South Hobart v Glenorchy Knights
Date: Saturday 1 August
Venue: Darcy Street
Kick Off: 2:00 PM
2020 Record:
South Hobart (2-0-0)
Glenorchy Knights (1-0-1)
Top Scorers
SH: (2) Samuel Tooze, Kasper Hallam
GK: (1) Alex Walter, Joffrey Nkoso, Thomas Young
Recent Head to Head Record
2020: Summer Cup: Glenorchy Knights 0-2 South Hobart
2019: Round 26: South Hobart 1-2 Glenorchy Knights
2019: Round 16: South Hobart 2-0 Glenorchy Knights
Match Primer
South Hobart host the Knights in a big game at Darcy Street with both sides looking to stamp their title credentials. South have won their first two games of the season to sit atop the NPL table, but they have been challenged in both games and will face a tough task again here. Knights struggled to take their chances in an opening round defeat to the Kingborough Lions but bounced backed in style last weekend to snap an 8 year losing streak against the Warriors. South will be without Andy Brennan due to suspension and Kobe Kemp due to injury, so extra responsibility will fall upon the likes of Nick Morton in midfield and Patrick Kibler at the back to provide leadership to South's exciting young brigade. Knights boast a number of former South players with Alex Walter, Oscar Thomas, Connor Schmidt and Jack Bowman so expect plenty of heat and banter between former teammates in this one.Devponport v Olympia
Date: Saturday 1 August
Venue: Valley Road
Kick Off: 2:15 PM
2020 Record:
Devonport (2-0-0)
Olympia (0-0-2)
Top Scorers
Dev: (1) Joel Stone, Kieran Mulraney, Connor Park
Oly: (1) Jack Ryan
Recent Head to Head Record
2019: Round 21: Devonport 4-1 Olympia
2019: Round 12: Olympia 1-2 Devonport
2019: Round 2: Devonport 1-0 Olympia
Match Primer
The defending champions return to Valley Road for the first time this season after playing their first three games in Launceston. The game is a rematch of the title race from 2019, where Devonport secured a huge 4-1 win the last time the sides played that all but secured them the silverware. This time they meet under very different circumstances, with Olympia in dire need of a victory with their season already hanging on life support after just 2 rounds having lost their first two games. Devonport meanwhile have looked a very well settled line up and have chalked up two wins from 2, shrugging off their Lakoseljac Cup defeat and looking every bit the title contenders we expected them to be. The evenness of the competition suggests making up ground may well be more possible for the Warriors this season, but to come back and win the title if they fall 9 points behind Devonport after 3 rounds would be hard to see, so this game looms as a must win for the Summer Cup champions.Launceston City v Riverside Olympic
Date: Saturday 1 August
Venue: Buckby Landrover Park
Kick Off: 4:30 PM
2020 Record:
Launceston City (0-0-2)
Riverside (0-1-1)
Top Scorers
RO: (2) Nil Sanz
LC:(2) Samuel Ridgard
Recent Head to Head Record
2019: Round 22: Riverside 2-1 Launceston City
2019: Round 13: Riverside 1-2 Launceston City
2019: Round 5: Launceston City 1-2 Riverside
Match Primer
Both sides will be chasing a first victory of the season in the first Launceston Derby of 2020. City will be looking for their first points, following a 3-2 loss away to South Hobart which was followed by a 2-1 loss to Devonport, as they pushed hard but ultimately came up short against competition heavyweights. The signs have been good for City though who proved with their Lakoseljac Cup win over Devonport prior to Round 1 that they are much improved and dangerous side in 2020. Riverside have also been close in their first two games, pushing Devonport in a narrow 1-0 loss that could well have been a draw if not for Nathan Pitchford’s late heroics, before last weekend claiming a 3-3 draw away at Kingborough. There will be a little extra to play for this weekend too, with the inception of the Guardian Pharmacies Challenge Cup being held for the first time.Clarence Zebras v Kingborough Lions
Date: Saturday 1 August
Venue: Wentworth Park
Kick Off: 4:30 PM
2020 Record:
Clarence Zebras (1-0-1)
Kingborough (1-1-0)
Top Scorers
KL: (2) Chris Downes
CZ: (1) Lachlan Burt
Recent Head to Head Record
2020: Summer Cup: Clarence Zebras 4-1 Kingborough Lions
Match Primer
The first Safari Derby of the year and the first iteration of this match-up in the NPL Tasmania as the Zebras host the Lions at Wentworth Park. This will be a third consecutive home game for Clarence Zebras to kick off their season and through the opening two weeks of the season, we already have a fair indication it's going to be a very tough place to come and take points from. Dave Smith has his side set out in a very pragmatic manner so far getting numbers behind the ball to blunt the opposition and then looking to do the damage on the counter attack which has proved tough for sides to breakthrough, ceding just 1 goal to a pair of dangerous attacking sides in South and Olympia. Will the Lions have the bite to break them down? They have scored five goals in their first two games so scoring hasn't been a problem so far, though 3 of those have come via the set piece threat of Chris Downes which is an area the Zebras will need to be on guard for.