Match of the Round: South Hobart v Devonport Strikers
The Match of the Round for Round 19 will see the competition’s top two sides meet as South Hobart takes on Devonport.
At this time of year, a 1 v. 2 encounter would normally mean a major clash in sorting out the league title, however following last week, the race has been run and won, with Devonport now out of reach and officially WSL Champions.
Coach Tom Ballantyne said celebrations had been somewhat muted for now, as they chased the goal of an undefeated season.
“I think some of them went out on the Sunday afterwards to celebrate, but for us, it's still business," he said.
"There are still things we want to achieve this year.
"We are three games away from potentially an undefeated season as well as doing the League/Cup double, so that’s something the girls are still focused on.
"So for now a muted celebration, but once they’ve got the trophy in hand that might be a different matter.”
Whilst the 2024 crown has been sealed, planning for the future and ensuring the side finishes off in style was still of high importance, according to Ballantyne.
“We just want to continue to develop our style of play, they’ve been doing really well at it, they’ve spoken about it a lot," he said.
"We’re just trying to make sure we can continue that between now and the end of the season so that we don’t see a drop off; it's important that we continue that and if we can continue to build on that consistency and execution it will hold us in good stead for next season."
That title defence may see some new faces, with Ballantyne hinting that a few players might be hanging up their boots at season's end.
“I think from what we understand we should retain most of the group, there are a couple that are going to retire, but you never know, after they’ve had a break they might change their minds after a long off season, they might miss the game, so we will just wait and see on that,” he said.
With Devonport having beaten South Hobart both times they’ve met in the league this season, the Strikers boss was anticipating a potential change in approach from them in this third and final meeting for the year.
“I imagine they will want to achieve a result against us and look to do something different against us, so we will go down there and anticipate a slight tactical change from them and adjust as needed on the fly as the game goes,” he said.
He didn’t feel the pitch would be too impactful on the game, with the bad weather forecast for the weekend.
“I think the set-up for us will be very similar to last time, the pitch doesn’t seem to affect the girls as much as the guys, they seem to deal with the slippery conditions better than the men, so that shouldn’t be too much of a difference,” he said.
South Hobart Captain Josi Mamic magnanimously began Friday’s press conference by congratulating the Strikers on their 2024 triumph.
“First of all, I would just like to congratulate Devonport on their League title win, they’ve been so consistent and done so well," she said.
"They’ve had a consistent season and been so strong; last season they gave us a guard of honour upon us winning the title, so we will be doing the same for them this weekend.”
Despite the title being out of reach, Mamic maintained there was still plenty to play for.
“We are looking forward to the game, although they have it won, we are still really looking to lock down second place, that is our focus and our goal,” she said.
Mamic agreed that there was a desire for redemption given how the last time they played Devonport had panned out.
“Absolutely, I don’t think we have put our best foot forward or had our best performances when we have played Devonport this season, and I think with this being the last game against them it would be good to have that last hurrah," she said.
"It would be nice if we could win against them this week.”
Mamic felt the side needed to be clinical in front of goal if they were to turn the tables on the Strikers this time around.
“Being more careful with the ball and more clinical in front of the goals is imperative to our game against Devonport," she said.
"Because they are so strong at the backline, if we do get those opportunities, we need to be clinical and take them.”’
That was an area that Mamic felt let the side down last week in their 2-2 draw with Knights.
“I felt like we played some great football, things we worked on at training translated into the game, however we just weren’t clinical enough in front of goals which was a bit disappointing," she said.
"So now we are looking forward to this game to see if we can improve our skills."
Reflecting on the season at large, Mamic again praised the resilience of the group.
“We’ve had ups and downs I must say, it's been a rollercoaster to say the least," she said.
"As I have said previously, I am proud of the resilience of these girls.
"They now know what the WSL season looks like, it can be long and gruelling, but we’ve built well as a new cohort.”
Mamic hoped the turbulence would hold them in good stead for the 2025 campaign.
“Hopefully we can have a more consistent XI next season, but hopefully all those girls that are at the club will stay for next year because it was such a new look team this year," she said.
"So we want to build on this tail end of the season, where I think we have built a really good community and built our skills up, so that will continue on to next year as well.”
That sense of community was clearly something Mamic felt South had done a good job of building up this season.
“I love my team, and the playing group is so supportive," she said.
"We all have eachother's backs, on and off the pitch, it’s a great community to be around."
In the weekend’s other fixtures, Riverside Olympic will host Launceston United in the final Launceston Derby of the year at Windsor Park, with United looking to make it 3/3 over their neighbours for the season.
In Sunday’s other fixture, the Kingborough Lions will hope to close the gap to second place when they take on the Glenorchy Knights at KGV. The Knights have already upset the Lions once this year, so they will need to be at their best to avoid a repeat result.
Round 19
Saturday 24 August
Riverside Olympic v Launceston United, 2:30pm, Windsor Park LIVE STREAM
Sunday 25 August
South Hobart v Devonport Strikers, 2:00pm, D'arcy Street LIVE STREAM
Glenorchy Knights v Kingborough Lions, 3:15pm, LIVE STREAM