Devonport City remain 2 points clear at the top of the NPL Tasmania standings after demolishing Kingborough Lions United 6-0 at home at Valley Road on Saturday.
Ignacio Giampaoli and Miles
Barnard each scored a brace for Devonport, while Guillermo Lazcano, with a
penalty, and Kynan West completed the scoring.
The Lions are not pressing
the panic button as coach Greg Calvert says he is working to a three-year plan,
but two wins and five defeats from seven outings and a negative goal-difference
hardly inspire confidence.
Perhaps it’s time to go back
to the drawing board. Incremental
improvement is what some great football managers have aimed for, but the Lions
are in danger of going backwards.
Photo: Clarence's Sam Randall (left), playing his 100th game for Clarence United, and Jackson Ebini (right), pressure Launceston City's Matthew Oh [PlessPix]
Second-placed Olympia
Warriors gave up top spot because they were idle this weekend because of the wretched
bye in the competition.
Third-ranked South Hobart,
whose goal-difference is now the same as Devonport’s, whacked Riverside Olympic
5-0 away, with Ben Hamlett hitting a hat-trick after being given a starting
berth in this match.
Canadian import Iskander Van
Doorne opened the scoring and captain Nick Morton finished it on either side of
Hamlett’s efforts.
Bottom-side Clarence United
suffered the ignominy of a 6-0 loss at home at Wentworth Park -
their first game there this season
- to the struggling Launceston City, whose only
points so far before this game had been from two draws from six games.
Photo: Clarence had Odaine Demar (right) back from overseas and here he challenges Launceston City's Jarrod Linger [Pless]
Clarence at last had Odaine
Demar back from overseas, but he must have wondered what he had stumbled into
after this defeat.
It’s difficult to fathom why
Clarence persist in trying to play out from the back as it just gets them into
trouble as opposing sides press high.
Clarence have difficulty in
retaining possession at the best of times, so trying to play out from the back
instead of playing long balls forward is suicidal.
Greg Roller got the ball
rolling with a goal after just 5 minutes, while Jarrod Linger made it 2-0 in the
16th minute and City led 2-0 at the interval.
Second-half goals by Alex Turner,
Lindsay Millington and a brace from Noah Mies completed the visitors’ win.
It was fairly costly, though,
as Turner and Matthew Oh went off injured.
Photo: Knights' Rowan Heggie gets his shot away as Zebras' Jan Charuza tackles him [PlessPix]
Sunday’s scheduled big match
was a bit of a fizzer as Hobart Zegras maintained their unbeaten record with a
2-2 draw against Glenorchy Knights.
Both teams train on the
artificial pitch at KGV Park, but one could be excused for thinking it was
unfamiliar territory to them.
Some of the corner-kicks, for
example, were woeful, either going out of play or landing on top of the net.
Knights hit the front from a
Declan Brown penalty after 13 minutes, awarded for a foul by Jan Charuza on
Mathew Nowicki, who was stretchered off and taken to hospital by ambulance with
a head injury.
Photo: Zebras' Rikey Dillon does a Rugby-style touchdown dive for the ball while being tackled by Knights' Mathias Toghill [PlessPix]
Zebras drew level a minute
into the second half when Jade Clay turned a left-wing cross into his own net.
A nicely worked goal by Nick
Naden, from Jake Stuart’s left-wing cross, restored Knights’ lead in the 65th
minute.
Zebras again drew level when
Jayden Hey’s shot hit unsuspecting team-mate Mathew Sanders and deflected into
the net two minutes later.
That’s how it stayed and the draw
satisfied neither coach as their teams stayed where they were in mid-table and
a fair distance from the leading pair.
Photo: Knights' goalkeeper Dmitri Nester goes to punch the ball as team-mate Tyler Harrison and Zebras' Mathew Sanders also go for it [PlessPix]
NPL Tasmania Results:
Devonport
City 6 (Giampaoli 24, 75, Lazcano 47 pen, Barnard 55, 86, West 89) beat
Kingborough Lions United 0
Riverside
Olympic 0 lost to South Hobart 5 (Van Doorne 10, Hamlett 13, 37, 88, Morton 18)
Clarence
United 0 lost to Launceston City 6 (Roller 5, Turner 16, 49, Millington 51,
Mies 60, 77)
Hobart
Zebras 2 (Jade Clay 46 og, Mathew Sanders 67) drew with Glenorchy Knights 2 (Declan
Brown 13 pen, Nick Naden 65)
Photo: Zebras' Mathew Sanders stretches for a header in a crowded goalmouth [PlessPix]
NPL Tasmania (As at 14 April 2019)
TEAM
|
P
|
W
|
D
|
L
|
F
|
A
|
Pts
|
Devonport City
|
7
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
25
|
1
|
21
|
Olympia Warriors
|
8
|
6
|
1
|
1
|
26
|
6
|
19
|
South Hobart
|
8
|
5
|
1
|
2
|
30
|
6
|
16
|
Hobart Zebras
|
7
|
3
|
4
|
0
|
28
|
7
|
13
|
Glenorchy Knights
|
8
|
3
|
2
|
3
|
19
|
16
|
11
|
Kingborough Lions
|
7
|
2
|
0
|
5
|
13
|
20
|
6
|
Launceston City
|
7
|
1
|
2
|
4
|
13
|
14
|
5
|
Riverside Olympic
|
7
|
1
|
0
|
6
|
4
|
29
|
3
|
Clarence United
|
7
|
0
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
59
|
0
|
Interview with Hobart Zebras coach, David Smith.
