Launceston City vs Riverside Olympic
Date: Friday April 23
Venue: Buckby Motors Park
Kick-off: 7:30 PM
2021 record: Launceston City: 0-0-3 (eighth in NPL TAS) Riverside Olympic: 0-0-3 (seventh in NPL TAS)
Top scorers: Launceston City: N/A Riverside Olympic: Tom Prince (2)
Preview:
Don't be fooled by their results so far-- rivalry games bring out the fire in everyone, and both Launceston City and Riverside will be raring to go for a Friday night blockbuster. Both have been far from disgraced through the opening rounds despite still searching for their first win, and there will be plenty of talent on the park when they clash. Riverside have been up to their necks in all three games thus far, scoring five goals total and falling just barely short against title contenders Kingborough and Devonport. Their set piece prowess has been a promising development and livewire forward Fletcher Fulton can challenge any defence on his day. It has also been reported that Argentine midfielder Luca Vigilante will make his long-awaited return from injury for Olympic, albeit off the bench. Goals have been harder to come by for Launceston City, but they have stayed close in two of their three games thanks to an improved defensive effort, conceding just once against the Strikers and twice against the Lions. Coach Lino Sciulli has preached structure and system early in the season, and his influence has been clear as his side has refused to fold against some quality opposition.Key player: Dan Nash, Riverside Olympic
Nash has been impressive in goal so far this season, despite facing the threat of some high-quality opposition. Against a less potent attack on Friday night, the pressure will be on for him to maintain that high standard as his side chases their first win.Devonport Strikers vs Olympia Warriors
Date: Saturday April 24
Venue: Valley Road
Kick-off: 2:15 PM
2021 record: Devonport Strikers: 2-0-2 (fourth in NPL TAS) Olympia Warriors: 1-0-2 (sixth in NPL TAS)
Top scorers: Devonport Strikers: Nicholas Lanau-Atkinson (2) Olympia Warriors: Kyle Vincent (3)
Preview:
The molehill of Devonport's first loss since 2019 in round two is quickly growing into a mountain, and they will look to stop their slide against a young and hungry Olympia side. The Strikers are still well and truly in the title race despite two early losses but their scoring woes continue to make things difficult. All it took was a sluggish start against the Lions for them to fall behind, and once in that hole they never looked likely to dig themselves back out with a goal of their own. With the likes of Eddie Bidwell, Nick Lanau-Atkinson, Miles Barnard and Joel Stone still on the field, it's difficult to fathom why they have had such a hard time scoring. They may fancy their chances of breaking out of that rut in this clash, playing back at home and against an inexperienced Warriors lineup. To their credit, Olympia put in a pair of composed and gritty performances in their first two games, a close loss to Glenorchy and a narrow win over Riverside. A first-half red card and some sloppy defending saw them cop a beating against the Zebras, and they will face an even tougher test here travelling to Valley Road. Kyle Vincent is in great form up forward, but can he crack the league's toughest defence?Key player: Joel Stone
This is a game that Stone should dominate, as he will physically and skill-wise be the biggest man in the midfield. He and his teammates need to find a way to turn that dominance into goals, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him do so himself.Clarence Zebras vs Kingborough
Date: Saturday April 24
Venue: Wentworth Park
Kick-off: 2:15 PM
2021 record: Clarence Zebras: 1-0-2 (fifth in NPL TAS) Kingborough Lions: 3-0-1 (third in NPL TAS)
Top scorers: Clarence Zebras: Riley Dillon (3) Kingborough Lions: Adam McKeown (6)
Preview:
Plagued by inconsistency across the 2020 season, the Lions will look to claim consecutive wins for the first time in 2021 when they face the Clarence Zebras. A stunning five-minute burst saw them race into the lead against the Strikers and they remained solid defensively to protect that advantage and claim a big win. Adam McKeown has been in irresistible form for the better part of a year now, and the addition of Ben Hamlett at his best was a welcome boost that could see them form one of the more dangerous duos in the league. Those two and the strong midfield group behind them could cause plenty of trouble for a Zebras defence that has conceded a league-high ten goals in their first three games. Their last outing was their most promising, though, with a 5-1 win over Olympia opening their account for the season. Riley Dillon's emergence as a consistent goal scoring threat has been a big development for a side that lacked attacking options last season, but they will need to tighten up at the other end of the field if they want to take any points from this game.Key player: Adam McKeown, Kingborough Lions
It may be a little obvious, but if McKeown gets off the leash here there is almost no chance that Clarence will keep the scoreline close. Containing him has been a tough task so far this season, and with so many other dangerous players in the Kingborough lineup the Zebras will have to balance their priorities perfectly.Glenorchy Knights vs South Hobart
Date: Saturday April 24
Venue: KGV Football Park
Kick-off: 4:30 PM
2021 record: Glenorchy Knights: 3-0-0 (second in NPL TAS) South Hobart: 3-0-0 (first in NPL TAS)
Top scorers: Glenorchy Knights: Alex Walter (4) South Hobart: Nick Morton (5)
Preview:
As the Strikers have stumbled, these two teams have emerged looking to take their place atop the NPL Tasmania throne. The Knights were right in the title race until the final rounds of the season last year, and they still deserve to be the favourites after a flawless start in 2021. They were back to their free-flowing best in their last outing, putting five goals past the Lions in a dominant display, and just like last year it was Alex Walter in the centre of the action. The Golden Boot winner's hat-trick in that game was a return to the form that made him arguably the best player in the competition last season, and while he hadn't been poor by any stretch in their opening two games, coach James Sherman would have been happy to see him at his clinical best ahead of this huge clash. Flanked by Joffrey Nkoso and Nic Naden in the front three, he is the head of an attack that is near impossible to stop on their day. That is the task ahead of South Hobart's defence, but they have answered every call thus far with clean sheets in their past two games. They too have a prolific scorer in top form, with Nick Morton sitting second on the league leaderboard with five goals from three games. There could be plenty of goals in this game, and with Morton and Kasper Hallam leading the line South should be well and truly up for the challenge.Key player: Sam Berezansky, South Hobart
A quiet achiever at times last season, Berezansky has moved into the fore this year with some eye-catching displays. His interplay with Morton has set up a handful of the forward's goals, and he is a threat to score himself any time he gets within range. With the Knights likely to have their hands full elsewhere, he could emerge as the key to a South victory.