We arrive at the Easter Long weekend which brings the traditional slew of local cup fixtures. This is always a weekend filled with exciting Cup action and it usually makes for one of the most interesting weekend’s on the local footballing calendar. Will it be a long weekend defined by the favourites advancing, or will we be treated to a Cupset or two?
Favourable Draws For NPL Sides in Lakoseljac Cup
The Lakoseljac Cup supported by McDonald’s reaches its Round of 16 stage. The competition also doubles as the Preliminary stages of the Australia Cup, with the eventual Lakoseljac Cup winners earning a spot on the national stage in the Round of 32, further heightening each side’s motivations to win it.
The Round of 16 is largely dominated by NPL Tasmania v Championship matchups and that’s how we will start things off on Friday night with the Glenorchy Knights hosting Hobart City Beachside at KGV. The Knights slipped up against City in Round 2, but have otherwise looked strong in the league and should be expecting to advance here without too many headaches.
Beachside will be up against it, having struggled in the opening three weeks of the Southern Championship season, losing all three of their games to sit bottom of the table. Having been handed an 8-1 thumping at the hands of the New Town Eagles in their last game, it would take a massive turn around for them to get up and eliminate the Knights.
On the Saturday we have another four fixtures, with three taking place in the North of the state. Riverside Olympic have started the season with 3 consecutive losses in the McDonald's NPL TAS but will look to get things back on track against lower league Barnstoneworth United. It’s great to see a social league side in the competition like Barnstoneworth and it would be stunning if they were to knock off a top division opponent, however unlikely that may seem. They certainly have nothing to lose here and all the pressure is on the Roos.
The Devonport Strikers will look to begin their Cup defence against the Olympia Warriors at home. Having been removed from the NPL, the motivation should be strong for the Warriors here, but a trip to Valley Road to take on Devonport is probably the toughest possible draw they could have been handed. The Strikers have remarkably won this competition four times in the last seven seasons.
The performances from the Clarence Zebras in the opening two weeks of the McDonald's NPL season will have been pleasing to them, but there is nothing quite like winning and this weekend provides them a chance to get that first win of the new season as they take on Taroona. They will need to be on guard against a Taroona side who have former Lions striker Ramiro Villar looking lively leading the line as one of a host of players with top division experience.
In the only Championship v Championship fixture of the Round, Ulverstone will play host to Hobart United at the Ulverstone Showgrounds. Ulverstone lost their first game of the season to Somerset, but have bounced back with consecutive wins over Riverside and then 6-0 over Burnie to head into this one riding high. United have posted a 1-1-1 record, with three tightly fought games where the goals haven’t exactly flowed but they have shown in recent years a capacity to lift and produce some of their best perfomances in this competition.
To Monday's action which features the New Town Eagles, who have been a force in the Southern Championship in recent years and are probably the side best equipped of any lower league team to cause an upset this weekend. They’ve been handed a tough draw though, taking on a South Hobart side who made the final last season. South have been finding a way to win games this season, remaining undefeated through the opening three weeks of the McDonald's NPL Tasmania season, but haven't quite been at their best defensively, which could well provide the Eagles an avenue to progression.
In the only game of the Round that features two opponents from the same league, Launceston United will take on Launceston City at Birch Avenue. It’s not a match up we have seen in the McDonald's NPL yet, but early form suggests City should be considered favourites to advance given their strong start to the year. United put in their best performance since their promotion against South Hobart last weekend though and if they can play to level here, they are capable of eliminating their cross town rivals.
Player unavailability means Northern Rangers have forfeited their match against Kinborough and sees the Lions the first side to advance through to the final eight.
Devonport celebrate their 2022 Lakolsejac Cup triumph- Solstice Digital
Heavy Favourites Abound In Women's Statewide Cup
To the Women’s Statewide Cup where the 12 sides entered necessitates four games at this stage and four sides automatically being drawn through to the Quarter Finals.
With the byes not being seeded, there was potential for some of the Super League big guns to run into each other prematurely and open up paths for a lower league side to make a deep run, but at this stage the MyState Bank WSL front runners have all managed to avoid each other.
South Hobart, New Town White Eagles, Taroona and Ulverstone are the four sides who have all been drawn through to the next stage and won't feature this weekend.
The three fixtures that will feature will all see lower division sides attempting to upset their MyState Bank WSL opponents.
In the North, Burnie have been absolutely flying in the Northern Championship to start the season, winning all three games and conceding just the single goal so far. They face their toughest test yet though as they welcome the defending MyState Bank WSL Champion’s Launceston United to Montello. United won the Statewide Cup last season and having opened up with 3 wins from 3 in the MyState Bank WSL in 2023, a League/Cup double repeat will remain the aspiration.
Then in another Northern Championship v MyState Bank WSL clash, Riverside Olympic face the daunting task of hosting the Devonport Strikers. The Roos have made a strong start to the Championship season, winning their first two games before falling narrowly to the ladder leaders Northern Rangers on the weekend. Containing Jazmin White and the Strikers is going to be a tough ask and the Strikers should fancy themselves to march through to the final eight.
On Monday, the Kingborough Lions will be keen to claim a first victory of the season as they take on Championship powerhouses University. The Lions may be the side from the higher division but they are yet to win this league campaign, whilst University are yet to lose. University have opened up their Championship season with a pair of comfortable victories, including a 2-0 result over a Kingborough Lions side last week. That was the Lions reserves side though and now they face the Lions MyState Bank WSL starting XI which will provide a starker challenge and whilst they are yet to win, they have played the MyState Bank WSL's top three sides in their three game's so far. This should be a more manageable game for the Lions and an ideal chance to get that confidence building breakthrough win.
Clash of Contenders In Statewide Under 21's
There are just the two games in the Under 21 Statewide Cup to be played at this stage, with six sides drawn through to the Quarter Final stage of the competition.
One of those games is enormous however, as the two sides who played off in last seasons Under 20 Statewide Cup Final, will meet in Devonport and South Hobart.
Basically, one of the competition's favourites isn't going to be making it to the final eight and rival sides must've been delighted to see this match coming out of the draw. Two of the powerhouse clubs in the state naturally have strong youth programs and these are two sides who will feel if they can win on the weekend, they can go all the way and hoist the Cup in June.
In the other clash we will also see two McDonald's NPL clubs duking it out, as the Clarence Zebras take on Launceston United at Wentworth Park. The Zebras drawing with South Hobart in the Under 21 League competition, whilst United lost 7-0 suggests the Zebras will be expected to advance here, but results against common opponents doesn't always tell the story of what to expect.
Under 21 Statewide Cup
Saturday 8 April
Devonport Strikers v South Hobart, 12:00pm, Valley Road
Clarence Zebras v Launceston United, 12:00pm, Wentworth Park
Women’s Statewide Cup
Saturday 8 April
Riverside Olympic v Devonport Strikers, 11:00am, Windsor Park
Burnie United v Launceston United, 2:00pm, Montello Park
Monday 10 April
Kingborough Lions v University SC, 11:00am, KGV
Lakoseljac Cup supported by McDonald's
Friday 7 April
Glenorchy Knights v Hobart City Beachside, 7:00pm, KGV
Saturday 8 April
Riverside Olympic v Barnstoneworth United FC, 2:00pm, Windsor Park
Ulverstone SC v Hobart United, 2:00pm, Ulverstone
Devonport Strikers v Olympia Warriors, 3:00pm, Valley Road
Clarence Zebras v Taroona FC, 3:00pm, Wentworth Park
Monday 10 April
South Hobart v New Town Eagles, 2:00pm, Darcy Street
Launceston United v Launceston City, 2:00pm, Birch Avenue