South Hobart vs Devonport Strikers
Date: Saturday September 12
Venue: Darcy Street
Kick-off: 2:00 PM
2020 record: South Hobart: 4-0-3 (third in NPL TAS) Devonport: 6-1-0 (first in NPL TAS)
Top scorers: South Hobart: Kasper Hallam (4) Devonport: Brody Denehy (3)
Last time they met: Devonport Strikers 1-0 South Hobart
Preview:
Both of these sides will be looking to find their balance after a slight wobble in the last round of league fixtures. The Strikers managed to grab a last-gasp draw against Kingborough, but that result still saw them drop their first points of the season and kept the door ajar in the title race. They have now had two weeks to recover after not featuring in last weekend’s Lakoseljac Cup fixtures—will that freshen their legs or leave them shaking off a little rust? It’s hard to imagine that the latter would be the case for such an accomplished side, but stranger things have happened before. Their defence has been as solid as ever this season, but they will need to find a way to attack with more purpose on the off chance they do fall behind again. South are certainly capable of putting the league leaders under pressure, and this will be a great barometer for their progress this season after they struggled to threaten the Strikers goal in their first encounter. After putting three goals past the Lions in the cup last week they should come into this one cautiously optimistic.
Key player: Nick Morton, South Hobart
Morton was back on the scoresheet in South’s last league outing and he will need to be at his best if they want to crack the armour of the Strikers. Much of their scoring this season has come from their younger brigade, but they will need an experienced head to step up and provide a spark here. Still unstoppable when on song, it feels like that will have to be Morton.
Riverside Olympic vs Olympia Warriors
Date: Saturday September 12
Venue: Windsor Park
Kick-off: 2:15 PM
2020 record: Riverside: 1-2-4 (seventh in NPL TAS) Olympia: 3-1-3 (fifth in NPL TAS)
Top scorers: Riverside: Nil Sanz (4) Olympia: Jack Ryan (6)
Last time they met: Olympia Warriors 5-1 Riverside Olympic
Preview:
These two sides both currently sit in the bottom half of the table, but Olympia’s recent form suggests that that could change sooner rather than later. Their decision to part ways with head coach Andrew Brown was a surprise, but they walked the walk last round with a win over South Hobart in their first game since the change. Add in a cup win over University last weekend, and they are now undefeated in their last five games across all competitions. The departure of Jack Ryan does leave a big question mark, though—can they score enough goals against top-flight competition to keep climbing the table? They will have a good chance to test that out against a Riverside team that has given up 17 goals in their seven games, the most in the league. They’re still struggling to shut down opposition attacks, as evidenced by last round’s 3-3 goal-fest against the similarly struggling Clarence Zebras. Still, with the dynamic Nil Sanz leading the line and some promising talent across the park, they are capable of causing a few surprises as the season moves into its second half.
Key player: Declan Brown, Olympia Warriors
The league’s leading scorer may be gone, but Brown isn’t all that far behind with four goals this campaign. It will take a whole-team effort to make up for Ryan’s absence, but Brown will need to lead the way and continue to find the back of the net.
Launceston City vs Kingborough Lions
Date: Saturday September 12
Venue: Buckby Land Rover Park
Kick-off: 4:30 PM
2020 record: Launceston: 0-1-6 (eighth in NPL TAS) Kingborough: 3-3-1 (fourth in NPL TAS)
Top scorers: Launceston: Samuel Ridgard (3) Kingborough: Adam McKeown (4)
Last time they met: Kingborough Lions 2-0 Launceston City
Preview:
It’s easy to feel like Kingborough’s form has drastically dipped over the last month, and that is somewhat true given they are winless in their last three. The fact remains, though, that they have lost just one NPL game this season despite being winless in their last 3. They were resolute in a 1-1 draw with the Strikers last round, but they would be desperate to return to the winners list this week against bottom-placed Launceston City. The 2-0 scoreline in their last meeting didn’t reflect the total dominance of the Lions, with the 18-2 final shot count telling something closer to the full story. Consistency remains their biggest enemy, though, and coach Jez Kenth will need to find a way to keep his side on task at both ends of the park. Things haven’t improved since that last matchup for City, with just a solitary point to show for their efforts. A pre-season cup win over Devonport showed that they are capable, but it just hasn’t clicked since the NPL restart. The return of Noah Mies in cup action over the weekend was a welcome sight, as he scored one goal and assisted another in his return to the senior side. Add in goalkeeper Lachlan Clark’s return from injury in recent weeks, and there is some reason for optimism for City and their fans.
Key player: Noah Mies, Launceston City
Last time I named Mies in this section he was promptly dropped and not sighted again until last weekend. I’m going to double down, though, after his strong performance in the cup. He was arguably their most important player during last year’s more successful campaign, and he could be the spark in the second half of their season.
Clarence Zebras vs Glenorchy Knights
Date: Saturday September 12
Venue: Wentworth Park
Kick-off: 4:30 PM
2020 record: Clarence: 1-2-4 (sixth in NPL TAS) Glenorchy: 5-0-2 (second in NPL TAS)
Top scorers: Clarence: Jayden Hey, Jake Thompson, Riley Dillon (2) Glenorchy: Thomas Young, Alex Walter (4)
Last time they met: Clarence Zebras 2-5 Glenorchy Knights
Preview:
The Knights bandwagon continues to roll on this season, as they have now won six of their last seven games across all competitions. They look like the only team that could still challenge Devonport for the title, but that will largely depend on how clinical they can be in games like this one. Last weekend’s cup fixture should be the blueprint—even though it was a grind at times, they grabbed their opportunities when they came and ultimately cruised to a 3-0 win. It also showed off the depth they now possess in their squad, with the likes of Cade Smith stepping up when needed. The Zebras would have been glad to finally find some goals last round, but they could still only manage a 3-3 draw in a winnable game against Riverside. While the likes of Jayden Hey, Riley Dillon and Luke Huigsloot continue to battle gamely, the rest of the side is still taking shape around them even at this stage of the season. Stringing together a few results would be huge for their confidence, but they will be up against the odds in this one.
Key player: Joshua Jones, Clarence Zebras
This one is pretty simple—Glenorchy like to shoot, and someone will need to stop those shots if the Zebras are to keep it close. That responsibility will fall largely with Jones, although he would surely love some support from his back four. Still, this game shapes as an opportunity for him to show off his skills between the posts.