The NPL Tasmania season is finally set to kick off on Saturday after a delay of over 120 days since the initial Covid-19 induced postponement and the big question is; can anyone stop the Devonport Strikers?
Having claimed 3 of the past 4 league titles including the past two seasons, the side from the Portress are now eyeing off a historic league Three-Peat and despite a setback in the Lakoseljac Cup last weekend, they appear well poised to do just that.
The Strikers will return nearly all of their title winning squad from 2019 and whilst they didn't get off to the ideal start with a 2-1 cup loss to Launceston City on Saturday, it was just one game so lets not overreact. It came against a tricky opposition away from home and playing on after Jack Dance had snapped his leg in two places would've been very tough mentally. I will go with the past two years worth of sample size over one game, and for mine the Strikers simply must be considered the title favourites once again. It's an old adage that defences win Championships, but it is one that has played out time and time again in this league. The Strikers have the State's premiere gloveman in Nathan Pitchford with a well settled defence in front of him, led by the ever reliable Kieran Mulraney. In Joel Stone they have the best player in the league and in a season where preparations have been so disrupted by the lock down, there is a lot to be said for the value of continuity. Chris Gallo returns to the helm and he is a coach who knows how to get the best out of this playing group, as evidenced by the League/Cup double of 2018. They will be up there again in 2020, but that doesn't mean they won't have their challengers. Indeed you can make the case for several sides pushing them this year and the title race could well shape as one of the more interesting battles we've had in years.
Last season it was the Olympia Warriors who pushed them all the way, and they loom as the most likely to do so once again. Their array of attacking talent shone in the Summer Cup and was on full display last week against Beachside, whom they hit for 10 goals. Jack Ryan, Ben Hamlett and the Brown twins will make for an extremely dangerous attacking quartet that will be incredibly difficult for any side to stop, whilst Adam Gorrie and Lachlan O'Connor should solve a full back problem that has plagued them for some time now. The only real question mark is in midfield, where the departure of Jordan Scott leaves big shoes to fill for veteran Loic Feral and the classy Nick Mearns, whose talent is undeniable but unfortunately so too is his injury record.
The Glenorchy Knights are another side who have recruited well and will be expecting to improve on their fifth place finish from 2019. Scoring goals against the top sides was an area the Knights struggled with last year and after the departure of the Brown twins it looked like it may be an issue this season as well. But they have addressed that with a pair of massive signings in Alex Walter and Joffrey Nkoso, who are two of the brightest attacking talents in the competition and they will join Nick Naden in what looks a lively front three. With Oscar Thomas and Tyler Harrison potentially giving them a top tier centre half pairing, the major question for Knights will be over whether so many new faces who haven't played together before can gel quickly enough. The lockout has given them more time to achieve this, but there is no substitute for the familiarity that comes from playing competitive games together.
South Hobart have seen a host of players departing the club, yet you would be foolish to discount Ken Morton's men, especially with a certain Andy Brennan now back in town. Arguably the most dominant player that the league has seen since its 2013 return, he will be a welcome addition to what was shaping as a youthful squad. Indeed the long delay has played into South's hands nicely, allowing for Kobe Kemp and Nick Morton to recover from injuries and with a couple more faces set to join from the NPL Victoria, this is a side that could well push for the title. Their young brigade showed they were ready to step up in the Summer Cup, with Larby, Hallam, Berezansky, Lakoseljac and Juju all impressing throughout that competition and showing the next wave of academy graduates are more than capable of filling the shoes of the off season departures.
After last weekend's huge win, Launceston City may well have to be considered the dark horses of the competition. A 2-1 win over the Strikers proves they are going to be a very dangerous side this year, especially on their home deck at Buckby Landrover Park. A pair of prized English recruits in Samuel Ridgard, and cup hero Robert Gerrard lead the list of inclusions and if their performances last week are anything to go by then they have nailed a couple of quality signings. Gedi Krusa who shone at Devonport in 2018 has also signed on and will round out the international contingent to complement their local talent. They have quality bookends, with one of the best young keepers in the state in Lachie Clark, and the best young striker in Noah Mies, who was chased extremely hard by rival clubs all around the state over the off season, so managing to keep ahold of him may yet prove their best piece of business. This is the strongest looking City side I've seen in the NPL and new coach Roger Hardwicke seems to have them well organised, with a tough first up trip away to South Hobart offering the perfect acid test.