Interview with Glenorchy Knights coach, James Sherman.
24 comments:
Yes at this level corners were shocking also noticed a lot this season wide players often over hit their crosses or don’t look up to pick a man out
Your attitude towards our product hasn't been great for the last few years now, Walter. I would argue our standing as a footballing state has never been better. We (Strikers) have twice made the round of 16 in the FFA Cup and it took Heidelberg til the last kick of the game to edge us 3-2 last year. 2 years ago South were narrowly defeated by Brisbane Strikers. They went to Sydney a few years back and just lost there (forget the opponent). Warriors beat South Melbourne in 2015 from memory. The previous 2 decades at least we're devoid of anything that rivals these achievements.
There are some things that need addressing, no doubt. Maybe it is up to the media to make more out of the positives and not try and blow up the negatives. Last year Markaj's ladder and Niko G kicking the ball away gained far more attention in the media than any success Devonport had. The Advocate newspaper were excellent, the rest of the media were ho hum.
Heard on the sidelines on the weekend Warren tried to sub Demar because he instructed the back line to not play out. I don't understand how everyone can see it including you Walter,yet he keeps trying.. the scoreline would have been a lot different if they played out the back all game
I applaud you for trying Warren but the quality just isn't there yet for he style you are trying to adapt...
Walter, you mention that both teams train on KGV and suggest that they should be familiar with it. I would just like to point out how different the surface is on a dry/warm day. The ball is sticky, the surface is slow and bouncy which are not the ideal conditions for slick passing style football. I have said it for years now, KGV needs to have some sprinkler system in place to quicken up the surface on these occasions. It is clearly visible how much the passing improves when it is raining or with a considerable amount of dew. It wouldn't cost a fortune to enable an increase of quality, I can't see why no-one has done anything about this yet. Having spoke to a number of players, they are all for it. How could we go about implementing this?
When Clarence went long under Jabba they were unimaginative. When they go short under Warren they are playing risky. The biggest issue here is not having the cattle to carry out the job.
Hi Nick
I know where you’re coming from, but I’m disappointed that you’ve resorted to using corporate speak (eg ‘our product’ instead of ‘our sport of football’).
Your job is obviously to spruik up Devonport Strikers. I think I’ve given them credit for their achievements. I have highlighted their achievements in the past three years on my blog and also on the Goal Weekly (Melbourne) Facebook page and website. The Advocate regularly uses my action photos from Devonport games.
Your attitude smacks of the parochialism that afflicts all sport in Tasmania (as well as business and politics, to name just two other areas).
You acknowledge the recent achievements of South Hobart and Olympia, as well as Devonport, but say this hasn’t happened in the past two decades. Perhaps that was because our clubs had no national competitions in which to compete in those decades.
I’m afraid my job is to call a spade a spade and not use smoke and mirrors to exaggerate the state of football in Tasmania.
Devonport have done very well in the past three years. A search of history, however, also shows that in the 90s they twice lost grand finals to the fourth-placed side when there was a ridiculous top-four system, and after they’d won the league by a mile. They also pulled out of the State League as reigning champions, on the eve of the competition, and destroyed the model. Football goes through phases and today’s top dog can easily be the whipping boy in years to come.
Nick Owen agree with the reference to Niko G and Markaj's incident's being blow up both broke the rules sadly its a reflection on the immaturity of the F/T media department .
Couldnt agree more Walter. I would go as far as saying the league is worse than 2018. How many teams have improved this year?? 1 maybe 2??. The white eagles great teams, knights of 00 and 05, uni of early 2000s and south of late 2000s would absolutly smash these teams in the npl today and thats without the $$$ goung around
Spot on again Walter. Ignore the parochial comments .
That is the main reason many sports in the state cannot
progress nationally.
I referred to it as our product (NPL specifically) because the reports you do on other leagues barely get, if any, negative attention.
