Match of the Round for Round 16 will see the Devonport Strikers hosting Launceston United, with the Strikers now closing in on the 2024 League title. The pair have met twice already in 2024 and the Strikers won both matches though they were close affairs, ending 3-2 and 2-1 and remaining in the balance throughout the 90 minutes.
Coach Tom Ballantyne suggested his side were laser-focused on closing out the title in the coming weeks.
"The girls have been playing really well this year, and now we're just seven points away from mathematically winning the title, so we all know what needs to be done this week and they've all worked really hard in training this week to do that," he said.
Ballantyne said there had been no hint of complacency creeping into the side, despite their dominance this season.
"The girls have been super-focused, we haven't had to have a conversation around that, they know what they want to achieve this year; we set some goals at the start of the season, and since then we have readjusted the goals because we've gone above and beyond what we set out.
"So we have readjusted and they've focused again by trying to get those new outcomes by the end of the year."
The Strikers' coach felt the speed in attack of Launceston United was the biggest thing his side needed to be on guard against.
"Tactically this weekend we need to be very aware of the key players that Launceston United have got and making sure that we deny the space for those really quick players that they have got, from there they will be focussing on us," he said.
"Their front three are all very quick young strikers, so that's our big focus, making sure we deny them space; where we deny that space is really important as well. The service to them we are not too worried about, it's what we do when they have the ball, and where we are then going to try to funnel them into."
The Strikers' last home game was forced onto the back pitch due to weather causing issues with the main pitch, but Ballantyne wasn't expecting that to be an issue this week
"Weather here has been good the past few days, so hopefully the pitch has dried out and we can play some good football as well," he said.
"They cut the pitch yesterday and it looked good, we stayed off it for training, so it's looking a bit better than it has been over the past week or so."
A key to the match will undoubtedly be Whitney Knight, who continued her brilliant season with a hat-trick and assist in last weekend's 4-0 win over Taroona. Ballantyne suggested her role in the side would remain flexible.
"She's been great; last week we played her up front, the week before as a 10 and she scored some goals again, so we will move her around the field based on what we need given the opposition," he said.
The Strikers' coach agreed that there was a burgeoning Northern rivalry growing between the two sides.
"I think the girls look at it that way certainly, our games against them this season have only been one goal margins, so it's been much tighter contests against them this season than it has against anyone else ... if it goes as it has the past couple of times around at their ground, I expect another really close fought encounter," he said.
Launceston United are now being coached by Montana Leanord following the midseason departure of Nick Rawlinson, with the luckless Canadian import missing her second season with a bad knee injury.
She said she was enjoying the shift into the head coaching role so far.
"It's been pretty fun, I am enjoying it, it's been good for me to be still involved so it's been good," she said.
"The hard decisions aren't always fun, but I am enjoying it for the most part."
Whilst learning on the job, Leonard felt being able to see things the way her players did was something that had proved helpful so far.
"I can take things from a player's perspective; I am obviously still learning how to take the off-field perspective, but I think I can find that happy medium and be able to understand where the players are coming from also," she said.
Leonard acknowledged the transition to the authority figure did come with some drawbacks, being so close to the playing group as a peer and friend already.
"I think it has been a little bit difficult, but last year being the assistant coach as well meant there was already an element of bridging that gap a little," she said.
"But definitely going into the head coaching role, making those hard decisions, you're obviously in the spotlight.
"I am good friends with all of them, so it's been hard on me, but the players have been really respectful about it.
"When Nick left, I said to them, 'let's make sure we have good boundaries and we stick to them, I will do my best to be upfront with you'.
"I think the girls have all been really respectful about that and they haven't made it too hard which is good."
Leonard felt the midweek 6-0 victory over Riverside had her squad in a good mindset heading into this clash.
"We just came off a good performance midweek against Riverside, bouncing back after Glenorchy, so I think we have built up our confidence," she said.
"We are looking to play our game, we scored some really nice team goals on Wednesday night and hoping to do that again on Saturday."
She brushed aside any concerns of the midweek game negatively impacting the squad's fitness for the match.
"They looked really sharp at training last night; we've done our recovery, we asked them to do a lot of stuff off-field to get their bodies going again for Saturday. We've got pretty much a full squad available with a full bench, so I think we will be in okay shape," she said.
With the Strikers unbeaten this year, the task ahead of her side is a daunting one, but Leonard said the group was excited and up for the challenge.
"It's our first trip to Valley Road this year so it's an exciting one; it's also for the Floorworld Cup, so there is that little bit of extra incentive to get a win, though the girls don't really need any extra motivating for it.
"The last few years that I've been here, it's always been a good battle with them, so hopefully, they all show up with the right mindset, ready to do what it takes to win and I will just do what I need to do from the bench and hopefully it's all going in the right direction."
In the weekend's other clashes, Riverside Olympic will look to bounce back from their midweek defeat as they host a Kingborough Lions side who will likewise be looking to reverse their fortunes after falling to South Hobart in their last start.
At D'arcy Street, South Hobart will need the Strikers to collapse to get themselves back in the title race, but they will expect to be able to at least keep the pressure on by taking 3 points against Taroona FC, having accounted for them twice already this season.
Round 16
Saturday 3 August
Riverside Olympic v Kingborough Lions, 12:00pm, Windsor Park
Devonport Strikers v Launceston United, 12:00pm, Valley Road
South Hobart v Taroona FC, 2:00pm, Darcy Street