Welcome to the Friday Forecast for the penultimate round of the MyState Bank Women’s Super League season. The title could potentially be settled this weekend, or it might yet be forced to the final day. That will depend on how Launceston United fares against the Lions on Saturday, win that and South Hobart can at best force it to the final day, but a draw or loss, and suddenly South will win the title with a win over Zebras on Sunday. It’s all very tight at the top, but before we get to that on the weekend, the round will kick off on Friday night with Olympia eyeing a second win of the year as they host Taroona.
Warriors and Pirates Eye Friday Night Points
Kicking things off for Round 20 will be Olympia and Taroona as they meet at Empire Couriers Park on Friday night. The game provides both teams with a chance for a win in a season that hasn’t featured as many as they both would have liked. Doubtless, this is a match both sides may have been eyeing off for a while as an opportunity.
The Warriors will enter this one with a new shot of confidence after their breakthrough win over the Lions last weekend. From staring down the barrel of a winless season to suddenly looking at the chance for multiple wins to end the season if they can pull off the result here, it would be a positive end to what has been a tough year. They’ve played with more defensive nous in recent weeks, and it’s made them harder to break down as a result. They will need to bring that approach once again if they are to reverse their previous efforts against Taroona.
The two sides have met twice this year with Taroona winning both comfortably. The first time was at Kelvedon Park back in Round 6 and it ended 3-1 before the second clash at Empire Couriers Park in Round 13 saw a 5-0 win for Taroona.
Taroona has played the top four sides over the past month, contributing to their five-game losing streak. Whilst still comfortable defeats, they have produced better results in those matches than they were achieving in the same matchups earlier in the season, improving by multiple goals. So they will feel that just like the Warriors, they enter this one playing better football than at the previous points of the season when they’ve met. The only side they’ve beaten this year is Olympia, so there is probably an element of pressure and expectation facing them this week that isn’t usually lingering and whilst favourites, last week has shown that they can’t be taking this one for granted.
United Closing in on Title
On Saturday we have just one fixture this week, but its importance cannot be understated as Launceston United plays host to the Kingborough Lions at Floorworld Park.
There are plenty of permutations around how the final two weeks can play out and their potential impact on the final standings. The equation is simple for Launceston United though, win their final two games and they win the title. Anything else and their fate will no longer be in their hands.
They took the first step towards securing the crown with a comfortable win over Taroona last week and can place one hand on the trophy with a victory on Saturday against a Lions side whom they really should be accounting for here. There has been an enormous gap between the top four and bottom three this season and no top four side has dropped points to a bottom three side all season. The Lions have come closest to doing that, pushing the top sides on a few occasions and they have some talented players who bring with them a goal threat that will always give them a chance in any game they play. Yet last week’s loss to a previously winless Olympia doesn’t inspire confidence they can snap that record here and their defence would need to lift significantly to keep out this potent United attack. Too many basic errors at the back continue to plague them week in week out.
The two head-to-heads this year have been relative cruises for United so far, winning 7-0 and 5-0, both times on the road. With home ground advantage this should be a matter of taking care of business for the hosts, but the added pressures of the title race can do funny things to players. There wasn’t that level of mental pressure hovering over them the past two times they’ve played the Lions that’s for sure. They responded well to those pressures last week, once that first goal arrived the shackles were flung off and they played with freedom. Do that twice more and the celebrations can begin in earnest.
Last Chance Saloon For South
On Sunday we come to a huge match between the Clarence Zebras and South Hobart at Darcy Street. Just how enormous it is will ultimately depend upon Saturday’s result. Should Launceston United slip up, then South Hobart will win the title with a victory on Sunday. If United are victorious, then anything other than a South victory in this match will see United confirmed as champions. If both sides win their games, then it comes down to the final day where South Hobart will be relying on Olympia to at least force a draw, as United would leap them on the table with a victory and South on the bye.
So the stage is set for what should be a massive game regardless of what comes before it and the games they have played against each other this year have already delivered gripping contests. The last time the sides met was the last time South Hobart dropped points this season. It was late on in the game that they dropped them, when Eliana Diafokeris stepped up to deliver an 89th minute equalizer. Given the current state of the league table, it’s a late goal that has ultimately proven very costly for South. Since that moment they’ve not put a foot wrong however, winning five straight games including the 6-0 thumping of Launceston United and last week’s thrilling win over Devonport. The performances in this patch have been especially impressive, the 2-1 win over Devonport was far closer on the scoreboard than it was in gameplay and if they can bring that level again, then the Zebras will be right up against it. They are playing some super football right now and doing all they can to put the pressure back onto United.
The Zebras can still finish in third place with a game against Devonport next weekend offering them the chance to jump past them with a victory, provided they can get something out of this clash. They enter the game off the back of three wins, though all came against the bottom 3 sides and weren’t by the margins they ran up earlier in the season. With multi goal defeats to United and Devonport prior to those wins, they don’t seem to be quite as dangerous as they were earlier in the year, but it’s a side filled with plenty of quality that are going to be a significant obstacle for South Hobart.
We will have to wait for Saturday’s actions to truly understand the stakes in this one, but it promises to be another massive Sunday of WSL at Darcy Street.