NPL TAS Weekend Preview

Four games this weekend in the NPL TAS, to conclude Round 9 which got underway midweek. Three games on the Saturday with one on the Sunday, which is where we will begin.

An old rivalry is set to play out for the first time in the NPL TAS for the first time in four years as the Glenorchy Knights take on the Hobart Zebras on Sunday at KGV. The Zebras remain undefeated, with three wins and three draws so far this year in their six games to sit in fourth place. Those drawn matches have left them trying to make up some early ground to their fellow title rivals, but time remains on their side. A 9-0 win over Riverside had them getting back into goal-scoring touch last weekend after wastefulness had cost them against Launceston City, but they were somewhat profligate against Clarence midweek, so it's an area that they need to sharpen up in. Glenorchy Knights meanwhile could jump the Zebras into fourth place with a victory in the contest. They looked much improved against the Kingborough Lions last week, claiming a comfortable 4-1 win and as they start to get some key players back from injury, will look to start climbing the table. So far they have gotten results against sides below them on the table but are yet to push the competitions top four. Sunday will show if that four could become a top five, or whether this is a gap between the top four and the rest.

[caption id="attachment_10201" align="alignnone" width="499"] The Knights are keen to claim a top four scalp- Solstice Photography[/caption]

In the weekend's other action, Devonport will be expecting to reclaim top spot when they host Kingborough at Valley Road. The Lions have started nicely in their past two games before fading out to fall to 4-1 defeats and they are now on a three game slide. It's not unsurprising given the difficulty of their schedule has kicked up a gear, and with a pair of games against the Strikers, including their Lakoseljac Cup clash on Good Friday, it's not getting any easier in the immediate future. The Strikers meanwhile emerged from their trip to Darcy Street unscathed, and as the team everyone is chasing, thanks largely to Nathan Pitchford's heroics. Six games, six wins, five clean sheets and Raphael Reynolds still to come in. The Strikers are sitting pretty and they should move back in to top spot on Saturday afternoon.

[caption id="attachment_10478" align="alignnone" width="513"] It's all smiles for the boys from Valley Road- Solstice Photography[/caption]

At Windsor Park South Hobart will go in as red hot favourites away to Riverside. Having succumbed 9-0 to Hobart Zebras last week, and 5-0 the week before to Olympia despite playing with an extra man for 60 minutes, the young Roos have faced a reality check regarding life in the top flight. In search of a circuit breaker, they instead get the League's most potent offence. In Jarrod Hill's stead, Reef Murfett acquitted himself well under siege last weekend and one suspects he will face a similar workload on Saturday. He will need to be sharp, but his defence must offer more protection than they provided against Zebras, or it could be a long day.

[caption id="attachment_10002" align="alignnone" width="508"] The Roos will be without Jarrod Hill for a few more weeks- Solstice Photography[/caption]

In Saturday's final game, Clarence will hope the availability of their home base at Wentworth Park can spark a turnaround as they host an also winless, Launceston City. It's been a miserable season to date for the Reds, but being able to play out of their home base should help things somewhat moving forward. The recent arrivals of a quality young duo in Jackson Ebini and Lachie Burt have added to the squad, and they showed signs of improvement defensively against the Zebras midweek. They are coming from a low base though, so in spite of those additions anything less than three points will be a major disappointment for the visiting Launceston City. They've come close to that breakthrough win in recent weeks, and Saturday is their big chance. This is one they should take care of, if they can produce a similar performance to their last venture south 2 weeks ago.

Saturday 13 April Riverside v South Hobart, 2:30pm, Windsor Park Devonport v Kingborough, 2:30pm, Valley Road Clarence v Launceston City, 4:00pm, Wentworth Park 2 Sunday 14 April Hobart Zebras v Glenorchy Knights, 2:30pm, KGV LIVE STREAM GAME