Two of the biggest NPL Tasmania games of the round in town on the same day and you can only watch one game.
What is going on with the rostering? They are kicking off within 15 minutes of each other on Saturday.
Talk about reducing attendances!
Why not schedule one for Sunday so that football followers can see the most important action of the round?
I’m talking about third-placed South Hobart playing league-leaders Glenorchy Knights at 2pm at South Hobart Oval, and fifth-ranked Olympia Warriors hosting reigning champions and second-placed Devonport Strikers at Warrior Park at 2.15pm.
Sheer madness.
The only big game on Sunday is the Women’s Super League meeting between fifth-ranked Kingborough Lions United and league-leaders Clarence Zebras at Lightwood Park at 2.15pm.
If it was a choice between one of the two big NPL games and the WSL game, I know which one I’d pick to watch.
And, it shouldn’t even be a choice. The times of an NPL game and a WSL game on Sunday could be staggered so people could watch both.
But, here we are in the situation where we can’t watch the two big NPL games on Saturday and we have a one-sided WSL fixture on Sunday which will never attract the sort of attendance an NPL fixture would.
No wonder the game is going nowhere fast.
Lots of people will watch big games, as we saw for the Lakjoseljac Cup Final, but we currently seem to be intent on reducing attendances because of ridiculous rostering.
At least Riverside Olympic got it right by scheduling their NPL meeting with Launceston City for 7.30pm tonight [Friday], when it’s the only game in town and Launcestonians can watch it without having to decide between that and another game.
One reason I can think of for Olympia’s game against Devonport being on Saturday afternoon is that the Greek community were having a Taverna night at the Greek Community Centre on Saturday night.
That has now been cancelled, so a clash between football and a community event has been averted.
With Devonport travelling, however, I guess Saturday afternoon was the only suitable time for the Olympia versus Devonport game anyway.
But, surely the South Hobart versus Glenorchy Knights game could have been played on Sunday, ensuring a bumper crowd.
Well, that’s my whinge for the week.
South Hobart should be at full strength for the game and they must win or their already faint title hopes will go out the window at the half-way mark of the season.
Knights should have Nick Naden back, but former South Hobart player Pajari Sculthorpe is still not over an injury.
Kasper Hallam could hold the key for South Hobart. The elusive winger has found his goal-scoring touch and his party trick seems to be to score a brace in every game.
If Knights cannot be the party poopers by stopping Hallam, they could be in trouble.
Knights coach James Sherman has depth in his squad and will concentrate on his team’s strengths rather then worry too much about negating South’s threats.
“South Hobart are a good side and we’re looking forward to the challenge,” Sherman said.
“I think we’ve gone there and played quite well in the last few handful of fixtures and we’re anticipating a tough match.
“We’d like to go there and play well.
“We’ll look to play our game and focus on what makes us a good side and make sure that those characteristics come out in the team’s identity.
“It was nice to get some goals [against Riverside], but we haven’t been short of those anyway.
“We’ll go to South Hobart with confidence and hopefully play well again.”
At half-time, South Hobart will honour two club stalwarts, brothers Brian and Keith Roberts, and two former captains now retired, Hugh Ludford and Daniel Brown, who each played for the club for about 17 years.
Devonport should be favoured to down Olympia and maintain the pressure on leaders Knights.
They will have key players Joel Stone and Charles Bidwell back, while Miles Barnard may also make a return after injury.
Olympia have a young side, but they tend to be inconsistent and may find the challenge too great against the reigning champions.
The remaining two games promise to be tight affairs and two draws could be on the cards.
Kingborough Lions and Clarence Zebras are both inconsistent and may have to settle for a draw, while Riverside Olympic will be keen to topple Launceston City and reduce the 5-point gap between the sides at the bottom of the standings.
Zebras would be helped if Riley Dillon has been able to return from interstate.
Riverside will welcome back their suspended trio of Tom Prince, Fletcher Fulton and Todd Mitchell, which will be handy against City.
NPL Tasmania
Riverside Olympic v Launceston City (Friday, 2 July 2021, 7.30pm, Windsor Park)
South Hobart v Glenorchy Knights (Saturday, 3 July 2021, South Hobart Oval, 2pm)
Olympia Warriors v Devonport Strikers (Saturday, 3 July 2021, Warrior Park, 2.15pm)
Kingborough Lions United v Clarence Zebras (Saturday, 3 July 2021, Lightwood Park, 6.30pm)
NPL Tasmania (As at 26 June 2021)
|
TEAM |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
Glenorchy Knights |
10 |
8 |
2 |
0 |
38 |
10 |
26 |
|
Devonport City |
11 |
8 |
1 |
2 |
22 |
10 |
25 |
|
South Hobart |
10 |
6 |
3 |
1 |
25 |
12 |
21 |
|
Kingborough Lions |
11 |
5 |
2 |
4 |
22 |
22 |
17 |
|
Olympia Warriors |
10 |
3 |
2 |
5 |
18 |
25 |
11 |
|
Clarence Zebras |
10 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
19 |
30 |
7 |
|
Launceston City |
10 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
8 |
26 |
7 |
|
Riverside Olympic |
10 |
0 |
2 |
8 |
16 |
34 |
2 |
