Match of the Round: Devonport Strikers v Kingborough Lions
It’s the penultimate weekend of the Women’s Super League season and Match of the Round for Round 20 will see the Devonport Strikers playing host to the Kingborough Lions at Valley Road.
The Strikers remain undefeated so far this season and head into the match off the back of a dominant display against South Hobart last weekend.
Coach Tom Ballantyne was pleased with how his side played in the 6-1 victory.
“The first half was really good, it was a really clinical performance, they executed the gameplan really well,” he said
“We spoke a lot pregame about it being about territory and not especially possession on that pitch. We wanted to make sure the game was played in the right areas, rather than having lots of the ball.
“So we tried to get forward really quickly, then control those key areas that we were playing in and I thought they did that exceptionally well.”
Ballantyne was happy with how his side had maintained their level despite already having wrapped up the league title.
“They are really determined to continue the way we’ve started. It's easy to let it drop now and let it slide once the job is done, but we've spoken about how we want to finish well,” he said.
“This weekend is the weekend we lift the trophy so we want to put on a good performance at home in front of the crowd otherwise it’s a bit sad if you don’t win the match but then are given the trophy.”
The Strikers have beaten the Lions both times they’ve met in the WSL this year but they were pushed all the way to extra time in the Statewide Cup Final. The Strikers boss said the Lions' threat was similar to what they dealt with last weekend.
“They’re very similar to South, they’ve got very quick forwards, their 3 forwards are all quite fast, they generally play quite direct and into those players,” he said.
“So it’s a matter of making sure that we control all those central areas of the field and don’t give them easy spaces to get into behind us.
“We feel we are really good if we can hold teams in front of us and make their play predictable so we can win it in areas we really want to.”
The last time the sides met at Valley Road it ended 4-0 to Devonport, but Ballantyne felt it would be a tougher match this time around.
“I think they had a few outs last time we played them, so it’s going to be a very different game,” he said.
“We won't be on synthetic this time around unless it changes. The grass is a bit more of a leveller for teams, you can't play the nice football we’ve been used to playing, it becomes a bit more bobbly and slower, so it allows those quicker players to potentially nick in and make interceptions.
“So it might be one we have to look at, if the pitch is horrible, making some changes to how we play.”
Kingborough Lions captain Danielle Kannegiesser felt it was a big game for her side as they strived to displace South Hobart from second on the table.
“It’s a huge game for us tomorrow at Valley Road,” she said.
“Going on the road is always tricky, especially when you’re up against a side like Devonport, a team that’s receiving their trophy tomorrow.
“They’ve got a lot to play for, looking for undefeated season but we’ve also got a lot to play for. We are fighting for second place and so we’re going to throw it all at them and leave nothing out on the park.”
Kannegiesser felt the potential wet weather conditions and heavy pitch suited her side.
“I think it’ll probably suit our game style, as we are quite transitional so it will probably be quite good if we can catch them on the back foot,” she said.
“Having said that, their defence has been extraordinary this season, it’s so strong with Georgia King back there so we are going to have to play really smart with the conditions.”
The Lions captain believed the side was capable of getting a positive result if they produced their best football.
“If we play our best we will get a result,” she said.
“It comes down to how do we get off the bus? How do we perform over the whole 90 minutes? We’ve been unlucky to not get a result against them so far, but having said that, Devonport have been very consistent.”
Kanneigesser said the Champions were now the side everyone wanted to beat.
“We will be fighting for a result, this is our last chance to get a result against them this year,” she said.
“They are the hunted now, it’s a tricky place to be when you are the hunted, everyone wants to get points from you, they’ve had a fantastic season so it would be nice to get the icing on the cake of our own season to do that, but we know it’s going to be easy at all.”
Kannegiesser felt the side was feeling the impact of the long season but were determined to finish off well in the final fortnight.
The team has been going really well in this final round of fixtures,” she said.
“We have quite a few tired bodies as we come up to the last 2 games and we are looking forward to the season coming to an end but we have a job to do and need to get six points from our last 2 games if we want to finish second. We are really motivated to finish the season strong,” she concluded.
In the weekend’s other two fixtures, South Hobart will look to avoid a slip-up away to Riverside to maintain their hold on second place on the table, and could potentially lock that away with a repeat result from the last time the two sides met.
At Lightwood Park, Taroona FC will be hoping to move from the foot of the table as they take on the Glenorchy Knights, but the Knights head into the game as warm favourites having shut them out both times they’ve met previously in 2024.
Round 20
Saturday 24 August
Devonport Strikers v Kingborough Lions, 12:00pm, Valley Road LIVE STREAM
Sunday 1 September
Riverside Olympic v South Hobart, 2:00pm, Windsor Park LIVE STREAM
Taroona v Glenorchy Knights, 2:30pm, Lightwood Park LIVE STREAM