Something has to give when the standout teams in McDonald's NPL Tasmania meet for the first time this season.
Sitting first and second on the ladder with perfect records, South Hobart and Devonport have also claimed three league-and-cup doubles between them in four years and remain on course to potentially meet in another Lakoseljac Cup final.
Both teams have eight wins from eight games this season with the hosts holding top spot on goal difference.
South Hobart coach Peter Edwards said Saturday's fixture has been eagerly awaited.
“Obviously, a lot of hype, which is good, around the game,” he said. “Top-of-the-table clash and it's nice to have this game relatively early in the season. So hopefully it should be a really good, entertaining, free-flowing game, which would be great for the neutrals to watch.”
Devonport coach Tom Ballantyne responded: “The lads are really buzzing for it, so hopefully it's a good game.
“I think it is the rivalry of Tasmanian football. It has been since before I arrived. In my first two seasons here, we played South in both Laka Cup finals … we played something like nine games in two seasons. And prior to that, it'd always been between Devonport and South who had won the league.”
Kept apart in this week’s Lakoseljac Cup semi-final draw, both teams boast phenomenal goal-scoring prowess. For South, three-time league best and fairest winner Nick Morton already has 15 to his name while ex-Leyton Orient striker Devine Samuel is up to seven and former Golden Boot winner Kobe Kemp has bagged two hat-tricks in his last four games.
Meanwhile Strikers’ youth team product Josh Tollervey, who honed his skills at Wellington Phoenix academy, has netted in every match so far while being ably supported by free-scoring teammates Courage Layweh, Brody Denehey and Lachlan Vanneutegem.
With 13 goals already, Tollervey is earning high praise and even comparisons to Strikers’ former league Golden Boot winner Roberto Garrido.
“They're very similar players,” Ballantyne said. “Josh is probably a little bit quicker, probably a little bit better in the air than Robbie. But yeah, they're both exceptional forwards.”
The same clubs also occupy the top two places in the McDonald's Women's Super League with second-placed South Hobart facing a tricky test against newcomers Launceston City on Sunday.
“Every game here on out is to ensure that that gap is not getting any bigger away from Devonport,” South’s co-coach James Symmons said. “We're sitting in second at the moment (and) we don't want to lose that position.”
With eight goals to her name, Sam Watkins has scored in all five rounds so far including the team’s only blemish, a 5-1 loss to reigning champions Devonport.
Although Watkins missed last week’s Statewide Cup quarter-final at New Town White Eagles due to a holiday, Laura Davis returned from injury to bag a hat-trick in an 11-0 victory.
Alex Aylott’s City side are looking to bounce back from a Statewide Cup exit at Kingborough and a first league defeat against Strikers.
“It’s just another test for us,” Aylott said. “I said at the start of the year that this was going to be a learning year for us just to gauge where we're at and this is another opportunity to play against good opposition and see how we stand up at the end of it.”
City will also have their rearranged round-four derby at Launceston United to play on Wednesday with a visit from Glenorchy to follow on Saturday.
“It’s three games in six days so it’s a massive week and is really going to test us because we don’t have a deep squad,” Aylott added. “We're just going to have to be creative in how we manage players this week.
“I said from the start, let's get through the first seven rounds, see how we go against each opposition, and reassess after that.”
Symmons admitted City have an advantage being a new entity in the competition.
“I think this is the first time that we've played them,” he said. “We played them in pre-season last year in a practice match, but (this is a) completely different squad, so we need to be wary of that.”
McDonald's NPL Tasmania, Round 7
Saturday, May 2
2pm South Hobart v Devonport, D’Arcy Street
2.30pm Kingborough Lions v Launceston City, Lightwood Park Kitchen Centre Park
2.30pm Clarence v Riverside Olympic, Wentworth Park
3.30pm Glenorchy v Ulverstone, KGV
4.45pm Launceston United v South East United, Birch Avenue Kemlec Park
McDonald's Women's Super League, Round 6
Friday, May 1
8.15pm Launceston United v Devonport, Birch Avenue Kemlec Park
Saturday, May 2
2pm Taroona v Riverside Olympic, Kelvedon Park
5.45pm Glenorchy v Kingborough, KGV
Sunday, May 3
2pm South Hobart v Launceston City, D’Arcy Street
Round 4
Wednesday, May 6
6.30pm Launceston United v Launceston City, Birch Avenue Kemlec Park