Match of the Round: Devonport Strikers v Kingborough Lions
It’s the penultimate round of the NPL Tasmania season and the title race is going right down to the wire. Following last weekend’s results, a final-day showdown between Deovnport and Glenorchy Knights may well be on the cards to decide the title, but first, both sides need to take care of business this weekend. For Devonport that means doing something they’ve been unable to do this season, defeating the Kingborough Lions, who they meet in the Match of the Round.
Strikers boss Tom Ballantyne said last week’s dramatic last-gasp victory kept the side on track but he felt it didn’t provide any extra belief.
“I'm not sure about belief, but it’s a step closer to what we want to achieve,” he said.
“In terms of that game, it was a bit of a one-off, it was on a horrible pitch that both teams had to adjust to.
“We learned from the mistakes we made last time when we went there and tried to play football, we played the conditions. We played Dec and Xuan up front, two big strikers and won 70% of contested balls.
“So that was a massive factor for us in the game, we set out with a clear intention to not play the ball on the floor that game, and to make sure we won from those moments and we created good opportunities from that. With some slightly more clinical finishing, we could’ve come away from it with 5/6 goals.”
Ballantyne suggested a similar approach may well be required again this weekend depending on conditions.
“The ground is very much going to dictate what happens,” he said.
“We haven’t been on the grass at training this week as its been closed. Much like last week, we will have plan A and plan B and we will adjust based on what the weather conditions are like and how the pitch holds up.”
Ballantyne bemoaned his side’s wastefulness in front of goals in the prior NPL meetings against the Lions and said it was clear where the side had to be better this time around.
We’ve played them three times this year, including the Summer Cup, in the Summer Cup we were ruthless and tore them to pieces,” he said.
“At their ground, we drew 0-0 but we missed a penalty and their goalie was unbelievable but we were very wasteful. Then last time at our ground we lost 2-1 having been up 1-0, with one off the bar and another cleared off the line.
“They came out and say very deep, they were compact around the edges of the area. We still had the chances to win the game, but we just weren’t clinical enough. So for us, it's about making sure we aren’t wasteful and converting our opportunities this weekend. If we do, we will win the game.”
Ballantyne felt his side’s previous successes held them in good stead for the crunch games of the past couple of weeks and final fortnight of the season.
“I think what it does for us is that we understand what big matches mean. We’ve played Wellington Phoenix, played big events, big cup finals so the guys know what it is to go into really really big games, knowing how to win and what needs to be done to get results,” he said.
“The last 2-3 weeks have been really good, everyone has stepped up their work rate in training, and the attitudes in the group are really good at the moment.
“That experience of winning something is something that is really hard to explain, it's intangible but it’s really important. Once you start winning, the hunger for it grows, if you lose, you get used to it and it becomes a habit. So we are used to winning, we are used to winning trophies, it’s a habit and we want to keep that going.”
Kingborough Coach Alfred Hess wanted his side to bounce back and finish the year off in a positive manner, with his side now having dropped their past 2 fixtures.
“I think we are looking to continue with our process and finish off the year in the best manner possible,” he said.
“There is still traction to be gained in terms of our process and how we go about our business, that can lead into next year, so there is still plenty to play for in that respect.”
Hess felt his side had been a bit too inconsistent in recent weeks.
“It’s been a bit up and down, things have been going okay one week, but then not the next week," he said.
"I think the key in the final couple of matches is to finish off. Our defensive organization has been a bit loose the past couple of weeks which has made things difficult for us.
"When we do have moments of control we need to take our chances in matches. If we take our chances that will give us an opportunity to maybe get something from the match, but the defensive detail has lacked for us at time.”
Hess felt his side acquitted themselves well against Knights last week before Eli Luttmer’s dismissal.
“We had a plan for the match and I thought the guys did a marvellous job executing it,” he said.
“We denied them the opportunities to score then took our chances when they came, albeit with a little bit of fortune scoring directly from the corner, but I thought it was a reasonable performance from the group till the moment in the game that changed everything, and we just couldn’t respond to that.
“But the performance aspect up until the send-off, I was quite pleased with that overall.”
That send-off meant that the Lions will be without Luttmer for this match, which Hess admitted presented a further challenge for his group.
“It’s quite difficult but that is where the season is at, there are suspensions, injuries and everyone is dealing with that a bit,” he said.
“So that will be a task for us to manage that dynamic, he’s a great player and provides great value for us and we will have to find a way to replace him. So it creates an opportunity for someone else to make a contribution.”
Hess indicated a similar approach to their 2-1 win in the prior clash at Valley Road would be a likely blueprint for the match.
“It will have to look something similar, last time we executed well but we certainly withstood a bombardment that day and definitely rode our luck, and it might have to look something similar this weekend,” he said.
In other Round 20 action, things will get underway at TassieCare Park on Friday night when Launceston City and Launceston United meet in the final Launceston Derby of the campaign.
Then on Saturday, the title race ramifications are significant in every match, and the Glenorchy Knights can ensure they head into the final day needing only a draw to win the title if they can defeat the Clarence Zebras at Wentworth Park.
With Darcy Street out of action, South Hobart will look to keep their title hopes alive at KGV by beating Riverside, although they will need one of the Knights or the Strikers to slip up to be any realistic shot of claiming the title on the final day of the season and providing Ken Morton with the fairytale farewell.
Friday 30 August
Launceston City v Launceston United, 8:15pm, TassieCare Park LIVE STREAM
Saturday 31 August
South Hobart v Riverside Olympic, 2:00pm, KGV LIVE STREAM
Glenorchy Knights v Clarence Zebras, 2:30pm, Wentworth Park LIVE STREAM
Devonport Strikers v Kingborough Lions, 2:45pm, Valley Road LIVE STREAM