Welcome to the Friday Forecast for Round 9 of the MyState Bank Women's Super League. The Round is headlined by a potentially pivotal top-of-the-table clash between South Hobart and Launceston United, which will double as a Statewide Cup Final preview. Elsewhere the Kingborough Lions will be out to make it three consecutive Safari Derby victories over Clarence Zebras, whilst Devonport look to get their season back on track against a Taroona side coming off their best showing of the year.
Champions Meet Front Runners In Cup Final Preview
We will start with Sunday’s clash because it’s the clear game of the Round and looms as one of the more important fixtures of the season as South Hobart hosts Launceston United. It’s the defending Champion’s up against the current front runners in a battle of the competition’s top two sides and the two sides who loom as the most likely winners of the title this season. In addition to the enormous stakes in the title race, the game will also double as a preview of next week’s Statewide Cup Final. Given what is at stake in the league, there won’t be holding anything back, or cards kept close to the chest ahead of that game though, much like they will the week after, both sides are going to push all out for this victory. It's simply too important of a game not to.
South Hobart could open up a seven-point lead on top if they win this match. It won’t be the knockout blow with 11 rounds still left to play, but it’s fair to say it will leave United firmly on the ropes and just about needing to run the gauntlet in the second half of the season. In form and at home, this is a big opportunity for South to strike a significant blow in the title race against their biggest rivals for the Super League crown.
United need to take this chance to make some inroads into South’s lead. South have not missed a beat since downing United in Round 4 and have won their next four games, extending their lead on top. United cannot rely on the other sides in the competition to take points for them, if they want to defend their league title, then this is their chance to gain some ground. It’s a genuine six-pointer and the biggest WSL game of the season to date.
The sides have met once this year up at Floorworld Park, where South Hobart claimed a 2-0 victory. It was an utterly dominant performance from South Hobart as they displaced United atop the table and they haven’t really looked back since that day. Lucy Roberts completely ran the show in midfield as they bossed the contest from the middle of the ground. If United are to reverse the result it’s vital they don’t allow this to happen again, they were dictated to from the midfield and it had them on the backfoot all game. Adildat Otto’s arrival should help in that endeavour though the continued absence of Madi Gilpin continues to hurt.
Otto’s arrival has strengthened United, but South Hobart have strengthened even more so since their last meeting. Indeed they’ve been adding new weapons consistently as the season has worn on. Jenna Farrow arrived a few weeks into the season, then Caitlin Stalker bobbed up a month later and now last week, Madi Chambers was running around for them. These are some of the very best players in the league and it seems South are sensing what a massive opportunity they have for a league/cup double and are pushing all their chips into the middle in pursuit of it.
Lions Hunting For More Success Against Zebras
Elsewhere on the Sunday, the Kingborough Lions and Clarence Zebras will clash in the Safari Derby at Wentworth Park.
The two sides have played each other twice this season, once in the WSL and once in the Statewide Cup. Both times, the Kingborough Lions have emerged victorious, winning both matches 3-2. They were both fairly similar games. Both were largely open affairs, with no shortage of scoring opportunities for both sides, some wonderful long-range strikes and the Lions ultimately doing a better job of taking their scoring chances.
The Lions should be full of confidence for this one on the heels of one of their best-ever Super League performances last weekend. The 6-2 win over the Devonport Strikers was a scintillating display and showcased the firepower they have. The Zebras meanwhile battled hard, but were ultimately outclassed by Launceston United last week and so will be looking to bounce back here.
Underlining how close this matchup appears to be is the competition ladder. The two sides enter this match sitting in fourth and fifth on the table, level on points with 3-0-5 records, with the Zebras boasting the superior goal difference by just one goal; nearly identical records. Though with the Lions next meeting Taroona and the Zebras up against South Hobart, the Zebras probably need the result more so than Kingborough, or they risk falling two games behind them at the halfway mark of the season.
Strikers Look To Reset Against Pirates
The Devonport Strikers will look to get their season back on track as they welcome Taroona to Valley Road. After starting the season in promising fashion and thrusting themselves firmly into title contention, the Strikers have dropped off alarmingly over the past month. Their 6-2 thrashing at the hands of the Kingborough Lions last week was their second defeat by that margin in the last month and it leaves them 9 points behind South. The one win they have in their past 4 was an impressive 3-0 win over Launceston United to keep in touch with the top 2, suggesting they are still in the mix, but alarm bells must be ringing, with their defence picked apart by the Lions like the carcass of a gazelle last week.
Taroona meanwhile enter this one off the back of their best performance of the season. It’s been a wretched season but things may be taking a turn for the better, as they defended well for much of their eventual 2-0 defeat against South Hobart last weekend and did a good job limiting scoring chances.
Despite the different confidence levels that might have flowed from last week's results to the two sides, Devonport on the road is always going to be a tricky proposition and Taroona are still significant underdogs here. Jazmin White has absolutely torched their defence over the past two seasons and they are going to need to find a way to negate her influence if they’re any chance. She has consistently got in behind the defence with her leg speed, and so they might need to set up deeper here if they want to improve on the 7-1 defeat they suffered at the hands of the Strikers at Kelvedon Park earlier this year.
Round 9
Saturday 3 June
Devonport Strikers v Taroona FC, 12:15pm, Valley Road
Sunday 4 June
South Hobart v Launceston United, 2:00pm, Darcy Street
Clarence Zebras v Kingborough Lions, 2:30pm, Wentworth Park