Their cross town rivals Riverside Olympic will need to quickly bounce back from their display in the Cup last weekend, as they fell to University 4-0. It was uncharacteristically off day from star young goalkeeper Jarrod Hill, who was exceptional last season and he will be called upon to hit those heights once more in 2020, especially without key performers from last year in Chris Wademan and Jono O'Neill. New leaders will need to step up ahead of their second season in the top division and no doubt they will take plenty of lessons from their debut season in 2019. With the likes of Hill, Gilmore and Prince the future looks very bright but if they are to make their mark on the league this year then they will need to get more from their trio of international imports, Luca Vigilante, Jhostan Padro and Nils Sanz than they did in Saturday's defeat.
Also needing to lift will be the Clarence Zebras, who will be looking to quickly move on from a disastrous opening showing in the Lakoseljac Cup, falling 5-1 to the Kingborough Lions. The newly formed club have stated their intentions to prioritise youth development and as such it's unlikely they are among the title challengers this year. They will still be a threat though with some top quality senior players like Riley Dillon, Jayden Hey and Luke Huigsloot still in the mix and it will make them a difficult side to play against but I get the feeling this is a season where they will be taking stock and giving chances to younger players.
The Kingborough Lions conversely will be looking to pick up where they left off and to continue the Jezzasaince that got underway with Jez Kenth's appointment midway through last season. The Lions noticeably improved after his appointment and the savvy coach couldn't have scripted a better start than their thumping 5-1 cup win last Saturday. Luring Shane Cartwright and Jack Gates back into the fold should add another dimension to a Lions side who could well be the big improvers of the league. Expect a well organised side that is hard to breakdown, and are a constant set piece threat, but whether they can find a consistent avenue to goal is probably going to be the major question mark over them. It was noticeably a weakness in the Summer Cup and the squad does seem to lack a striker who will be up there in the goal scoring charts. Outside of that however, they have recruited well and are going to be very hard to beat down at the Den.
With the delayed season kick off has come a shortened competition with the league to now span across 14 games. For the first time this creates a truly equal NPL TAS fixture, with each side now playing each other home and away. The regular model of playing every side 3 times is inherently flawed in that you get two home games against some sides and two road trips against others. Playing a bottom side twice away is simply not the same as playing the top side away and as such there is always going to be an advantage gained by some sides just from the competition draw itself; that won't be the case this year.
With less games the natural assumption is that every game will matter more. With just 14 games you would expect an early loss or two could extinguish your hopes and tank your season before it ever really gets underway. Whilst that statement rings true, a slow start will sink you, a look back on the history suggests this was probably already the case even with a 21 game model and that sides who start well tend to simply be good sides, who then naturally keep on winning.
Below is a list of the final standings in each of the last 7 seasons, going back to when the Statewide League model came back in with the launch of the Victory League in 2013 and how things stood after 14 rounds of those respective seasons.
2019
Final Standings: Devonport 61, Olympia 56, South Hobart 47
After 14 Rounds: Devonport 34, Olympia 29, South Hobart 26
2018
Final Standings: Devonport 50, South Hobart 47, Hobart Zebras 39
After 14 Rounds: Devonport 32, Launceston City 29, Hobart Zebras 29
2017
Final Standings: South Hobart 55, Olympia 43, Devonport 41
After 14 Rounds: South Hobart 36, Devonport 34, Olympia 29
2016
Final Standings: Devonport 58, Hobart Zebras 50, South Hobart 48
After 14 Rounds Devonport 39, Hobart Zebras 34, South Hobart 31
2015
Final Standings: Olympia 48, South Hobart 46, Hobart Zebras 41
After 14 Rounds: Olympia 33, South Hobart 28, Hobart Zebras 27
2014
Final Standings: South Hobart 55, Tilford Zebras 47, Olympia 41
After 14 Rounds: South Hobart 36, Tilford Zebras 30, Olympia 28
2013
Final Standings: South Hobart 56, Devonport 41, Tilford Zebras 39
After 14 Rounds: South Hobart 37, Tilford Zebras 27, Devonport 25
So that past paints a very clear picture. The League Champions have been on top the table after 14 rounds in all 7 seasons since the move to a Statewide league and the runners up have been sitting in second place in five of the seven seasons. The only time a side sitting in the top three after 14 rounds didn't end up there after round 21, was Launceston City in 2018. The average gap between first and second tends to expand slightly with the longer season, but that is mainly bolstered by South Hobart's dominant run home in 2017. Overall the average gap grows from 5.14 points to 7.57 points, so we can probably expect a slightly closer season than we may have got over 21 weeks, but ultimately the shortened 14 week run likely won't overly increase the likelihood of a surprise league Champion.
