outdone by the spirited performance of their rivals-turned-teammates, the second-half Tasmanian 11 started brightly and had the first few chances. Hamlett gave a glimpse of what was to come with an early shot, while his South Hobart teammate Kobe Kemp tested the goalkeeper from long range.
What followed was a quiet period for both teams, as the Mariners spent plenty of time on the ball but struggled to convert that into shots on goal. That stalemate was broken emphatically just after the hour mark, though, as the visitors quickly built on their lead. Substitute Mario Shabow had an instant impact with a well-timed cross that was finished at the back post by Gordon, before McGlinchey squeezed a shot through the legs of Jarrod Hill four minutes later to make it 3-0.
The game's final 20 minutes showed both sides of Tasmanian football, as some of the home side's best play was interspersed with some sloppy turnovers and close defensive calls. Thomas Muller personified that contrast, as he made a storming run through the middle that ended with a dangerous cross, and then two minutes later saw a pass back to the goalkeeper almost sneak into the bottom corner of his own net.
The ball pinballed from end to end, with both teams searching for a late goal. That attacking intent saw Tasmania claim some reward for their efforts, as a tried-and-true South Hobart connection saw them hit the scoreboard. A quick counter-attack ended with Adam Gorrie on the right, and he drilled a cross into the middle where Hamlett flicked it home to the delight of the Darcy Street crowd.
That proved to be the last real action of the game, with the final 3-1 scoreline a fair reflection of the efforts of both sides. Central Coast will now look to Tuesday night's game against South Hobart at Lightwood Park as they continue their pre-season in preparation for the upcoming Hyundai A-League season.
The game kicks off at 6:30pm at Lightwood Park. Tickets are available at the gate, or online via https://events.humanitix.com.au/south-hobart-fc-v-central-coast-mariners