Round 9 of the MyState Bank Women’s Super League was highlighted by Launceston United scoring a massive 4-2 victory over South Hobart to open up a six-point lead atop the table. In the five full seasons of the Super League that we have had run to date, the side leading at this point of the season has won it 4 of those times. Further to that, every side who has had a multiple game lead at this point of the season as United now do, has gone on to win the title. Only the 2019 Zebras were able to overhaul a league leader in the back half of the season and they were within 3 points of Olympia at the halfway point. So history says if you’re on top by this much at this point, the title is yours for the taking. I feel like there are probably more sides capable of taking points from United than there were sides capable of taking points from the eventual champions in those seasons, so the circumstances are a little different this time around, but it augurs very well and Saturday’s win now has United well on the path to a WSL title in just their second season in the competition. The other two results from the weekend saw extremely one-sided games as Taroona and Olympia’s struggles in 2022 continued, belted by Devonport and Clarence Zebras respectively to the tune of 8-2 and 12-0.
Big Game and Big Fallout as United Roll South Hobart
This game promised plenty and boy did it deliver on that promise, producing a thoroughly entertaining and dramatic afternoon of action at Floorworld Park as the hosts claimed a 4-2 win to make it 8 wins from 8.
United took the lead on 18 minutes courtesy of a lovely curling shot from the top of the box from Madi Gilpin. She has a lovely technique when striking the ball and this was textbook, sailing into the top corner and leaving the keeper no chance.
But South hit back midway through the half when Talia White helped launch and then finish a scintillating counterattack in style.
United had shaded the first half though and wanted a lead to take into the break which they would soon get as Dani Gunton got her head to a corner swung to the back post and squeezed a goal past the last defender and goalkeeper to make it 2-1. Gunton then bagged a second to extend the lead before halftime when she reacted first to La Monte’s long-range drive that was parried back out into her path and finished truly.
The stakes were far too high for South to simply give up the ghost however and shortly after the restart they got themselves right back in it when Mia Cane deflected one home from point blank range following a corner.
It set the stage for a thrilling finish, but Gunton was not done for the day and would respond with the match-winning goal and complete her hat-trick 10 minutes later. Sensing DeClerk had been susceptible to the higher balls during the game, Gunton launched a long-range chipped effort that lobbed the keeper and nestled in the back of the net. It restored the two-goal buffer at 4-2 and would prove enough for them to secure the three points.
That was the end of the goalscoring, but it certainly wasn’t the end of the drama at Floorworld Park as both Launceston United’s coaches, Frank Compton and assistant Lynden Prince were sent off for dissent which could see them missing from the sideline in next week’s Statewide Cup Final. Whilst I hate for officiating manners to detract from the game, there is no doubt that with a cup Final looming this is a massive story and warrants some focus.
For those wanting to see what caused the furore, it somewhat conveniently played out right in front of the Camera, so if you go to the 69-minute mark of the game on NPL TV you can watch it back for yourself if you so desire.
As best I can tell from the vision, what has happened is that Lynden Prince yelled out to the referee that he felt one of his players had been fouled in the back and it had been missed. Taking exception to this, the referee paused the game and marched over to the Launceston United dugout. He then said he wasn’t sure who actually said it, so he was going to book Coach Frank Compton, presumably to take the hit on behalf of the various members of the coaching staff if could have been. Already cautioned earlier for complaining about decision making, this was his second yellow and so a subsequent red card was issued to a bewildered looking Compton.
Attempting to explain that he was the one who yelled it out and not Compton, Prince was then shown a straight red for his protests which I believe was mainly a result of him calling the referee a nuffy multiple times. Not the strongest language you will ever hear, but pretty damn ill-advised given the circumstances and he also had to go, potentially leaving United without both coaches on the touch line in next week’s decider.
With Ellie La Monte subbed out and icing her knee in the second half, we already had an injury watch lingering over the build-up to the final, and I suppose we now have judiciary watch, as United have suggested they will explore what avenues they can to challenge it. I would suggest Prince has very little hope of getting it overturned, but given Compton was booked for something he didn’t say, he should have some chance.
It may be easier said than done though, because typically it’s very tough to get cards thrown out. Let’s not forget the time South Hobart goalkeeper Kane Pearce missed an FFA Cup Round of 32 match because he was sent off the week prior for swearing at one of his own teammates! That wasn’t rescinded, so I would suggest United might have their work cut here too. Anyway, I will say more in my Cup Final Preview once things have had time to play out during the week, but with injuries and suspensions galore out of this game, there is no doubt the other big winner from the weekend, despite not kicking a ball was probably the Kingborough Lions!
White Seizes Lead In Golden Boot Race
In other action, the Devonport Strikers took out their frustrations from crashing out of the Statewide Cup on Taroona as they soared to a massive 8-2 win on the road at Kelvedon Park.
Once again it was speedster and goal scorer extraordinaire Jazmin White who did the damage as she helped herself to six goals! Her pace was simply too much for the Pirates defence to handle as they were brought crashing back down after steadying the ship somewhat in recent weeks.
Caitlin Riley and Daisy Parsell scored for Taroona and when Parsell caught Bennett out with a fine long-range snipe to make it 4-2 early in the second half, the game was still in the balance. But the Strikers flicked the switch and ran over the top of them by scoring four more times in the final half hour of the game, as Dolbel and Payne joined White on the score sheet.
A few weeks back I suggested good luck to anyone trying to catch Bonnie Davies in the Golden Boot race. Well just two league games later and she has remarkably been caught! Scoring 11 goals in 2 games will do that for you, as Jazmin White feasted for a second consecutive WSL game to take her season tally to 20 and the lead in the Golden Boot race by 2 from Davies on 18. Her personal record of 38 WSL goals that she scored for Ulverstone in 2018 could well be in danger now, she is certainly pacing that way and still has 3 matches against the struggling Warriors to come. So long as she stays fit, it could be an enormous tally she reaches by seasons end! Something to keep an eye on in addition to the title race.
Warriors Smashed by Zebras
The Round opened on Friday night at Empire Couriers Park and it was a near mirror image of the first WSL match up between Olympia and Clarence Zebras, with the defending Champions running rampant. Having comfortably brushed them asides 11-1 back in Round 2 the Zebras went even better this time winning 12-0. Allie Berry helped herself to 4 as did Caitlin Stalker, who now has 9 in 2 games against the Warriors this year.
It didn’t take long for the Zebras to have the points secured in this one as they had the ball in the back of the net twice in the opening 80 seconds, scoring from their first two attacks. After 10 minutes it was 4-0 and already game over. The Warriors defence just isn’t up to stopping a side with this much firepower. Departures have forced players up the grades rather than developing at lower levels and unfortunately, a few have been thrown into the fire this year. In the long term the match experience will help their development, but no doubt it’s going to be a tough year for them to get through in the meantime.
Whilst they haven’t got the results in the big games they have been after, there is no doubt this side Zebras side has some serious offensive weapons and they have overwhelmed the bottom two sides in their clashes this year. In 3 games against the bottom 2 sides, they have now scored 38 goals! They’re going to need to be perfect from here to give themselves a chance to get back in the title race, but it’s fair to say it’s exceedingly unlikely anybody is catching them on goal difference if they do.