The 2024 Statewide Cup finalists are set to be determined this weekend, with some massive semi-final clashes lying in wait.
The Lakoseljac Cup is always a major prize for the clubs, especially with the coveted place in the Australia Cup Round of 32 awaiting the winners. The first of those semi-finals will take place on Saturday at Windsor Park, with Riverside Olympic hosting the Kingborough Lions.
The Roos are the definite surprise packets remaining at this stage of the competition, having struggled in the NPL thus far this year, but they’ve taken advantage of their draw to score two big victories to reach the final four. They downed Hobart United 4-1 and then the Clarence Zebras 5-2 in an action-packed quarter-final. Now the difficulty ramps up against a Lions side currently in third place on the NPL table, but the home-ground advantage should provide a major boost to the Roos' hopes of an upset. The two sides met back in Round 2 of the NPL season, with the Lions scoring a thumping 8-1 victory. They are looking to complete a sweep of the Launceston-based NPL sides in the Cup, having downed Launceston United 7-0 and Launceston City 2-1 in the prior rounds.
The Roos will be without a significant weapon in their bid to reach the decider, with star striker Emannuel Ponce suspended after picking up 2 yellow cards in last Saturday’s NPL Tasmania clash with the Clarence Zebras. It’s a goalscorer at the other end of the park who looms largest over this game, however, with Riverside needing to find a way to curtail the dominance of Kobe Kemp, who has scored 15 times in 9 games this year, scoring braces in both the Round of 16 and quarter final victories.
Then on Sunday, attention turns to Valley Road where the three-time defending Champions Devonport are eyeing an historic fourth consecutive Cup triumph. Standing in their way are the last side other than the Strikers to have hoisted the Cup, the 2020 Champions Glenorchy Knights.
There should be few surprises in this one for either outfit, with the two sides having met at the same venue just a week earlier in the NPL. That game ended in a 1-1 draw, with the Strikers bundling home an equaliser 10 minutes from full time after an improved second-half showing.
The Knights probably should’ve killed the contest off with a second goal, but they left the door ajar for the Strikers and were made to pay the price. It was the third consecutive draw the Strikers have played out, with the result following draws with South Hobart and Kingborough in the weeks prior. It shows how tightly matched the best sides are this year, but of course should things remained locked at the end of 90 minutes this time around, the match will head to extra time.
Both sides have only faced Championship opposition to reach this point of the competition, with Knights accounting for South East United 7-0 and Taroona 5-0, whilst Devonport downed Hobart City 4-0 and New Town White Eagles 4-1, but from now things are set to get significantly tougher.
In the Women’s Statewide Cup, the top two sides in the Women's Super League will meet as South Hobart takes on the Devonport Strikers at D'arcy Street. The Strikers currently sit three points clear on top of the table, a gap they opened up when defeating South Hobart 2-0 at Valley Road back in Round 5. That was a game that could’ve gone either way, with both sides creating chances to win it, but the Strikers ultimately taking them. This time around it will be the defending Champions who enjoy home ground advantage, and it could be enough to tip the scales as the two sides have looked incredibly tightly matched through the opening two months of the season.
The Strikers were held to a surprise draw by the Glenorchy Knights last weekend, whilst South Hobart should be fresh having enjoyed a week off with the bye. The winner of this clash will certainly enter the Cup Final as the favourites in the decider, but who deserves to be considered favourites in this one is less obvious. The Strikers haven't actually played a game to reach this point, as a first round bye was followed by a forfeit from Burnie in the quarter finals, whilst South booked their spot with a 4-1 win over Glenorchy Knights.
The other semi final features the Kingborough Lions and Launceston United who will meet at Lightwood Park. It’s the second time in a week that the two sides will play each other, having clashed in the Women’s Super League last Saturday. Whilst the respective coaches will undoubtedly want their defences to be much tighter this weekend, the fans will be hoping for more of the same, as a chaotic game ended 4-3 in the Lions favour. It was a see-sawing battle in which both sides enjoyed plenty of scoring chances but ultimately Hannah Walsh proved the match winner, as she scored a fine hat-trick. United will certainly be keenly aware they need to do a better job denying her shooting space from distance this time around.
United have shown a real affinity for this competition, making the final in the past three seasons and they will be looking to extend that to four. They’ve beaten the three sides below them, but lost to the league’s top three so far this year. They’ve been competitive in all those defeats, but lapses at the back have stung them this season. Finding consistency over the 90 minutes remains their challenge, just as it does for the Kingborough Lions, who held South Hobart to a draw but were then thumped by Glenorchy Knights. If either side can find that consistency at Lightwood Park on Saturday, a shot at the silverware awaits.
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