Smith delighted with win over Olympia but thinks the Warriors are burdened by worry

Photo:  David Smith at today's media conference [PlessPix]

Hobart Zebras coach Davis Smith fronted the media today and said he was very satisfied with Sunday’s 4-2 win over Olympia Warriors away at Warrior Park.

“For us, personally, it was very satisfying,” Smith said.

“It was probably the best 90 minutes we’ve put together all season in a game where we still had to prove ourselves because we were so poor there the last time.

“That [last game against Olympia] was probably a defining moment for us.

“We just needed to stand up and be counted.  From that game on, we’ve taken about 16 from 21 points.

“Some of the players who were disappointing have started to stand up again.

“It’s disappointing not to be producing that sort of performance each week, but I guess, from our perspective, we just have to keep on working at it.

“We’ve missed a fair few players.  Luke Huigsloot has been out for about six, Jan Charuza for  five or six, Jordan Muller comes and goes [because of injury], and now Riley [Dillon], who’s suspended.

“We’ve had others as well and it doesn’t help not to be able to get all the boys on the track at the same time.

“But we also tried to blood some players such as Matty Pace and Tommy Little and they’re just starting to show up and be counted.

“Bringing Henry Fagg in has also been good for us.

“The last few weeks we’ve been able to get three or four younger boys in, such as young Arthur [Wilson], and we had a 16-year-old goalkeeper on the bench on Sunday.

“I was pretty happy [with the win] and it gives us a bit of an idea, but we’re just not consistent enough to be challenging, and that’s the truth.

“We probably owed Devonport that result.  We haven’t taken enough points off top teams to make a good league in Tasmania yet.

“Four or five teams have got to be taking points off each other.  We’ve taken points off Devonport, but not enough off South Hobart and Olympia.  We’ve just got to work at that and be more competitive in those areas.”

Photo:  David Smith thinks an 8-team State League is the best option for Tasmania [PlessPix]

Smith said that Olympia’s potential loss of 3 points for fielding an ineligible player against South Hobart is hurting them.

“Our win is extra sweet against Olympia, but I think Olympia, and the issues that have happened with the yellow cards, they’ve dropped their bundle,” Smith said.

“To be honest, they’ve tried to put on a brave face but there’s the points issue with the yellow cards and the possibility of them losing 3 points [is weighing heavily on them].

“They showed it against Devonport.

“[On Sunday] we just thought they were there for the taking.  We don’t think the same belief is there.

“We wanted to get in their faces from the off and take the game to them.

“We made a horrendous start in the first few minutes for their goal, but the boys bounced back.

“They [Olympia] are a good side and they tried to change things by pushing Lucas Hill into midfield, and up front, which opened up a couple of opportunities for us higher up, so we thought we’re on our game, and we tried a few things to make them change their game and I think we did that.

“So, it was there for the taking.  I think it would have been a different game if there weren’t those other issues to weigh on them.

“They’ve got away with a couple of games in the last few months, in the game against Kingborough, and even against South, so the time was ripe and we were lucky.”

Smith refused to be drawn too much on the issue of Olympia losing points, especially since the result of their appeal is not yet known.

“Rules are rules, and you have to abide by them,” Smith said.

“We all know them and it’s an interpretation of what’s happened but it’s not for me to comment.

“We didn’t like the Jayden Hey decision [earlier in the season], but we had to abide by it.

“A little tickle on the stomach and he gets 6 weeks, and yesterday a guy throws someone into the fence and doesn’t even get a yellow card.

“That’s the way it is and we have to live with it, get on with it and roll with the punches.”

Photo:  David Smith does a lot of bike riding these days, often in the company of Olympia coach, Rob Clarke [PlessPix]

Smith said the competition review results are not yet known but he was in favour of an 8-team State League.

Smith, a former Tasmanian Soccer Federation CEO, arrived at the media conference on his bike.  After the conference, he rode off in the direction of the bike track and said he’d head towards Claremont and Cadbury’s.

Later in the day, I saw former FFT president Sean Collins riding his bike at Granton and Austins Ferry.

I thought to myself, so that’s where former Tasmanian football administrators and officials go:  They ride their bikes into the sunset.