Hamlett Fires South Past Roos

South Hobart struck three times inside of the first 20 minutes to set up a comfortable 5-0 win over Riverside at Windsor Park. Ben Hamlett completed his hat-trick and added the games fifth goal late on in the piece as South cruised to victory to bounce back from last weekends defeat. South looked to stamp their authority on the match early, maintaining the lion’s share of possession. Even when South looked under the pump, they flipped the game to their favour. The first goal on the eleventh minute was case in point. The Roos had just pushed up more players forward than they had all match, only to be caught on a quick counter. South flipped the switch, played the long cross-field ball to release Van Doorne in behind the fullback to a one on one with the keeper. With the first clear chance on the match, it was buried by the winger. The second goal came a mere two minutes after the first. Hamlett looked in a bit of trouble only to go on and turn it into something special. With his back to goal and a player sticking to him like glue, the forward managed to flip his defender like a pancake and rip an absolute belter to double the lead. Not to be outshone, Nick Morton then got in on the act. Picking the pocket of a Riverside midfielder, Morton received the ball back from a 1-2, and showed great composure with only the keeper to beat. He made it 3-0 to South after just 20 minutes of play.  Riverside just couldn’t get a foothold in the game, finding themselves under immense pressure from a South side playing with a mountain of confidence. The home side got a whiff of opportunity when the Red’s defence sold out Wright in goal with a woeful back pass. Whilst Campbell pounced on the half chance, he was unable to finish and moments later it was up the other end with Hamlett finding his second for the match. The South Hobart centre forward found himself caught between the two Riverside centre backs in the box, but in the face of some sliding tackles he had absolutely no problem scoring from close range. Seeing out the half, South moved the ball around the pitch as if it was a training drill, with Riverside welcoming the respite of the half time whistle.  Riverside looked much improved in the second half, after not looking like they were in the same division in the first 45. The play may not have been as lush as South produced in the first, but suddenly the Roos were able to gain possession of the ball for longer than a defensive clearance and move it around a bit. Riverside were still limited in their opportunities, thanks to a mixture of experienced defending by South and lack of support on breaks by teammates. But an increased willingness to put their bodies on the line and press the ball carrier, made a major difference and the second half was a vast improvement from the hosts.  South still remained in the drivers seat though and they pressed on for a fifth goal. With fifteen minutes to go, the Roos skipper Ethan Olner performed back to back last ditch challenges to block shots on goal, before Morton attempted an outlandish bicycle kick that never looked like threatening the net. The final goal came from a counter by South after a sustained spell of pressure from Riverside. There was a bit of madness and mayhem involved, as a deliberate handball by the Roo’s last player that would’ve been a sure fire red card was overlooked. The long ball over the top released Hamlett in behind the defence and he duly put the cherry on top with the games fifth goal, and his third, to complete his hat-trick. Riverside's contention was they were in the midst of a substition when South knocked it forwards, and they ended up with a member of their coaching staff sent from the ground. Ultimately it was a game of two halves but the first half class and quality from South was more than enough to win the match. Riverside will be pleased with their second half performance, but disappointed to have fallen to a third successive big defeat.  [caption id="attachment_10520" align="alignnone" width="543"] South celebrate a goal- Jamie Richardson[/caption]