Olympia Warriors will be desperate to beat Devonport City
away at Valley Road tomorrow [Saturday] at 2.15pm.
The Warriors have lost both their games to date and are
bottom of the ladder.
Devonport are joint leaders with South Hobart after winning
their two games to date.
An Olympia loss will all but scupper their title hopes.
They have built a new side this season with a new coach and
president George Mamacas must be a disappointed man as much would have been
expected from this team.
Olympia may turn things around against Devonport as on
paper they have a side to challenge for the title.
They just need to convert chances into goals, and they have
the personnel to do just that.
Knowing how important this game is, the likes of Jack Ryan,
Ben Hamlett and the Brown twins, Callum and Declan, are sure to give everything
in this game to emerge as winners.
Callum Brown will be back after a week’s suspension and will
be eager to atone for the rashness that saw him sent off against Clarence Zebras.
The goalkeeping position could be a headache for coach Andrew
Brown. He has alternated between Darby
Randall and Elliot Hoysted and neither has a natural claim to the position.
Devonport are a solid workmanlike team. They haven’t set the world on fire this
season, but they are a side that grinds out wins, often by narrow margins.
It is such performances that have seen the North-West Coast
side achieve great success in recent seasons.
Devonport are the reigning champions and Olympia will need
to make every post a winner if they are to return to Hobart with 3 points.
South Hobart, who head the table on goal-difference,
entertain Glenorchy Knights at South Hobart Oval at 2pm tomorrow [Saturday].
South Hobart will hope that captain Kobe Kemp is fit to
play after he had to go to hospital last week after sustaining a leg injury
against Clarence Zebras.
Andy Brennan will be out suspended after being sent off on his debut last weekend.
Andy Brennan will be out suspended after being sent off on his debut last weekend.
Coach Ken Morton also has a choice to make regarding the
goalkeeping position. So far, he has
opted for veteran Mark Moncur, who has not let him down.
Morton signed youngster Nathan Reid from Clarence Zebras just
before the season resumed but has yet to use him. Reid suffered a head injury last week in a
Championship game and may well have to sit this one out if he was concussed.
South Hobart have several promising youngsters such as
Kasper Hallam, Sam Berezansky, Bradley Lakoseljac, Ewan Larby and Sam Tooze and
they have contributed significantly to the team’s two wins from two outings to
date and they will test Glenorchy Knights’ resolve.
The Knights lost their opening match and then recovered to
easily beat the highly fancied Olympia 3-1 in their second outing.
The result of this meeting will be a significant indication
of the two sides’ title chances and so both will give it everything.
Clarence Zebras host Kingborough Lions United at Wentworth Park
at 4.30pm tomorrow [Saturday] and Clarence Zebras will be desperate to turn
their fortunes around and establish some sort of consistency.
The Lions have made a reasonable start to the season but a
win in this game will establish their credentials as serious title contenders.
The remaining game of the round is at Buckby Land Rover
Park in Launceston when home-side Launceston City take on Riverside Olympia.
Both sides have failed to inspire, but City probably have
the edge in terms of performances to date.
Games between these two sides, which are Launceston derbies,
will be known as the Guardian Pharmacies Challenge Cup from now on.
I would back Launceston City to lift this trophy for the
first time.
19 comments:
What a joke...a trophy for winning a game between two pretty average teams. Who comes up with these ideas??
Look like Olympia will be 0-3 after today........next Olympia coach??
Boro , serious title contenders if they win?
Are you sure about that Walter?
I think for the first time since the inception of the NPL we have a round where each game could be realistically predicted as a draw.
A healthy sign for the future of the league.
I should add to above , that includes a top v bottom of table clash.
Thanks a bunch, Walter.
Now FFT don't advertise the NPL games in The Mercury, your excellent football site is how I find out where and what time NPL games are on.
I also love all your news about scenarios at clubs.
Olympia are very disappointing this year, a great list, too many individuals?
Ten things we learned this weekend.
1-10 Olympia are a joke
Mr Darcy. It may be healthy fro m a results perspective.
Pretty ordinary overall standard though.
Must be worst state league standard I have seen , ever.
Don’t blame COVID For any of it please.
Players don’t forget how to pass a ball after 3 months.
That is just an excuse.
Jack Ryan playing centre back against Devonport?????? Enough said.Andrew Brown on hos last legs surely.
Hear, hear!
Guess i'd just prefer to watch a closely contested U/10 game than a champions league flogging. I am just saying it is a good foundation when all clubs are competitive. The local women's league is still playing in the long shadow of the decision by NTC to bequeath all its players to one club. The decision not to intervene more precisely. The result..about four games of interest a year .
Standards: genes don't change by year or generation, circumstances do. The main change in circumstance effecting this era in tas football is semi- professionalism. The semi being the main problem. Player movement on the scale we are seeing is new. Teams take time to gel.. be more than the sum of their parts.Teams playing short of their team sheets has become the norm. It has also diluted the tribal element and the game day atmosphere. Saturday at D’Arcy was like a church mouse picnic. People weren't sure what they were watching I think with half the opposing team (5) being ex south. Was impressed with what I heard and saw of Sherman as a coach though. His manner might be attracting to knights as much as the money.
"The local women's league is still playing in the long shadow of the decision by NTC to bequeath all its players to one club."
An absolute nonsense the above comment and one from someone who has no clue of the facts or what transpired. Please let me educate you.
Firstly exactly how can FT dictate where an amateur player can play? Please explain but I know you cannot. I was at the coal face of this from the beginning and I can tell you that FT through Sean Collins and his board tried very hard. Even to the point of Sean Collins getting rather irate with me pointing the finger and telling me these girls will not be playing for Olympia. I explained his Board had no shot of forcing players onto any club as it was the players right to choose. I was right. The amusing part for me is the more FT insisted the worse it got for them as the parents quite rightly dug their heels in to prove a point. Also being the best option for the girls did not hurt either.
Most of them are still here. This is a completely separate issue as to whether it was good thing or a bad thing for the league. At the time the girls and their parents thought it was best for them to stick together. Olympia FC agreed with this and we offered them the opportunity. Cheers.
Rubbish.
George with the greatest respect you may fool the masses but those that know know your full of it. Please do not try to justify your actions here.
Anon 10.39.
If it is rubbish as you say please enlighten us.
I am not sticking up for Mr Mamacas because I don’t
believe he is worthy of any support but at least he has
provided an explanation. If you do not believe that to
be correct , then clarify for the benefit of all.otherwise better
to say nothing.
Pheonix,
Please explain as mcmamarcas asks. How can you force or dictate where a non professional player plays in Tasmanian football?
Nothing heard. Over and out.
There was a lot more to it that just that. Ask George why he told some of the NTC girls at the time NOT to go to Clarence, seems he was happy to force that. The deal to get the NTC girls involved the top people at both Olympia and the NTC. These are facts.
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