The big three of Devonport, South Hobart and Olympia dominated the last decade of senior men's football in Tasmania, as we enter a new one will that remain the case? Or will a new challenger emerge? All will be revealed in the coming months and it all starts this Saturday after a long layoff the NPL is finally back! May the best side win.
NPL Tasmania
Round 1
Saturday 18 July
South Hobart v Launceston City, Darcy Street, 2:00 PM
Riverside Olympic v Devonport, Windsor Park, 2:15 PM
Clarence Zebras Olympia, Wentworth Park 2, 4:30 PM
Kingborough v Glenorchy Knights, Lightwood Park, 6:30 PM
NPL Tasmania Season Fixture
The Glenorchy Knights are another side who have recruited well and will be expecting to improve on their fifth place finish from 2019. Scoring goals against the top sides was an area the Knights struggled with last year and after the departure of the Brown twins it looked like it may be an issue this season as well. But they have addressed that with a pair of massive signings in Alex Walter and Joffrey Nkoso, who are two of the brightest attacking talents in the competition and they will join Nick Naden in what looks a lively front three. With Oscar Thomas and Tyler Harrison potentially giving them a top tier centre half pairing, the major question for Knights will be over whether so many new faces who haven't played together before can gel quickly enough. The lockout has given them more time to achieve this, but there is no substitute for the familiarity that comes from playing competitive games together.
South Hobart have seen a host of players departing the club, yet you would be foolish to discount Ken Morton's men, especially with a certain Andy Brennan now back in town. Arguably the most dominant player that the league has seen since its 2013 return, he will be a welcome addition to what was shaping as a youthful squad. Indeed the long delay has played into South's hands nicely, allowing for Kobe Kemp and Nick Morton to recover from injuries and with a couple more faces set to join from the NPL Victoria, this is a side that could well push for the title. Their young brigade showed they were ready to step up in the Summer Cup, with Larby, Hallam, Berezansky, Lakoseljac and Juju all impressing throughout that competition and showing the next wave of academy graduates are more than capable of filling the shoes of the off season departures.
After last weekend's huge win, Launceston City may well have to be considered the dark horses of the competition. A 2-1 win over the Strikers proves they are going to be a very dangerous side this year, especially on their home deck at Buckby Landrover Park. A pair of prized English recruits in Samuel Ridgard, and cup hero Robert Gerrard lead the list of inclusions and if their performances last week are anything to go by then they have nailed a couple of quality signings. Gedi Krusa who shone at Devonport in 2018 has also signed on and will round out the international contingent to complement their local talent. They have quality bookends, with one of the best young keepers in the state in Lachie Clark, and the best young striker in Noah Mies, who was chased extremely hard by rival clubs all around the state over the off season, so managing to keep ahold of him may yet prove their best piece of business. This is the strongest looking City side I've seen in the NPL and new coach Roger Hardwicke seems to have them well organised, with a tough first up trip away to South Hobart offering the perfect acid test.
Their cross town rivals Riverside Olympic will need to quickly bounce back from their display in the Cup last weekend, as they fell to University 4-0. It was uncharacteristically off day from star young goalkeeper Jarrod Hill, who was exceptional last season and he will be called upon to hit those heights once more in 2020, especially without key performers from last year in Chris Wademan and Jono O'Neill. New leaders will need to step up ahead of their second season in the top division and no doubt they will take plenty of lessons from their debut season in 2019. With the likes of Hill, Gilmore and Prince the future looks very bright but if they are to make their mark on the league this year then they will need to get more from their trio of international imports, Luca Vigilante, Jhostan Padro and Nils Sanz than they did in Saturday's defeat.
Also needing to lift will be the Clarence Zebras, who will be looking to quickly move on from a disastrous opening showing in the Lakoseljac Cup, falling 5-1 to the Kingborough Lions. The newly formed club have stated their intentions to prioritise youth development and as such it's unlikely they are among the title challengers this year. They will still be a threat though with some top quality senior players like Riley Dillon, Jayden Hey and Luke Huigsloot still in the mix and it will make them a difficult side to play against but I get the feeling this is a season where they will be taking stock and giving chances to younger players.
