Welcome to the Friday Forecast for the final time this season as we reach the last weekend of the 2022 MyState Bank Women’s Super League.
Heading into the final round we have a reasonably clear picture of how things are set to end up, with five of the final seven finishing positions now locked in. Only third and fourth positions can be switched and that’s only if the Zebras can upend the Strikers by three goals in their match. Launceston United have officially won the title and so the pressure is off as they take on an Olympia side resigned to a last-placed finish whilst the final game will pit the Kingborough Lions against Taroona with both teams eager to claim a win given the scarcity of them for those sides this season.
The end of the season games will be followed by the annual awards night which I will cover off on in the final Weekend Wash-up for the year on Monday. Till then, let’s dive in one final time for the fixtures that lie ahead of us in Round 21 of the Super League.
Zebras Chasing Three Goal Win
The biggest showdown of the final day pits the Clarence Zebras against the Devonport Strikers at Wentworth Park. Whilst the final table looks set at this point, the Zebras can move up into third place if they were to down the Strikers by three goals. The Strikers are currently 3 points ahead and five goals ahead on goal differential, so anything less than a 3 goal win and they would still hold onto third. That’s certainly an uphill task and it would require a complete reversal from the last time the sides met when it was the Strikers who triumphed by three goals in a thumping 4-1 result. The first meeting was a 1-0 win to the Clarence Zebras so the results are split so far and this looms as a tight affair between two of the better sides in the competition.
Both side’s last matches came against South Hobart at Darcy Street, with the Zebras holding them to a 1-1 draw to end their title bid last week, whilst the Strikers fell 2-1 the week prior. Slightly longer-term form definitely lends itself to the Strikers though, who had been unbeaten in their previous 10 games prior to that.
Whilst the half-century that looked like it might somehow be a possibility for Striker’s goal machine Jazmin White seems unlikely to happen now, she will be eager to add to her record 43 goals for the season to set that record as high as possible. You’d have to think she will be in the mix for not just the Golden Boot but a possible Best and Fairest win on Saturday night, so the individual displays in this game could also prove important in that regard.
Pressure Now Off Launceston United
With the League Title officially in their possession, all the pressure is off Launceston United heading into their final day clash with the Olympia Warriors. Whilst they’ve shown no indication of the title ramifications impacting their play in the past fortnight, they can now head into this final game without any of that pressure resting on their shoulders. So it can obviously go both ways here, they could take their eye off the ball as they no longer need to win and may already be in celebration mode. Or more likely in my eyes, they come out, play with complete freedom and finish the season in the manner they’ve played out the year. Basically, I don’t think the removal of the stakes helps Olympia’s cause in this match, even if it does remove the motivation from United. This should be a celebration of their season and against a defence that has leaked goals for most of the year, a chance for a few of their attacking stars to sign off in style.
The Warriors have been lifted by Jessie Williams cameos and improved defensive grit over the past fortnight and it’s seen them picking up their first four points of the season with a thrilling win over the Lions and draw with Taroona. The late nature of the goals in those games is a testament to their willingness to fight but there is no doubt they face a significant step up in opponent this week. Their record against the top sides this year has not been pretty, but they’ve definitely improved, and they did manage to put up a reasonable fight the last time they played United, falling just the 2-0 in tough circumstances. It will require a similar defensive commitment this time around if they are to play spoiler on what will be Coronation Day for United.
Lions and Pirates Eye Final Day Victory
Finally, we come to Kelvedon Park, and having endured difficult seasons without a whole lot of wins to show for them, both Taroona and the Kingborough Lions will undoubtedly be eager to end their campaigns on a high as they clash at Kelvedon Park.
Whilst both sides are locked into their respective finishing positions of fifth and sixth, given the Lions (4) and Taroona (2) have found victories a rare commodity, with neither able to take points from the top four this year, this final day fixture presents a big opportunity for both to end with a victory against a side they will view as gettable.
The Lions have handled Taroona comfortably both times the teams have clashed this year, scoring a pair of thumping 5-0 wins in the two fixtures. As such they will definitely be favourites for this one, but the two sides do enter this one with very similar results in the past fortnight. The Lions lost 4-3 to Olympia and 5-0 to Launceston United whilst Taroona drew 3-3 with Olympia and also lost 5-0 to Launceston United. So perhaps the way the sides are ending the season will give some belief to Taroona here. Both teams will feel like the Olympia game was one which they should have won, with both sides throwing away late 3-1 leads and so this is a chance to make up for that missed opportunity.