Welcome to the Weekend Wash-Up as we take a look back on Round 8 of the McDonald's NPL Tasmania season. It was a weekend that had Derby delight for Launceston City, More Morton Magic for South Hobart, a dominant display from the Knights on the road and the Devonport Strikers once again scoring a dramatic victory. On a weekend where it seemed the Strikers lead atop the table may slip, they somehow found a way to pull it out of the fire and as a result they remain four points clear on top.
City Claim Derby Bragging Rights
The Round began on Friday night at Buckby Motors Park, where Launceston City maintained their perfect record in Derby games this season, by downing Riverside Olympic 4-0. After a scoreless first half, City broke the game open in the second half and stormed away to a comfortable victory.
City came close to opening the scoring in the third minute when Mac Wilcox crossed for Mason Smith who directed his effort inches wide of the post. It would be a theme of the first half for City who saw a number of near misses. Humphrey rattled the crossbar with a curling free kick before Anderson and Smith couldn’t convert promising scoring chances.
Against the run of play, Riverside thought they had taken the lead when Campbell Young rose to head in Liam Poulson’s corner, only to be denied by the assistant’s raised flag who deemed the ball to have crossed the line from the corner before curling back into the box.
City took control of the contest in the second half, striking early via Alex Jacobs who nodded home Tantari’s corner to get them off and running.
The lead was then doubled, and Riverside were reduced to 10 men when Rohan Fenner clipped Smith in the penalty area, earning a second yellow card and penalty. Humphrey stepped up to dispatch the spot kick, though refused to celebrate out of respect for his former side.
With Riverside down to 10 men, the game was essentially over and City added two more goals, with substitute Jhostan Pardon paving two assists, first for Toby Anderson and then Tito Brown to fire home from close range.
The win elevated City temporarily up into second place on the table and continues their strong campaign, whilst Riverside continue to search for a way to avoid fading out in contests.
Last Gasp Strikers Stun Zebras
The Devonport Strikers struck a 93rd-minute winner, as they overcame the Clarence Zebras to score a last-gasp 2-1 victory to extend their winning streak and maintain their four-point lead atop the table.
There are three certainties in life it seems. Death, Taxes and the Devonport Strikers finding a way to win football games. Here once again they found a way to pull the result out of the fire, on a day it seemed they were set to slip up and see their lead cut into it, they somehow found a way as they always seem to.
The Zebras took the lead just prior to halftime when a quickly taken throw-in, saw an out-of-position Keegan Smith collide with Xuan Cappellino who went down and was awarded the penalty kick.
Having missed a potentially decisive spot kick a week earlier, the Argentine made no mistake this time around, hammering his penalty home to send the Zebras into the break a goal to the good.
Brody Denehey squared things up shortly after the restart with a superbly taken first-time volley from the top of the box and the Strikers were back on terms and hunting for all three points.
Devonport pushed hard for the go-ahead goal, but it didn’t seem like it was going to be their day and they were largely restricted to shots from outside the box as the game wound to its conclusion.
The Zebras then had a chance to win it for themselves in the 89th minute as Dillon picked out Cappellino at the back post, but he sent his effort wide. For the second week in a row, a late miss would prove extremely costly for the Zebras.
In Miles Barnard’s 100th NPL game, it was fitting that he would play a key role in the match-winner, bobbing up in the penalty area in the crunch moment. His Strikers career has been defined by his goals in big moments and his “Fox in the Box’ nickname is a nod to where he does his best work.
With time about to expire, Denehey launched a long throw into the penalty area, Barnard flicked it on and there was an unmarked Roberto Fernandez Garrido at the back post to deliver the hammer blow and secure the dramatic victory.
Morton Shines as South Survive Lions Fightback
Nick Morton hit a first-half hat-trick as South Hobart downed the Kingborough Lions 3-2 at the Kingston Twin Ovals. Morton and Jaden Fidra tore the Lions apart at the back in the first 45 minutes, before the game script flipped and they had to endure a furious second-half rally from the Lions.
South took an early lead as Morton unleashed a rocket from his non-preferred left foot from the top of the box in just the 7th minute to leave the hosts stunned.
Ahmad Othman came close to providing the immediate response for the Lions as he got in behind the defence, only to see his shot bounce back off the far post.
Jaden Fidra’s pace was looming large and he utterly terrorized the Lions defence in the first half with his leg speed. After missing a chance at the back post, he seized on a misplaced back pass, absolutely blew past Fred Hess, rounded the keeper and cut it back for Morton to tap home into the empty net and make it 2-0.
Fidra then supplied Morton with his hat-trick goal, charging past Kemp before crossing perfectly for Morton to volley home and make it 3-0 after 35 minutes.
At that point it seemed like a complete rout was on the cards, but the Lions would dig in and show some fight as they found a way to subdue the lively Fidra in the second half.
Morton almost had a fourth midway through the second half with an audacious backheel that was cleared off the line before the Lions launched their late fightback.
Greg Downes bent one from range that O’Connell didn’t hold onto and Declan Taylor was on the spot to sweep home the rebound in the 72nd minute.
Four minutes later and South’s lead was cut to one, as Othman’s deflected cross found its way to Noah Mies at the back post who made no mistake.
It set up a grandstand finish and South were forced to endure a difficult additional time period that saw the Lions coming close on a couple of occasions. Kobe Kemp’s had a promising chance blocked away by Jacob Lancaster and from the resulting corner, Tom Prince had a clean header, which he nodded narrowly wide. Declan Taylor also had a half chance, but couldn’t direct his shot and South hung on to claim the 3-2 victory.
Knights Cruise Past United
The Glenorchy Knights maintained their grip on second spot on the table as they comfortably accounted for Launceston United 5-0 at Floorworld Park with Daniel Sagno and Lucas Dzalakowski scoring braces.
Sagno opened the scoring twenty minutes into the game when he timed a run nicely to get in behind the defence before finishing off Brkic’s well-weighted through ball with a clinical finish.
It was another Knights fullback who set up the second goal, as this time Adam Gorrie won the ball back high up the pitch before crossing for Sagno who crashed in at the back post and doubled the advantage.
Some flat-footed defending then cost United a third, as Kyle Vincent picked out Jack Turner making a run to the near post and he turned his effort home to make it 3-0 at the break.
Sagno could’ve completed his hat-trick just past the hour mark but he blazed over the bar from the penalty spot after Reading tripped Mearns in the box.
The other goals came late on, as substitute Lucas Dzalakowski fired in a late brace. His first was via a tidy near post finish from a Jack Turner cross, and his second came from a corner, rising high to nod home the Knights fifth and secure a comprehensive victory.
Knights will be glad of their work here, though undoubtedly left frustrated by the Strikers late heroics elsewhere ensuring that they didn’t make up any ground.
Round 8
Launceston City 4 (A.Jacobs 56”, W.Humphrey 70”, T.Anderson 83”, T.Brown 90+2”)
Riverside Olympic 0
Kingborough Lions 2 (D.Taylor 72”, N.Mies 77”)
South Hobart FC 3 (N.Morton 7” 14” 35”)
Launceston United 0
Glenorchy Knights 5 (D.Sagno 21” 38”, J.Turner 40”, L.Dzalakowski 85” 87”)
Clarence Zebras 1 (X.Cappellino 43”)
Devonport Strikers 2 (B.Denehey 61”, R.Garrido 90+3”)