Match of the Round: South Hobart v Kingborough Lions
Round 8 of the NPL Tasmania marks the first fixture repeats for the 2024 season. With every side having now played each other once, it’s time for the rematches and the biggest of those in Round 8 pits the Kingborough Lions up against ladder leaders South Hobart in the Match of the Round.
The Round 1 clash between the pair saw South Hobart kick their season off in style as they downed the Kingborough Lions 2-0 at the Den. This time around it will be at D'arcy Street and South enter the game off the back of some strong form, moving to the top of the NPL table and remaining unbeaten in the NPL thus far.
South Hobart coach Ken Morton said he was pleased with the start to the campaign, but cautioned it was still early days.
"We are very happy with how things are going, but there is a long way to go, if we can get some players back then we are confident we can give the title a shake," he said.
"We’ve been consistent with the way we are playing; we haven’t been fantastic, but we are putting some good moments together and been able to win matches.”
Morton suggested that having the week off to freshen up - having been eliminated from the Cup - may be advantageous, with the Lions having played away to Riverside last weekend.
“We are happy with how we’ve been travelling, the break of not playing in the Lakoseljac Cup has maybe helped us a little bit as we are dealing with some injuries at present," he said.
A focus on the defence would be key to getting a repeat result against the Lions, according to the South manager.
“We need to be strong defensively and try to control the game from back to front," he said.
Morton agreed that this NPL campaign was shaping as unique in just how close it was.
“There probably has been (a season this tight) at some stage, but I can’t recall it. It is close, there are 4-5 teams who can all beat each other and the others are capable of taking points on their day. So you need to go into the games prepared to win the duels and be at your best.”
His Kingborough counterpart Alfred Hess said managing the mindset would be key for his side as they enter this one off the back of last weekend’s Semi Final victory that saw them qualify for the Lakoseljac Cup Final.
"I am really encouraged by their efforts, performances and what they’ve achieved but we also must be diligent just to focus on what we need to do in any given week," he said.
"We are certainly excited as a club and a group, it’s a great achievement for the club. We have to embrace the challenge, it’s a great opportunity to be competing in both of the competitions but it's very much a week-to-week thing.
"The players have been really professional with their mindsets and making sure they focus on the task at hand."
Hess suggested the key takeaway from the Round 1 defeat were lessons learned at the back, and they were lessons he felt his side had applied in the subsequent weeks.
“I reflect on last time we met [South Hobart] back in Round 1, defensively we needed to do a lot of work and I think we’ve had a great process of improvement from that point to now, as indicated by a couple of clean sheets in the league," he said.
"The main areas of focus have been giving ourselves the best possible chances to be in matches by increased defensive organization capabilities and going from there.”
Hess agreed with Morton that it was still too early to draw strong conclusions but felt this season was shaping as tighter than prior campaigns.
“There is still so much of the season to go, everyone has to play each other twice more so there is still lots of potential to take points, it's quite tight and I guess it’s been pretty intriguing for a neutral perspective and I hope it's been entertaining," he said.
“It seems like you need to be up for every week, certainly it's close at the top but teams right throughout the league have been challenging. You really need to be at the top of your game most weeks to get something from the game.”
In other Round 8 action, the round will get underway on Friday night with a Launceston Derby, as Riverside Olympic welcomes Launceston City to Windsor Park. The Roos have been showing some steady improvement in recent weeks and will be up for the rivalry game, though City handled them comfortably in their prior meeting, winning an eventually rescheduled clash 3-0.
At Wentworth Park the Devonport Strikers will be eager to get back on the winners list, having drawn their past three NPL games and now 4 of their past 5 matches to slide down to fourth on the table. They face a Clarence Zebras team who they beat 3-0 in Round 1.
The Glenorchy Knights meanwhile will be looking to bank 3 points at home to last-placed Launceston United, and pending what happens in the South v Lions game, they could potentially move back to the top of the table with a repeat effort of their Round 1 victory.
Round 8
Friday 24 May 2024
Riverside Olympic v Launceston City, 8:15pm, Windsor Park LIVE STREAM
Saturday 25 May
South Hobart v Kingborough Lions, 2:00pm, D'arcy Street LIVE STREAM
Clarence Zebras v Devonport Strikers, 2:30pm, Wentworth Park LIVE STREAM
Glenorchy Knights v Launceston United, 4:45pm, KGV LIVE STREAM