Thursday, April 25, 2019

Top-quality ANZAC Day double-header in store at North Hobart


Photo (L-R):  Ken Morton (South Hobart coach), Daniel Brown (South Hobart assistant coach), Tyler Harrison (Glenorchy Knights captain) and David Smith (Hobart Zebras coach) in front of the Roy Cazaly Stand at North Hobart Oval [PlessPix]

Glenorchy Knights take on Olympia Warriors at 1pm and Hobart Zebras tackle South Hobart at 3.15pm at North Hobart Oval today in the ANZAC Day NPL Tasmania double-header.

Olympia beat Knights 1-0 last Friday in the Lakoseljac Cup and will hope to do even better today.

Photo:  Glenorchy Knights captain Tyler Harrison (right) being interviewed by WIN TV's Brent Costelloe yesterday [PlessPix]

“It’s our first time here as a club and it’s a beautiful surface with a bit more room to play and we’re really looking forward to it,” said Glenorchy Knights skipper and centre-back, Tyler Harrison.

“It’s a big game, but we approach every game the same but wer know we need to win this one.

“We’ve lost the last two times we’ve played them this year, but we’ve been close, especially last Friday night.

“We’ll adjust a few things and definitely look to get the three points.”

Harrison said the team needed greater consistency and had struggled to get that over the full 90 minutes.

“On Friday, I think we managed for the full 90 but we didn’t take our half-chances and one mistake cost us.”

Knights have as many as six first-choice players currently injured and their resources are stretched.

New North American signing Diego Gutierrez Chavez did well against Olympia last Friday and Knights will be looking for an inspiratuonalk performance from him on grass today.

Olympia, who are second in the NPL standings, sent no-one to yesterday’s media conference at North Hobart.

They will be without suspended playmaker Jordan Scott and will miss his influence.

He is, in fact, so important to the team that his absence could swings things in favour of the Knights.

Photo:  South Hobart's assistant coach Daniel Brown (left) faces the microphone yesterday [plessPix]

South Hobart assistant coach, Daniel Brown, said his side would prepare for this game in their usual way and the significance of the occasion, although not lost on the players, would not interfere with the normal pre-match routines.

“[North Hobart Oval] is a wonderful facility and it’s a great surface,” Brown said.

“It’s a historic day, of course, but it won’t affect our preparations.

“The league situation is tight and any game from now on is important.

“Things are really tight at the top so it’s a massive game for both Zebras and for us.

“Their game against Devonport on Monday was good to watch, but we cannot assume they’ll be fatigued.

“Adrenaline is a huge factor in a big game like this and we have to have belief in our players, our football and our principles and we have the quality to see out the game and get the three points.”

Photo:  Hobart Zebras coach David Smith (right) is a newcomer to the ANZAC Day double-header occasion [PlessPix]

Zebras coach David Smith said the win against Devonport on Monday had been an important win.

“We changed a few things, and they worked, which is always good,” Smith said.

“We had a little bit of luck near the end but our plan worked a lot better than it had been working.

“The result was good for the league.  There’s no doubt about that.

“It was better for us because it keeps us in it, but it was just the start of a long road.

“This will be our fifth game in 19 days.  We had Devonport on Monday, South today, and Devonport next Saturday and the following Saturday [in the Cup] and Olympia the week after, so we’ve got to perform each week.

“There’s no complacency.  Even if we and South are ninth and tenth, there’s no complacency and there’s no love lost between us.

“If we give them an inch, they’ll take a mile, and we can’t afford to give them an inch.

“We just have to be on top of our game and be a little more aggressive than we have been.

“We’ve got to pick up runners early and be more confident on the ball and retain possession.”

Zebras and South drew 1-1 in the first league meeting between the sides this season.

Zebras will be without central defender Jan Charuza and midfielder Luke Huigsloot.  Both players also missed Monday’s win over Devonport.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Knights 2-1 Olympia
Zebras 0-3 south

Anonymous said...

Is hugi actually going to play the rest of the year as it seems like he's been missing for a while.

Leslie said...

Olympia not sending a rep for the media conference is a poor effort. Can you imagine that happening in our rivals codes of sport at the top level?

It's little wonder they polarize supporters in Tasmania.

The Silver Fox has that look about him. Everything is falling into place for South to take the title. They'll thump Juve today.

Nuno said...

FIRST GAME POOR
2ND GAME OLD FOX DOES IT AGAIN mind does have better players even kids

Anonymous said...

Olympia just let the result do the talking.

Anonymous said...

Yep first game poor, great goal though. Ref very poor and cost both teams. Both games surprisingly poor, defending and playing to feet seems a thing of the past. Classic kick and hope....

POOR said...

Beautiful pitch players should feel like they're playing at Wembley.but knights & Olympia giving ball straight to opposition Harrison & Stevens do it a lot

Anonymous said...

South two kids weren't developed at south one from South East and the other from New town. In saying that they are the two most talented kids for their age in the southern Tas and Kenny has managed to get them to south Hobart.
Zebras have only Matty Pace that's young and has serious talent but I think that was breed into Matty.
development stopped when Freddi stopped basically end of story.
Zebras are 5 years away from developing anything serious for their senior squad and until then they will buy players in.

Anonymous said...

Knights don't play with speed and sharpness with the ball as they did last year. They are very slow in moving the ball on todays performance with very little movement. I know that they have injuries but at this level the replacements should be able to do the job.

Anonymous said...

Nicky Sanders dillion good the rest POOR especially defenders