Friday, August 25, 2023

NPL title decided, but no teams will be just going through the motions this weekend

Now that all the din has died down and Devonport Strikers are the 2023 NPL champions, we are merely left to see out the remaining three games of the league season.

That begins tonight [Friday] at Lightwood Park in Kingston, when fourth-placed Kingborough Lions United host second-ranked Glenorchy Knights.

The game kicks off at 8.15pm.

The Lions are on a roll and their morale will be high.

Ahmad Othman is in fine form and will pose a huge threat to the Knights.

The Knights are determined to hang on to second place and hold off third-placed South Hobart, who face a difficult assignment tomorrow away to the champions at Valley Road.

Knights should prove formidable opponents and have the personnel to make life difficult for the home side.

Knights have beaten Kingborough 4-0 and 1-0 in their two meetings this season and they must be going into tonight’s clash full of confidence.

South Hobart will not be deterred by the task at Valley Road at 2.30pm, as they beat Devonport there 3-1 earlier in the season.

It depends to some extent on hoe Devonport approach this game.

Do they relax because the title is already in their possession, or do they put on a performance worthy of champions?

I think it will be the latter as it is not in their DNA to take things easy.

It should be an exciting match.

The Italian derby kicks off at Buckby Motors Park in Launceston at 4.45pm tomorrow when Launceston City entertain Clarence Zebras.

Ther are separated by 2 points and sit fifth and sixth, respectively, on the standings.

City were disappointing last week in losing 2-0 to the Lions, while Clarence Zebras came away from Birch Avenue with a 2-1 win over the bottom-side.

It should be a close contest and City will be pleased to still have a game in hand as they may need it as they try to grab a fourth-place finish.

The remaining game is the bottom-of-the-table clash between last-placed Launceston United and second-last Riverside Olympic at Birch Avenue at 4.45pm.

If United are every going to win a game this season, or at least earn a point, this has to be it.

I don’t hold out much hope for them, however, as their defence is very easy to breach.

Riverside have enough players capable of scoring against such a rearguard and it looks very much as if United may have a winless season.

NPL Tasmania (As at 23 August 2023)

TEAM

P

W

D

L

F

A

Pts

Devonport Strikers

18

16

1

1

61

13

49

Glenorchy Knights

18

12

1

5

44

16

37

South Hobart

18

11

3

4

53

26

36

Kingborough Lions

18

10

0

8

56

33

30

Launceston City

17

8

1

8

23

26

25

Clarence Zebras

18

7

2

9

44

47

23

Riverside Olympic

17

3

0

14

16

67

9

Launceston United

18

0

0

18

11

80

0

 

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