Round 1 Feature Match of the Round: Launceston United v Glenorchy Knights
Knights Set for WSL Debut
The Glenorchy Knights are all set to make their WSL debut this weekend, taking on Launceston United in their first Super League fixture since being promoted to the top flight at the end of last year.
Tasked with leading the new squad into their rookie WSL season is coach Ivica Bolonja who spoke in praise of his playing group’s professionalism in their preparation at Friday morning’s press conference.
“I think we’ve done the preparation, I think the girls have brought a fantastic attitude to training, to their application, to their professionalism.
The players are understanding the system and the way we want to play. They’re buying into the culture we are looking to develop at the club, a really positive and professional culture.”
Bolonja said he was happy with where his side was at as they prepared for the opening match against United and had optimism ahead of the new campaign.
"They’re learning a new style of playing, and they’re a new team, which means it takes a while to bed those processes down. But I am really happy with where we’re at. So I’m optimistic that we will play well and optimistic that we will play to the type of structure that we’ve been training.”
Bolonja also discussed the complexion of his newly assembled squad and perhaps unsurprisingly for an expansion side new to the league, you can expect to see plenty of younger players given an opportunity this season.
“It’s a mixture of recruitment and some of those homegrown talents coming back to the club. We also have a fantastic Under 18’s program at the moment with a number of very talented girls that we are looking to give minutes to, even this weekend and throughout the season.”
If the Knights want an example of how to build into the WSL, they need look no further than their opponents in this match, Launceston United, who finished in second place in their first Super League season, before going on to win the League and Cup double in 2022.
Whilst United took a step back in 2023, sliding to third on the table after their dominant 2022, they will undoubtedly be looking to put themselves back in the mix for silverware in 2024.
Speaking at the Season launch last Friday, coach Nick Rawlinson praised the depth of his squad and suggested he had a large group of players to pick from presenting a challenge to lock down his starting XI.
The preseason has been a bit mixed, we haven’t been able to put out a full WSL side yet, due to injuries and covid that sort of thing… but we’ve been training since before Christmas so the girls are fit and ready to go.”
“We’ve had quite a few new players join the squad, so it's about getting the combinations and finding the right fit for those new players."
“We’ve got a very even and large squad of players across the board, probably some of the younger players who are now in their second year will be looking to build on their experiences from last year and make a bigger impact this year. There is a lot of competition for all of the positions in the side.”
Amongst those new players are a key duo recruited from Northern Rangers in Moanna Chamberlain and Abbie Chugg, two players who have utterly dominated at the Championship level in previous years and will now get the chance to show what they can do at the higher level.
Summer Cup Finalists Kick Off Their Campaign
Elsewhere across the opening Round of the WSL season, the Devonport Strikers will take on Taroona at Valley Road.
The Strikers are under new management this season, with NPL boss Tom Ballantyne now moving into a head coaching role that encompasses both senior sides. He has brought with him a stylistic change that places a large emphasis on ball retention and control. They fell short against South Hobart in the Summer Cup Final but should be firmly in the mix as they look to continue their trend of improving year on year, having finished 5th, 3rd and 2nd in the past 3 seasons. They've been on an upwards trajectory and there is now only one more spot they can improve to.
Taroona struggled out of the gates in 2023, before really turning things around in the second half of the season. Down the stretch they were much improved, posting a 3-2-1 record in the final six matches and those two losses were by just a single goal. It’s something they can use to build on for the 2024 campaign, though doing so without the aid of Jessie Williams will be their big challenge. The defensive improvements were notable as the season wore on and they will look to be solid at the back against a Strikers side that lacked penetration in the Summer Cup Final, as they adjust to life without Jazmin White who will be sidelined this year.
The action concludes at Lightwood Park with the defending champions South Hobart taking on a Kingborough Lions outfit who have been tipped to be the biggest improvers in the competition this season, with a pair of 6-1 victories over Taroona and Knights in the Summer Cup showing their potential. But some familiar defensive fragilities also reared their head in their first game against this week’s opponents South Hobart, falling in a wild game 8-4!
With Jazmin White missing this season, the Golden Boot award that she has had on lockdown for the past 2 years is back up for grabs, and if Summer Cup is anything to go by then Laura Davis will give it a red hot shake, scoring 9 goals across three group-stage games.
South enter this season as the team to beat, after claiming the League/Cup double last season and have started 2024 in familiar style by taking out the Summer Cup. It proved a costly victory though, as they were dealt a horror blow with star playmaker and captain Lucy Roberts ruled out for the season after rupturing her ACL and tearing her Medial Ligament. It not only robs the league of one of its brightest talents but it also presents Alistair Russel with a big challenge to replace such an integral player on the eve of the season. South still head into the season as the team to beat but it feels like this season should be a much tighter title race than last year proved.
McDonald’s Women’s Super League
Round 1
Saturday 16 March
Launceston United v Glenorchy Knights, Birch Avenue, 12:00pm LIVE STREAM
Devonport Strikers v Taroona FC, Valley Road, 12:15pm LIVE STREAM
Kingborough Lions v South Hobart, Lightwood Park, 2:00pm LIVE STREAM