Match of the Round: Devonport Strikers v Kingborough Lions
Match of the Round for Round 13 takes us to Valley Road where the Devonport Strikers play host to the Kingborough Lions. It will be another top-four battle with a major impact on the fascinating title race that continues to develop at the top of the table.
Strikers coach Tom Ballantyne said he was expecting a response from the Lions following their heavy loss to the Knights last weekend and forecast a tough game.
“They are always a dangerous side, continually improving as the season wears on under Alfred," he said.
"We can guarantee it won't be a similar scoreline to the Knights game last week.
"I expect them to have an immediate reaction - we seem to often come up against sides who have just been beaten and they spend the week working hard on the defence and keeping it tight at the back, so we expect that again here.”
Ballantyne felt comfortable with where his side was at ahead of the match.
"There are only twp teams left in the league who are undefeated and we are one of them," he said.
"We’ve recruited well, we thought, over the window; we’ve got players coming back into some really good form and so we are pretty happy with where we are at."
Devonport will enter this off the back of a physically taxing 2-2 draw with South Hobart on a heavy pitch, but the Strikers' boss suggested he would likely have a full squad available to call upon.
“There were definitely some sore bodies, so Monday’s session was a very light session, just trying to get people moving again and mobile," he said.
"A few people had the session off with slight muscle strains from overextending when trying to change direction.
"But we’re right, we’ve done that and had a good rest of the week.
"One player we will make a call on on Saturday, but otherwise there are no major injuries, just some knocks and bruises.”
The last time the sides met it was a 0-0 draw at Lightwood Park, as the Strikers squandered scoring chances, something Ballantyne felt his side had addressed in recent weeks.
“We look back to the 0-0 draw we played against them in Round 6, we dominated every part of that game, we had 20 shots to 1, 70% possession, triple the entries into box and we missed a penalty," he said.
"So that game could’ve looked like the Knights game last week if we had taken our early chances, but we didn’t.
"In the last few weeks we have scored a lot more goals, nearly 20 in the past 6 games, so we’ve gone out and worked really hard on that aspect of the game, so it's improving and we’ll relish the opportunity to go prove it.”
The transfer window slammed shut yesterday at 5pm, but the Strikers made good use of it whilst it was open, bringing in goalkeeper Mitch Higgins from Zebras and Argentine striker Xuan Cappellino, who scored on his Strikers debut from the penalty spot in their 2-2 draw with South Hobart.
Ballantyne was pleased with Capellino's debut, though felt conditions didn’t offer the Argentine the best chance to showcase what he could bring to the group.
“It didn’t bring an immediate win, but given the state of the pitch we played on, you could’ve flipped a coin, one slip for one team, or a slip for the other and someone wins that game," he said.
"There was no real quality in that game of football whatsoever, it was an old fashioned, who wanted it more type of game.
"This week on our ground, which is in a better state than South’s pitch, we should be able to see a bit more of his qualities and what he’s capable of.”
Lions coach Alfred Hess will be looking for an improved showing this weekend, after they lost 7-3 to Knights last weekend, falling 5-0 down inside the opening half hour.
Whilst disappointed with the performance, Hess felt there were positive things to take away from it nonetheless.
“Certainly not the result we were looking for but there are some silver linings, I think, in terms of the response at half time and the character shown by the players," he said.
"It gave us plenty to consider for our preparation this week for this game.
"It’s never nice to be on the end of a result like that, but sometimes it can used as a positive in terms of illustrating areas that might need improvement.”
Hess said the disappointment was more in the way the side started the game, than a failure to enact any sort of revenge for the Lakoseljac Cup Final defeat.
"The capitulation type of period that we had in that first half was more the disappointment, and what we demonstrated performance-wise in that period," he said.
"But again, we offered a reasonable response at half time and were much better in the second half, so some positives, as well as negatives.”
Hess didn't play down the difficulty of this weekend's task, but was relishing the chance to overcome the challenge.
"It’s certainly a difficult place to go and Devonport have been active in the window and that probably bolsters their squad and makes it a significant challenge, but with the league as it is this year there have been quite a few matches of this nature, there are not many easy sort of fixtures presented," he said.
"It’s why we play though, to have that challenge and to see how we can play and overcome that challenge.”
Reflecting on the prior meeting between the pair, Hess felt his defence had done well, but admitted a similar performance was unlikely to yield a result this time around.
“In that match we defended quite well and withstood a lot of pressure, but Devonport have been active in the window and maybe now have a bit more quality to take those chances that they were creating," he said.
Last week’s defeat saw them cede some ground in the title race, but they remain within 7 points of top spot, and with the top 4 all taking points from each other, Hess believes if his side can get on a run as they did in 2023, they were still in the mix for the title.
“We are just going to continue to put our best foot forward and put pressure on that conversation," he said.
"If I reflect on last year, we succumbed to Knights to a similar score and then rallied a bit and had a really good end to the season, so we are probably in a stronger starting position this time around.
"So if we can replicate that strong finish from last year, then we can ask a serious question and absolutely that is our intent.
"Last season's finish is certainly something we talk about and is something we can access.”
In other Round 13 action, things will get underway the night prior with a pair of Friday night fixtures.
At KGV, the Glenorchy Knights will be out to put the pressure on their title rivals by taking care of business against the Clarence Zebras. Last time they met it was a narrow 2-1 win for the Knights at Wentworth Park.
Meanwhile, at TassieCare Park, Launceston City will try and snap a recent downturn in form against last-placed Launceston United, who continue to search for a breakthrough result. City have won all 3 of the 3 local derbies they've played so far this year.
On Saturday, the ladder-leaders South Hobart will go in as heavy favourites to see things remain that way when they travel to meet Riverside Olympic at Windsor Park.
Round 13
Friday 5 July
Launceston City v Launceston United, Prospect Park, 8:15pm, TassieCare LIVE STREAM
Glenorchy Knights v Clarence Zebras, KGV, 8:15pm LIVE STREAM
Saturday 6 July
Devonport Strikers v Kingborough Lions, 2:15pm, Valley Road LIVE STREAM
Riverside Olympic v South Hobart, 4:30pm, Windsor Park LIVE STREAM