The Kingborough Lions conversely will be looking to pick up where they left off and to continue the Jezzasaince that got underway with Jez Kenth's appointment midway through last season. The Lions noticeably improved after his appointment and the savvy coach couldn't have scripted a better start than their thumping 5-1 cup win last Saturday. Luring Shane Cartwright and Jack Gates back into the fold should add another dimension to a Lions side who could well be the big improvers of the league. Expect a well organised side that is hard to breakdown, and are a constant set piece threat, but whether they can find a consistent avenue to goal is probably going to be the major question mark over them. It was noticeably a weakness in the Summer Cup and the squad does seem to lack a striker who will be up there in the goal scoring charts. Outside of that however, they have recruited well and are going to be very hard to beat down at the Den.
With the delayed season kick off has come a shortened competition with the league to now span across 14 games. For the first time this creates a truly equal NPL TAS fixture, with each side now playing each other home and away. The regular model of playing every side 3 times is inherently flawed in that you get two home games against some sides and two road trips against others. Playing a bottom side twice away is simply not the same as playing the top side away and as such there is always going to be an advantage gained by some sides just from the competition draw itself; that won't be the case this year.
With less games the natural assumption is that every game will matter more. With just 14 games you would expect an early loss or two could extinguish your hopes and tank your season before it ever really gets underway. Whilst that statement rings true, a slow start will sink you, a look back on the history suggests this was probably already the case even with a 21 game model and that sides who start well tend to simply be good sides, who then naturally keep on winning.
Below is a list of the final standings in each of the last 7 seasons, going back to when the Statewide League model came back in with the launch of the Victory League in 2013 and how things stood after 14 rounds of those respective seasons.
2019
Final Standings: Devonport 61, Olympia 56, South Hobart 47
After 14 Rounds: Devonport 34, Olympia 29, South Hobart 26
2018
Final Standings: Devonport 50, South Hobart 47, Hobart Zebras 39
After 14 Rounds: Devonport 32, Launceston City 29, Hobart Zebras 29
2017
Final Standings: South Hobart 55, Olympia 43, Devonport 41
After 14 Rounds: South Hobart 36, Devonport 34, Olympia 29
2016
Final Standings: Devonport 58, Hobart Zebras 50, South Hobart 48
After 14 Rounds Devonport 39, Hobart Zebras 34, South Hobart 31
2015
Final Standings: Olympia 48, South Hobart 46, Hobart Zebras 41
After 14 Rounds: Olympia 33, South Hobart 28, Hobart Zebras 27
2014
Final Standings: South Hobart 55, Tilford Zebras 47, Olympia 41
After 14 Rounds: South Hobart 36, Tilford Zebras 30, Olympia 28
2013
Final Standings: South Hobart 56, Devonport 41, Tilford Zebras 39
After 14 Rounds: South Hobart 37, Tilford Zebras 27, Devonport 25
So that past paints a very clear picture. The League Champions have been on top the table after 14 rounds in all 7 seasons since the move to a Statewide league and the runners up have been sitting in second place in five of the seven seasons. The only time a side sitting in the top three after 14 rounds didn't end up there after round 21, was Launceston City in 2018. The average gap between first and second tends to expand slightly with the longer season, but that is mainly bolstered by South Hobart's dominant run home in 2017. Overall the average gap grows from 5.14 points to 7.57 points, so we can probably expect a slightly closer season than we may have got over 21 weeks, but ultimately the shortened 14 week run likely won't overly increase the likelihood of a surprise league Champion.
The big three of Devonport, South Hobart and Olympia dominated the last decade of senior men's football in Tasmania, as we enter a new one will that remain the case? Or will a new challenger emerge? All will be revealed in the coming months and it all starts this Saturday after a long layoff the NPL is finally back! May the best side win.
NPL Tasmania
Round 1
Saturday 18 July
South Hobart v Launceston City, Darcy Street, 2:00 PM
Riverside Olympic v Devonport, Windsor Park, 2:15 PM
Clarence Zebras Olympia, Wentworth Park 2, 4:30 PM
Kingborough v Glenorchy Knights, Lightwood Park, 6:30 PM
NPL Tasmania Season Fixture