Welcome to the Weekend Wash-up after Round 7 of the McDonald’s NPL Tasmania. With the conclusion of this round each side has now played each other once and there are three distinct tiers seemingly emerging within the league. Devonport have once again emerged as the clear front runners, sitting in a tier of their own, four points clear on top and they remain the only undefeated side. There is still a long way to go of course, but I feel like we've seen this story before and they are unlikely to relent. Then there is a large middle tier, with six points separating Knights in second to the Lions in sixth but it feels like any of those sides can beat each other in any given week and it wouldn’t be unexpected. The other two Launceston based sides are currently a tier below, propping up the table, with the only points to show for either of them the 2-1 win Riverside had over United. They will be out to try and close that gap as the season progresses.
Strikers Extend League Lead
In the biggest game of the weekend and one of the biggest of the season to date, the Devonport Strikers downed the Glenorchy Knights 2-0 at Valley Road to skip four points clear on top of the table. Two strikes of exception quality, the first from Roberto Fernandez Garrido and the second from Nick Lanau-Atkinson saw them get the job done in what was an accomplished display.
Knights came within a whisker of taking the lead on 34 minutes when Dzalakowski’s close-range effort was blocked on the line by Fahim Moradi. It would prove especially pivotal when Roberto Garrido struck four minutes later, taking the keeper by surprise with a wonderful first-time hit from distance that flew into the back of the net.
If not for some fine keeping from Gardner it would’ve been 2-0 by halftime as he was called into action multiple times late in the half. As it was, they didn’t need to wait long into the second half for that to become a reality as Nick Lanau-Atkinson drove inside and smashed one from outside the box that rocketed in. Those type of goals are certainly not a shock coming from a player like Lanau-Atkinson, who has always had a penchant for the spectacular, but scoring it with his right foot rather than left was somewhat surprising.
It made it 2-0 and the Knights never really looked like they could overcome that deficit. A late red card to Hugh Undy would only further rub salt into the wounds. The Strikers came close to extending the lead, but couldn’t find a third. Not that it mattered, they had the result they were after and head into next weekend’s Cup Semi-Finals with a handy buffer at the top of the league. The Devonport juggernaut just continues to storm onward.
City Snare a Point At Darcy Street
South Hobart and Launceston City both had to settle for a point apiece, as they drew 1-1 at Darcy Street on Saturday. Both sides scored once from a set piece, as Jack Woodland cancelled out Bradley Lakoseljac’s backheeled opener.
Lakoseljac had South ahead in the opening quarter of an hour in an inspired fashion. When the corner was nodded into his path and with his back to goal, Lakoseljac swung his boot and backheeled an audacious effort past Clark to open the scoring.
They had chances to extend the lead but were somewhat wayward with their shooting. They certainly enjoyed the lions share of the scoring opportunities over the course of the 90 minutes, but not for the first time this season, they lacked a clinical edge in the final third.
It would sting them when Jack Woodland bobbed up from a second-half corner to square things up. Doing well to get his head to the ball, Woodland directed it past O’Connell and made it 1-1 after 56 minutes.
Jaden Fidra had the chance to sink his former side 20 minutes from full time, but could only sky his effort after Isky Van Doorne had put one on a platter for him at the back post.
South finished with a flurry of shots but just couldn’t find the winner and had to be content with a draw that leaves City sitting two points ahead of them in third place. City will be pleased with their effort, with this the first point they have taken away from Darcy Street in their last 14 NPL Tasmania fixtures at the venue.
Miley Magic Fires Zebras Past Roos
A stunning solo goal from Curtis Miley was the catalyst for the Clarence Zebras defeating Riverside OIympic 2-0 at Windsor Park. After a scoreless first 45, Miley’s moment of magic broke the deadlock and helped secure the three points for the Zebras.
The game reached halftime locked at 0-0 thanks largely to Daniel Nash who made a pair of nice saves to keep things level. Nash has been stellar in net for his side this season and he continued his strong showing here, though he was less busy than he has been in previous weeks in a credit to the defensive unit in front of him in protecting the dangerous areas.
He could do nothing to deny Miley shortly after the restart however, as he bamboozled a defender with a step over, putting him on the floor to buy some room, before firing off a shot that curled perfectly into the bottom corner of the net from 25 yards out.
A headed chance for Riverside almost squared things up in the 68th minute before the Zebras doubled the lead and made sure of the points moments later. Xuan Cappellino headed a corner towards goal and Ben Tilley bundled it home from close range. The Riverside players were certain he did so with a hand, but their appeals were waved away. It was a harsh blow and settled the contest, as whilst they hadn’t created many openings, at 1-0 they were always a chance. At 2-0, the Zebras had done enough to secure the points.
Despite the defeat, after some tough results in recent times for Riverside this was a definite step in the right direction. Minus Chamusca, they didn’t offer a huge attacking threat, but the defensive side of things was sound and something they can build upon.
Lions Bounce Back With Big Win Over United
In the final game of the round, the Kingborough Lions proved too much for Launceston United, dominating the contest from start to finish and racing away with a 4-0 victory.
After some indifferent form of late, the Lions jolted back to their best here with a comprehensive performance.
The Lions created three promising chances in the opening ten minutes to set the tone for what was to come. Only some brilliance from Aidan Piper, who made two wonderful saves to deny Mies and Othman kept things close as the Lions spent the bulk of the first 45 on the attack.
Eventually, the sheer weight of chances told and Noah Mies broke the deadlock with a quality lofted finish after they won the ball back high up the pitch.
With the score only at 1-0 and the wind now at their backs for the second half, there was some hope for United, but the Lions quickly dimmed that by scoring in the opening minutes. Kobe Kemp smashed one home from the top of the box to double the lead in some style.
That 2-0 lead then became 3-0 when Matthew Hess finished off from close range after Othman had two shots blocked away, only for Hess to pounce and sweep home.
The dominant performance was then capped by Noah Mies, who chalked up his second goal of the contest when he was played in behind the defence and cooly picked out the bottom corner.
It was a badly needed bounce-back display for the Lions after some disappointing results in recent weeks. Meanwhile United’s search for their first points goes on.
Round 7
Devonport 2 (R.Garrido 39”, N.Lanau-Atkinson 48”)
Glenorchy Knights 0
South Hobart 1 (B.Lakoseljac 13”)
Launceston City 1 (J.Woodland 57’)
Riverside Olympic 0
Clarence Zebras 2 (C.Miley 48”, B.Tilley 72”)
Launceston United 0
Kingborough Lions 4 (N.Mies 29” 71”, K.Kemp 48”, M.Hess 62”)