The Round 2 Forecast
Welcome to the Friday forecast for Week 2 of the NPL Tasmania season. After a thoroughly entertaining opening weekend let’s hope for more of the same this week, with more close games on the scoreboard as sides look to build on their opening round performances. For sides like South Hobart and Knights, Round 2 represents a chance to maintain a perfect start but their respective opponents in Clarence Zebras and Launceston City demonstrated last week that they will be much improved in 2023 and they pose particularly tough obstacles. Both Riverside and the Lions will be keen to claim their first points of the new year when they meet at Windsor Park, whilst Devonport should be able to bounce back from a week one stumble as Launceston United’s tough early initiation into the top flight continues.
NPL Sides Fare Well In Cup Draw
After the drama of opening weekend, the major news out of the week was the drawing of the Round of 16 of the Lakoseljac Cup. With that Australia Cup Round of 32 carrot dangling for the winner, motivation to win the Cup remains extremely high for all sides. That potential exposure on the National stage is just so valuable and it has only served to heighten the importance of the cup.
The NPL sides will largely be happy with their draws, with 7 of the 8 sides being drawn for home ties, and 6 of the 8 avoiding fellow NPL sides. Launceston United hosting Launceston City is the only all NPL tie, with 6 other ties featuring an NPL side at home to a Championship team. Ulverstone and Hobart United was the only all Championship affair, so we could have quite the bumper Quarter Final stage.
Round of 16 Lakoseljac Cup Draw - Preliminary Round 4 of Australia Cup
Kingborough Lions v Northern Rangers
South Hobart v New Town Eagles
Launceston United v Launceston City
Clarence Zebras v Taroona
Devonport Strikers v Olympia Warriors
Ulverstone v Hobart United
Glenorchy Knights v Hobart City Beachside
Riverside Olympic v Barnstoneworth United
Lions and Roos Look To Claim First Points
The Round will get underway at Windsor Park, with Riverside hosting the Kingborough Lions on Saturday afternoon. Riverside were good in patches in their home opener against City last week, but they will need to maintain that level for longer if they are to take anything from this clash.
The defence was impressively led by Young and Reissig last week, but you’d imagine they can’t find themselves put under as much pressure as they did against City if they are to cause the upset here. They will need their midfield to win some more of the ball to take that pressure off and give the defence some respite. The Lions defence did look vulnerable at times last weekend so if they can get the pressing game going and force some turnovers high up the pitch then the chances will come for their youthful attackers.
Overall, the Lions were impressive against South Hobart and will feel they deserved to take something from the game. They certainly created enough chances to have done so and may well have done if not for a 5 minute period in the second half where they lost their heads at the back and were duly punished for it.
If they can show a slightly more ruthless streak in attack and be more efficient with their chances this week then this should be the first three points of the year for Kingborough. The level they produced last week is good enough to test anyone and should have them firmly fighting for a spot in the competition’s top four just as they did last season.
Tought Knights Test for Milestone Man Stone
In the South in the twilight slot, the Glenorchy Knights take on Launceston City in what probably looms as the match of the round at KGV.
Having started their campaign off with three points, the Knights will be eager to maintain the pace at the top and make it two wins from two. Last season they fell too far behind early on and found themselves chasing too large of a gap. This year they want to be the side that is being chased and banking early home victories against Northern opponents travelling down is going to be key to that. They ticked the first box by accounting for United last week in a game they dominated from start to finish, but this one may not be so straight forward against a City side with high hopes for 2023.
City are well and truly capable of pulling off the road win as they did just that at this venue in the corresponding fixture 12 months ago. Jaden Fidra’s late goal snared a stunning win for City that evening and whilst they no longer have his services to call upon, in Stefan Tantari, Toby Simeoni and Joel Stone, they have plenty of alternative firepower in the final third. They are the type of ball players who should enjoy the wider expanses of KGV as well as the slick surface of the artificial pitch. Stone will be playing his 150th NPL Tasmania game in this match and what a player he has been for the league. A multiple time League Best and Fairest winner and a star man for such a dominant era of the Devonport Strikers, he has been an absolute joy to watch down the years. The dazzling foot skills, the dribbling ability, the long-range goals, the tough physicality, Joel Stone has brought it all and he will be key to his side’s hopes of a repeat road win at KGV here. He brings with him a winning mentality that new coach Daniel Syson will be looking to instill in his playing group and the City youngsters should learn plenty playing with him.
After False Start, Strikers Look To Launch
At Valley Road the Devonport Strikers will look to notch their first win of the season, as they take on competition newcomers Launceston United.
Last week was something of a false start for the Strikers. Widely expected to take care of the Clarence Zebras at Valley Road, the eventual 1-1 final score was quite the shock. They found the Zebras a much tougher nut to crack at the back than expected and dropped rare points at home in a misfire of a performance. It’s a very long season and we have seen Devonport drop a game early in the year only to storm on and completely dominate the league as recently as last year, so there is no point overreacting too much to one result. They have lost some key players from last season though and whilst their depth was clearly the best in the league last season, that is set to be tested this year as those depth players becomes starting players. Will it be enough to see them fall back to the pack? Time will tell, but either way they should still have enough about themselves to take care of a Launceston United team that they recently thumped 9-0 in the Summer Cup.
United will be looking to put in a much improved showing from that effort and produce something like they did last week against Glenorchy Knights. In these early road games against the competition heavyweights, damage limitation and bus parking is probably going to be the go for United as they look to establish a foothold in the league. They defended valiantly at the back against Knights and will need to be similarly compact here. If they can get in and deny the Strikers early on, perhaps the frustration from last week may come to the fore for the hosts. It’s a tall order for United though, and a wounded Strikers outfit looking to respond has typically not been an accommodating time to head to Valley Road to play them.
South Facing Week 1 Surprise Packets
The Round concludes on Sunday with South Hobart taking on the Clarence Zebras at Darcy Street in what looms as an interesting end to the weekend’s action. It’s good to see a few more Sunday games in the fixture this season to space things out and this will be well worth a look, particularly after the opening weekend exploits of the Clarence Zebras.
The Zebras 1-1 draw at Valley Road may well be their finest result since joining the NPL and gives them a wonderful building block for the season ahead. South have comfortably had the Zebras number over the past three years since their inception, winning all 8 of their 8 head-to-head clashes in the NPL TAS. The Zebras had a similar record against the Devonport Strikers however, so having finally ended that streak, can they now go and throw the South Hobart monkey off the back to boot?
They can if they show the same discipline in defence they did a week earlier at Valley Road and bring the physical edge that they also produced in that clash. Their imports in Adjei and Cappellino look the goods and will once again be key to their hopes of making it repeat upsets.
South looked a tad vulnerable at the back against the Lions, with Nicholas O’Connell kept relatively busy but they also produced some wonderful flowing moves in attack. The front three of Berezansky, Van Doorne and Lakoseljac is going to be seriously tough to contain, with Morton joining them from midfield to complete a potent goal threat. Keeping this side out for 90 minutes looks a very tough ask, and whilst I think they can be scored on, whether you can outscore them is another prospect all together. South will be expecting three points here, but after week 1, you can’t be writing off the Zebras.
McDonalds NPL Tasmania Round 2
Saturday 25 March
Riverside Olympic v Kingborough Lions, Windsor Park, 2:30pm
Glenorchy Knights v Launceston City, KGV, 4:30pm
Devonport Strikers v Launceston United, Valley Road, 4:30pm
Sunday 26 March
South Hobart v Clarence Zebras, Darcy Street, 2:00pm