Welcome to the Weekend Washup for 16 of the MyState Bank Women’s Super League. It was a weekend of one-sided games across the board, though one of those results was certainly more surprising than the others. They may have ultimately left their run too late but South Hobart’s crushing 6-0 win over the previously undefeated Launceston United breathed some life into the title race and ensured United won’t run away with it. Elsewhere Devonport and Clarence Zebras also coasted to less shocking 6-0 wins over Taroona and Olympia as they both maintained their positions in third and fourth place on the table.
Sublime South Stun United
South Hobart produced the best team performance I have seen from any side this season as they dismantled the previously undefeated Launceston United 6-0 at Floorworld Park. This was a truly stunning result. Big margins of victory have been a common place in the Super League this year, but not when top four sides have played each other. These have typically been closely fought games and when coupled with United’s two victories from their previous two games against South it’s a final score that I certainly never would have envisaged.
The team performance was strong across the board, South’s pressing game and intensity they brought all over the pitch was fantastic, but the sheer star power of Bonnie Davies and Madison Chambers was mainly what overwhelmed the United defence. There have been bigger bags, but I don’t think I’ve seen a better performance from a striker this year than what Davies conjured here. It’s one thing to be scoring 5 or 6 in blowouts over sides you are way too strong for and quite another to score a hat-trick in a game like this. Chambers meanwhile sent a timely reminder of her quality, she hasn’t quite been at her absolute best since returning to the league, but this was the kind of display she was regularly producing en-route to sweeping the WSL awards in the 2019 season.
It was that Chambers/Davies combination that did the damage early on as Chambers swung in a cross from the left for Davies who thumped in a header to open the scoring 15 minutes in. The second was a repeat act with an even better headed finish, as Davies made a darting run to the near post which Chambers picked out expertly and from the angle Davies conjured a quality finish.
That made it 2-0 and for just about the first time all year United looked a little rattled. It led to a sloppy turn over at the back which allowed Davies a simple finish to make it 3-0 just moments later and suddenly South were flying away with the match.
United had fought back from a similar spot in a game against the Zebras earlier this year, overcoming a 3-1 half time deficit to win 5-4 so the game wasn’t over with the 3-0 score line at half time. It became evident early in the second half that South were simply not going to allow that to happen however and they killed the contest of with a fourth goal arriving just past the hour mark. This time the roles reversed as Davies charged down the right to set up Chambers who fired home emphatically into the top corner to make it 4-0.
Chambers bagged her second for the day to go with her two assists when she drove a shot from the top of the box that slid home to make it 5-0 before they added a sixth goal from a corner when Eve Swain turned one in at the near post. After a long consultation between referee and linesman, the goal was blown and South’s 6-0 victory was confirmed.
The result will certainly keep things interesting down the stretch, but United still remain firmly in the driver’s seat of the title race. South Hobart can reach a maximum of 44 points with 4 wins from their final 4 games. With the Zebras and Devonport among those final 4 fixtures, that’s no guarantee, but let’s say they get it done. With an inferior goal difference, it means United need to reach 45 points to be certain of the title. They currently have 34 and have 5 games to come, with 4 of those against Olympia x 2, Taroona and Kingborough. Win all of those and they reach 46 points, an unassailable lead. So even if they lose to Devonport next week, it would still require them dropping points to a side who hasn’t been able to take points from the top 4 all season. So win the games that they should and the title is theirs. South have kept it interesting, but this is still very much Launceston United’s title to lose. They set this buffer up earlier in the year with their outstanding play and it’s a very handy cushion to have as this result shows, with South lurking and the Strikers building.
Strikers Hit Taroona For Six
Jazmin White fired in another four goals as the Devonport Strikers eased to a 6-0 win over Taroona at Kelvedon Park. The Strikers speedster took her season tally to 35 goals in 13 games and extended her lead in the Golden Boot race with another strong performance.
White’s first was an instinctive hit, blasting a shot from the top of the area that rocketed top corner after Nicole Mettam had sprung her in behind with a clever header on 20 minutes.
Five minutes later and the lead was doubled as Amy Smith played in Maddy Payne to run in behind and pick out the far corner. Whilst White has been the volume scorer drawing the headlines, Payne has certainly been a valuable source of secondary scoring for the Strikers this year. In her past 10 games she has now scored in 9 of them.
The next goal came early in the second half as White reacted first to a rebound after Mettam’s long range hit came back off the crossbar. White then completed her hat-trick soon after scoring a typical Jazmin White type of goal. It was put into space in front of her and she just outpaced the defence before rounding the keeper and finishing. It’s her bread and butter and when she times the run as she did here, there is simply no catching her.
Her fourth was pure perseverance as Ottavi saved her initial shot, then the follow up before the ball was toed away from her by the defence twice, but crucially not cleared and that allowed White to eventually work it home.
White would then lay the assist for Smith to score the sixth and final goal, who produced a classy outside of the boot finish that left Ottavi with no chance. The 6-0 final score was yet another dominant display from a Strikers side who continue to get better as the season wares on.
Zebras Down Improved Warriors
In the final game of the weekend it was the Clarence Zebras doing as expected by accounting for Olympia 6-0 at Wentworth Park. Whilst still a very comfortable win it was the closest game these two sides have had this year and the first 45 minutes would’ve left the Warriors happy with there work, before the Zebras overwhelmed them in the second half.
Eliana Diafokeris has been one of the most impressive young players in the league this year and she opened the scoring with an opportunistic hit from distance that picked out the bottom corner after some barnstorming play from Zoe Nichols in the buildup. It would be only goal the Warriors conceded in the first half, as they did a much better job defensively and held back the Zebras attack that had run all over them in their prior meetings.
If the Zebras felt like they weren’t scoring enough in the first half then they wasted no time in doing it in the second half as they scored from kick off. Blink and you’d miss it (which apparently the people updating the Live Stream did as that goal was never registered) but Marmion managed to squeeze between a couple of defenders and work the ball in off the post to make it 2-0 within seconds of the restart.
Caitlin Stalker had been the destroyer in chief in those earlier games and she got on the board early in the second half as well, as she beat Cook for power at her near post. She then bagged a second shortly after with a close range finish after some lovely play from Diafokeris in the lead up play.
Diafokeris would bag her second shortly after as the Zebras turned on the afterburners and went from 1-0 ahead at half time to 5-0 up and having the game well and truly won by the 63 minute mark. Stalker then got in behind the defence once again nearing full time and completed her hat-trick, her third in 3 games against the Warriors this year.
It saw the game ending 6-0 for the Zebras, with that first 20 minutes of the second half where they really blew things open and ensured a third big win over their Eastern Shore rivals from three games this year.