It's first v second this weekend as the the Olympia Warriors look to move to summit of the NPL Tasmania when they host the current leaders Devonport at Warrior Park on Saturday.
The Strikers have an 8-1-1 NPL record to date to sit on top of the ladder, two points ahead of Olympia with a 7-2-1 record. So they will enter Saturday's clash on 25 points, with Olympia close behind on 23, meaning the Warriors can pass them with a victory.
The sides have met once this season, back in Round 2 of the season, which was a 1-0 victory at Valley Road to the Strikers. Since then both sides have been in good form although the Strikers have slipped up a couple of times to the Hobart Zebras in recent weeks, whilst the Warriors are now unbeaten in their last 8 games and have gone the longest run without defeat of anyone in the league.
With the title race appearing to be a tight one with just five points between the top three sides as it stands, any game that pits the top sides against each other is a potentially decisive one. This is a genuine six pointer.
Both sides are through to the Lakoseljac Cup Semi Finals after Quarter Final victories last weekend as they continued to show themselves as two of the best sides in the state. The Strikers dominated early against the Zebras but struggled somewhat with the more direct approach that was thrown at them in the second half. The towering presence of Huigsloot really troubled the Strikers defence and in Jack Ryan, the Warriors have a man who can be cast in a similar role. Guillermo Lazcano's return should bolster the defence, but Olympia have the personnel to replicate the strategy of the Zebras if they desire. Certainly the Strikers have enjoyed their best success by pressing teams trying to play out from the back and winning the ball back high up the field, but they might not get much chance to do that on Warrior Park, a ground which suits sides who play it direct.
In other Round 12 matches Glenorchy Knights host Riverside at KGV and try to reclaim that winning feeling. Their last victory was all the way back on the 5th of April! Now that's exacerbated by some tough games and Cup weekends, but it's been a long time between drinks and against an opponent they beat 5-1 away early in the year, this represents a good chance for a breakthrough. The Roos will need to replicate the opening half hour against Olympia last week, where they defended superbly before the game was lost in a sloppy 10 minute period. If they can do that, and this time find a way to contain Nick Naden who ran riot in their last meeting, then they will be a chance of causing the upset.
Then in the second leg of what is effectively an NPL double-header at KGV, Hobart Zebras will take on Clarence at 6:45pm. These sides have met twice already this season, back in Round 2, a 9-0 win for Zebras, and in the Round of 16 of the Lakoseljac Cup, which was a 6-0 win. So they have doled out two thumping so far, and despite the recent improvements Clarence have shown, they haven't shown enough to suggest they can close such a gap. So this should be comfortable enough for the Zebras to get back on track, whilst the final score might be a decent marker to see how much the Reds have improved.
Finally South Hobart and Kingborough meet on Sunday at Darcy Street to close out the Round and once again the Lions are on the hunt for a new gaffer. Cam Ellis is set to lead the side as interim coach but his chargers appear well up against it in this one, taking on a South side that has scored 14 times in their past 3 games. Whilst South's defensive struggles should give reasons for optimism, they seem to be building into this season quite nicely and appear primed to begin their typical mid season surge. They can't go taking such games for granted though, dropped points to the Lions at this very ground last year ultimately proved very costly indeed and against a wounded opponent this time around, something they cant afford a repeat of.
Saturday 18 May
Olympia v Devonport, 2:00pm, Warrior Park LIVE STREAM GAME
Glenorchy Knights v Riverside Olympic, 4:30pm, KGV
Hobart Zebras v Clarence United, 6:45pm, KGV
Sunday 19 May
South Hobart v Kingborough Lions, 2:00pm, Darcy Street