(NPL Tasmania, Warrior Park, Sunday, 2 June 2019)
Olympia Warriors 3 (J Scott 15, J Mulungula
27, L Hill 63)
Hobart Zebras 1 (D Walsh 17)
HT: 2-1 Att:
190 Ref: C White
Olympia Warriors: McDonald
- Stevens, Hill, Kurtz - Wadawu,
Ladic, Scott, Mearns - Mulungula, N’Koso, Cook (Subs:
Hills, Leaman, Randall, Vincent, Yost)
Hobart Zebras:
Whatman - Robinson, Yonezawa, Little, Dillon -
Pace, Muller, Walsh - Edwards, Sanders, McKeown (Subs:
Ackerley, Charuza, Reid, Smith)
Photo: Olympia's Nick Mearns appears ready to take on the entire Zebras team [PlessPix]
Olympia Warriors moved to within 5 points of NPL
Tasmania leaders Devonport City with this 3-1 win over fourth-placed Hobart
Zebras at Warrior Park.
Zebras remain fourth, but with no hope of winning
the title.
It was an insipid display from Zebras, who were
missing the suspended Jayden Hey and Luke Huigsloot, who was unavailable
because of work commitments.
Olympia were without centre-forward Jack Ryan, who
was suspended, and defender Jake Vandermey, who is still injured.
Zebras started briskly enough, but once Jordan
Scott scored with a long-range effort on the quarter-hour, cracks began to
appear.
Photo: Zebras' Mathew Sanders and Olympia's Bay Kurtz in an aerial duel. Kurtz was livid after the game, claiming that Zebras' coaching staff were hurling abuse at him during the game. [PlessPix]
Zebras did manage to equalise 2 minutes later
when Dwayne Walsh rifled home from the right.
Olympia keeper Kyle McDonald managed to get a glove to the powerful
rising shot but succeeded only in deflecting it into the top left-hand corner
of the net.
In the 27th minute, Zebras keeper Sam
Whatman feebly parried Nick Mearns’s shot from an angle on the left straight
into the path of Jonathon Mulungula, who
tapped the ball home from point-blank range to give Olympia 2-1 lead at the
break.
It was 3-1 in the 63rd minute when the
tall Lucas Hill rose above a defender and headed home Scott’s corner from the right.
That was the ball game, with neither side able to
add to their tally.
Photo: Olympia's Lucas Hill wins a header [PlessPix]
It was a welcome win for the Warriors, who had
lost their previous two games in the league and in the cup, respectively.
But, it was a huge disappointment for Zebras,
whose season has fizzled out without any silverware in sight.
Olympia’s assistant coach, Andrew Tye, said it
was good to get a win again and that the team would need to work hard from now
on to try and catch Devonport.
“It was a good way to come back from what was a
really hard two weeks for us,” Tye said.
“Certainly, last week, the boys were hurting
because it wasn’t a great performance from us.
South played really well and we didn’t play well.
“Also, the Devonport game before that. We really needed to get together and try to
get the ship going in the right direction, so from that perspective, we are
heading in the right direction now.
“But, there’s a long way to go.”
Photo: Olympia's Jordan Scott shields the ball from Zebras' Nicky Edwards [PlessPix]
Zebras coach, David Smith, said he would have to
rebuild for next season as this campaign was over and he had no youngsters from
the Challenge League to bring in to the side.
“We didn’t turn up,” Smith said. “We had too many passengers and people who
didn’t play to any system and just did their own thing.
“We just didn’t have enough movement and enough
quality and we fully deserved what we got.
In fact, we were lucky as it could have been a lot more.”
“There’ll be six or seven playing Challenge next
week. We haven’t got a [senior] game
again. We have a week off because the
rostering system is fantastic and it’s our bye next week.
“Jan Charuza, Henry Fagg, Dwayne Walsh haven’t
had much game time over the last few weeks so they’ll get game time next week,
and that’s what hurt us.”
Photo: Zebras' Thomas Little (left) tries to out-muscle Olympia's Lucas Hill for possession [PlessPix]
Photo: The ball flashes past Zebras keeper Sam Whatman for Jordan Scott's opening goal [PlessPix]
8 comments:
HMMM, That's at least the second time this season that Luke hasn't been able to play against Olympia due to needing to work. He works for a Greek employer. Coincidence???
Smith why not look to yourself first and foremost before blaming the players and for some odd ball reason FFT.
Anon 2.55pm.
It was the second time and the second time that surely
the player can arrange a shift changed. It happens in all industries.
Maybe the player is not as committed as he should be .
Maybe time for the club to forget such lack of commitment
and look elsewhere. It has been happening for years
and for years you complain about the sane issue.
2.57 Your personal beef with Smithy yes he has changed the way,Hobart Zebras run their facebook page etc but its not personal it was just time for you to move on .
Anon 3:28 pretty darn weird trying to blame a kid for having to work when the 11 you did have on the park didn't do much.
Finally a Coach at zebras that tells it like it is long overdue and pretty spot on were the club is at .
Strange comments by the Zebras coach. He would have or at least should have known the situation at the club in respect to the lack of quality from Challenge down. No point saying now that after a bad performance you have no players to replace the ones you have that do not perform. That fault lies with the club. After the game he was quick to state that 5 or 6 will play Challenge League next week knowing full well that the NPL side had a bye. AT first he made it sound like punishment but then quickly qualified it by saying the NPL side was not playing due to a bye.
Came across very strange and seemed awkward at times.
I hope not but the Zebras seem to be quickly becoming one of those clubs that players avoid. it has gone on for years now and this year was going to be 'THE' year. Guess what ??????
Looks like the challenge boys don't mean much to the club if this is the case, maybe the $400 in subs is all the zebras are interested in.
Post a Comment