It might come across as parochial to some, but I've only stated facts regarding the NPL Tas (formally Victory League) and national cup competitions. Us, South and Olympia have all been competitive on the national stage. You can only speculate on any 90's and 00's teams as to how they might have went, but the achievements of the aforementioned clubs are in the history books.
Digging up the misfortunes in the past was an interesting tactic. Not sure what it achieved.
Having said all that, it's your blog, you can write what you want.
Lions definitely gone backwards. I agree Walter
Sorry Walter but I must disagree.
As a player throughout the 90s an 00s I am not so arrogant to say that the standard has not improved. It clearly has. Sure there are still some deficiencies in technique and finishing but overall the standard and professionalism is much better now. Back in the 90s there were some terrible teams, DOSA was one South Hobart was another. Obviously South Hobart has come good since. For he strength and future of the league I really hope that a certain southern team and a couple northern teams improve. The excuse that we don't have enough good payers in Tasmania is rubbish, there are plenty of good players in both the southern and northern second divisions eg Brett Andrews at Beachside to nae just one. The task for Clubs is to have strong coaches, structures and a business plan in place to want to make players play at that highest level
Interesting comment Unknown... I quote Back in the 90s there were some terrible teams - DOSA was one. You might want to check the stats as DOSA went from Div 4 in 1989 to Div 1 in 1993. So they basically won 3 premierships in 5 years in the lower leagues. Not bad for a club starting out. Sure they hit the skids in the late 90s but that was more to do with the school no longer supporting the club. A bit of fact not fiction.
I think it's easy to answer why a lot of very good players don't want to play NPL.
One is people have a life, this is not professional football state or league so you have work for example. Players have young families so travel commitments go out the window. Some have a huge work load for College and UNI and you have to train three nights a week and even on weekends.
The demand on players and volunteers has never been like this before.
I think it's only a matter of time before the NPL falls apart.
For the clubs that get promoted they are seven years behind the eight ball so why would you want to go up the the NPL unless you have a shite load of cash and how much is the prize money ?.
SAP has help with the decline as the number of licences originally given out has decreased players for the clubs that missed out .SAP should of been for everyone. One of the worst decisions made by Spencer Prior while at FFT.
If you really love the game you’ll want to play at the highest level to improve yourself as a European we live and breathe it all year round.as a fellow Dutch footballer once said its better than sex
Yep lets blame the under 7's.
Euro, I don't disagree but it's a professional sport in Europe. The structures here are not suited to our population.
Some clubs had very strong youth before NPl that includes zebras who have gone backwards since the introduction of the League.
Just look at what's happening with the leagues. teams dropping out due to numbers work commitments.
so if I'm building a house I don't have time to train 3 nights a week and travel for a day and the amount of money being paid for players is not really fulltime wages. I definitely make more money building a house.
Football isn't better than sex!
Iceland has a similar population to Tasmania and they played in the last world cup. Think big not small people. Look for solutions not just the obstacles. There are plenty of players in Tasmania to support a state league. FFT, the clubs their supporters and players need to step up.
Agree sex is better than AFL in them tight shorts
The league is in a bit of weird place right now. Atleast in the South there's a clear divide between the clubs who pay and can horde quality depth and those that don't. It does have something to do with the junior structure that has been messed around with since its peak a few years ago, The arrival of MSS has probably been good and bad for football in the South in some ways.
In any case, Walter said that the South/Dev game wasn't good a couple weeks ago, I wholeheartedly disagree. Was a very tactically interesting game, not every game especially one as defensively sound and formationally flexible as Port, is just going to be a pass fest, instead it was a very intense physical battle with some good skill mixed in there. If Van Doorne had buried his chances everyone would have been loving it - he didn't execute and you can criticize that, but still a very entertaining, close game of footy that could have gone either way.
Take away challenge league then npl would be stronger for bottom half.as it would stop top clubs stockpiling
Quoting "Take away challenge league then npl would be stronger for bottom half.as it would stop top clubs stockpiling"
I do not mind this idea.
Will spread NPL capable players amongst the league.
Send all 17-19 YOs who are not quite ready for NPL to the Southern and Northern Prem teams, almost 'on loan' as such. Will strengthen the Northern and Southern Prem league too. There are massive gaps in the Southern Prem league, much like the NPL, between the top half and bottom half of the table.
This is ridiculous. You are suggesting because clubs have a good environment and good coaches and are able to develop players they should be punished by not having anywhere for them to play other than NPL? So in effect they would get punished. An absurd notion and suggestion. Players are free to go. But they choose to stay at some clubs rather than play NPL at others. This says a lot about each club. Both good and not so good. Clubs have to be proactive and give players a reason to stay. Eliminating a whole competition is just plain dumb.
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