WSL Friday Forecast
The MyState Bank Women’s Super League returns for Round 5 after a weekend off for the majority of the sides due to the Cup games over Easter, though not the top players at each club, with many of them involved in Monday’s State game against Western United.
I thought the players involved in that fixture did a terrific job to get a draw against a high-quality opposition filled with players who will be pushing to be in the A-League Women’s competition next season. There were certainly some tired bodies at the end of it, but they fought hard to grind out the draw and it was a fully deserved result. They largely limited United to speculative shots from range, showing terrific work rate and tactical discipline even if they didn’t see as much of the ball in the second half. Given this was a playing group who came together having not played together before, they acquitted themselves tremendously and didn’t look out of place competing against such quality opponents. So well done to Chris Hey and all the players involved, hopefully, we get to see more opportunities in the future as the more exposure the younger players in the state get to these types of environments the better for their development.
Most of the other players not involved in State duties will be fresh though, as Devonport, Launceston United and Kingborough weren’t in action, having received byes through the next stage of the competition, whilst South Hobart had their clash with Glenorchy Knights postponed. That left just the Clarence Zebras, Olympia and Taroona as the only WSL sides to take the field and even then, the Zebras and Olympia match was all the way back on last Wednesday night. The Zebras were once again far too strong for the Warriors in that one, but the 5-0 final score line was a step in the right direction for the Warriors and a represented five-goal improvement on their WSL clash a fortnight earlier. Taroona meanwhile also took a positive step as they claimed a first win of the year, downing University 4-2 in a wonderful entertaining clash with University highlighted by Holly Ayton’s long-range stunner. Taroona’s week then got even better with the drawing of the Quarter Finals of the cup, drawn against a Championship side in Metro and now have a great chance of marching into the final 4 of the Statewide Cup. Kingborough also looks a very good chance of making the final four, drawing a home game against Northern Championship outfit Ulverstone.
Meanwhile, the WSL’s top four sides were all drawn against each other, giving us two blockbuster Quarter Finals of Launceston United v South Hobart and Devonport v Clarence Zebras. This is why I always laugh when I hear the old cliche of “well you have to beat them eventually to win the Cup” that gets trotted out in response to a team receiving a tough cup draw. I understand why you would want to put that mentality in your players, but it’s complete nonsense when you break it down. Kingborough for instance could well qualify for the final having not played a single WSL side. Clarence Zebras may well have to have beaten 3 WSL sides to reach it, including 2 in the top 4 depending on how things play out from this point. The luck of the draw is a big element of Cup success and your chances of winning the cup are obviously going to be higher if you have to play fewer of the better sides, that’s just basic probability.
Anyway, it certainly sets up an intriguing Cup weekend in a few weeks’ time, but till then the focus goes back to the Super League, so let’s dive into this weekend’s fixtures.
Strikers and South Set For Saturday Showdown
The round will get underway with an intriguing fixture between Devonport and South Hobart at Valley Road on Saturday. This is a clash between two of the competition’s top four sides and two sides who will be hoping they can make a push for silverware this season. Given the way they have both started, there is every reason to believe they can do just that, so this is an important match for both side’s title aspirations. It’s no surprise both these sides were well represented in the State squad that played on Monday, with both teams having 4 players selected and it points to the large amount of quality that will be on display at Valley Road on Saturday.
Devonport will be looking to bounce back after dropping their first game of the season in their last start against Launceston United, but they can take plenty from the performance despite the loss. They pushed the ladder leaders and ultimately just couldn’t quite handle the class of La Monte which proved the difference between them when the final whistle blew. They showed they can hang with the best sides however and will be confident they can take something from this one.
How the Strikers handle South’s talisman in attack this week will likely be the key to this contest. Bonnie Davies was at her brilliant best as South Hobart produced a glistening attacking display against Kingborough in their last start, scoring 4 goals in their 7-4 win. The final score probably belied how dominant South was for most of the afternoon, switching off late on with the contest wrapped up at 7-1 midway through the half. They dropped their first game against a top 4 side when they met Launceston United earlier this year, so it’s important South get something here or they might find themselves having to much ground to make up as the season wares on.
Taroona Seeking Foothold Against Competition Pace Setters
Taroona will be hoping the confidence from the Statewide Cup win combined with the return of some key movers like Eli Cropp and Holly Ayton can help turn their Super League fortunes around as they play host to the unbeaten ladder leaders, Launceston United. After a brutal opening pair of games including a 15-0 loss to the Clarence Zebras, it hasn’t been the start the Pirates would have wanted and it won’t get any easier this week against the unbeaten United who look to be a real force this season.
It might have come against a lower-division opponent, but Taroona’s win over University was a badly needed result and should provide a much-needed injection of confidence. The return of Cropp makes their midfield look a lot stronger and Ayton scored twice and set up a third to show the quality that she can bring. They will enter this as big underdogs, but they don’t necessarily need to take points from this for it to be considered a success. A competitive showing here will be the aim and represent a step in the right direction, but will they be able to keep out a player like La Monte who will be eyeing off a big day given their early defensive struggles.
United are the competition’s early pace-setters and have gone 3 from 3 to start the season. Impressively these wins have come against the sides sitting 2nd-4th on the table. If they can match that start and win their next 3 games against sides that they will be heavily favoured to beat, then they might well generate a handy buffer to second place by the end of the first full round of fixtures. Being able to head into matches later in the year where a draw is good enough and the other team needs to take more risks could well have its advantages, so they will want to make the most of this fantastic start to the campaign by not dropping any unexpected points in the hypothetically easier stretch of their schedule.
Warriors and Lions Seek First Points on ANZAC Day
The Kingborough Lions and Olympia Warriors will be looking to kick start their campaigns and collect their first points of the season when they complete the round in an ANZAC day clash on Monday at the Den.
Whilst the Lions are yet to claim a point this season, they have only played the 2 games and they have faced tough opposition in Devonport and South Hobart. They really should have gotten something out of their Round 1 game against Devonport but a leaky defence brought them undone in a game they had the better of in general play. Those defensive deficiencies then reared their head again against South Hobart, conceding 7 times and whilst there is little doubt a side with one of the competition’s best players in Laura Davis leading the line will always be a goal threat, they won’t get many results if they defend as they have in their first 2 games. Still, given the way Olympia have shipped goals so far, the likes of Davis and Kannegiesser might fancy themselves to just outscore the opposition in a pure goal fest in this one.
Olympia have struggled so far in the league, but last Wednesday suggested improvement is on the way, bettering the 11-1 loss to Zebras with a 5-0 loss in the Cup. It’s still a long way from where they were when they were dueling with the Zebras in title deciders, but this is a much younger and different playing group with different expectations. They now face an opponent which they have a far more realistic chance of getting a result against and despite going in as underdogs in this one, they should be fired up to try and get that first positive result of the campaign.
MyState Bank Women’s Super League Round 5
Saturday 23 April
Devonport v South Hobart, Valley Road, 2:30pm
Sunday 24 April
Taroona v Launceston United, Kelvedon Park, 2:30pm
Monday 25 April
Kingborough v Olympia, Clennet’s Lightwood Park, 4:30pm