Vale Joseph (‘Joe’) John Glasovac (3/7/1952 - 27/5/2024)

Photo:  Joe Glasovac (right) at a Glenorchy Knights reunion dinner with former team-mates (L-R) George Sarfalvy, Billy Kirkpatrick, Roman Zapatocky, Rodney Tattam and Wayne Cowen. [PlessPix] 

The death has occurred in Hobart of former Croatia Glenorchy [Glenorchy Knights] footballer, Joe Glasovac.

Joe suffered a long illness and was 72 when he passed away.

He was generally a right-fullback and was a member of a number of highly successful Croatia Glenorchy squads.

Joe attended Cosgrove High School in the 1960s.  Cosgrove High produced a number of noted footballers in those days.

He joined Croatia Glenorchy after leaving school and was a member of the 1970 team, one of the best in the club’s history and which won the league and cup double that year.

Photo:  Croatia Glenorchy circa late 1960s.  Back Row (L-R):  Joe Udovicic, Marian Pecek, Marco Babic, Frank Letec, Aldo Prodan, Roman Zapotocky, Joe Fiamengo.  Front Row (L-R):  George Sarfalvy, Joe Glasovac, Milan Lakoseljac, Tony Skaro, Kevin Leung, Romano Nadinic. 

Croatia Glenorchy, the southern champions, beat the northern champions, George Town, 4-1 at home and 3-1 away to take out the State title, and they won the State Knock-Out Cup (Ampol Cup) 2-1 against Metro-Claremont.

They lost the Falkinder/Association Cup Final that year 7-2 against Hobart Juventus.

In the 1973 season, Croatia Glenorchy won the Lloyd Triestino Cup, overcoming Olympia 3-1 in the final.

Joe was in the 1974 Croatia Glenorchy team that won the southern title and then took out the State title against Devonport (5-1 on aggregate).

That season they lost the State Knock-Out Cup Final 3-2 against Rapid.

Photo:  The Croatia Glenorchy team of 1975.  Joe Glasovac is on the extreme left in the front row. 

He was also a member of the successful 1975 Croatia Glenorchy team that won the southern league title and then the State title with a 1-1 away draw against Launceston Juventus and a 4-2 win in the home leg to be 5-3 winners on aggregate.

Joe was in Croatia Glenorchy’s squad for the inaugural State League season in 1978, when they finished second on goal-difference to White Eagles.

That season, they won the State Knock-Out Cup Final 5-0 against Hobart Juventus in what was the first game under floodlights at KGV Park (known then as Grove Road).

The club also won that year’s Cadbury Cup 3-1 against the State League champions White Eagles and Joe scored his side’s first goal.

He is survived by his wife, Pauline, children and partners Anita and Marcus, Leah and Pontus, and grandchildren Archie, Sienna, Luca and Freya.

I had left Croatia Glenorchy by the time Joe made the senior side but I remember playing against him for Rapid.

My condolences go to Pauline and the family.

The funeral is this coming Friday, 31 May 2024, at Graham Family Funeral Home in Risdon Road at 10am.

Photo:  Croatia Glenorchy at South Hobart after beating Hobart Juventus 4-0 in the Ampol Cup Final.  Joe Glasovac is third from left in the front row.

Photo:  Joe Glasovac (second from right in back row) at a Croatia Glenorchy reunion dinner for the 1978 team. [PlessPix]
 

Photo:  Joe Glasovac (extreme right) with former team-mates and also Paul and Robbie Furjanic (second row from front) and Bradley and Brendan Lakoseljac (front row). [PlessPix]

Photo:  Joe Glasovac (left) at a game at KGV Park with friend Joe Nahas circa 2010. [PlessPix]

Photo:  Joe Glasovac (right) with top Croatia Glenorchy striker and later coach, the late Tony Skaro.

Glenorchy Knights regain top spot in NPL Tasmania

Photo:  Knights' Stefan Cordwell (red shirt) is welcomed by Launceston United after coming on as a substitute. [PlessPix] 

Glenorchy Knights regained top spot on the NPL Tasmania standings with a 4-0 home win over bottom-side Launceston United after previous leader South Hobart were held to a 3-3 draw at home by third-placed Kingborough Lions United.

The top-four are probably the only sides capable of winning the league.

The x in the equation, however, is Launceston City, who beat Riverside Olympic 1-0 away on Friday night and actually drew level on points with fourth-placed and reigning champions Devonport City for 24 hours.

Launceston City are unlikely to win the crown, but they may well play a role in determining its destination.

Launceston City’s leading marksman, Thierry Swaby, grabbed the only goal of the game when Riverside’s goalkeeper, Indigo Sharp, making his debut in place of the suspended Daniel Nash, could only parry a powerful shot and Swaby was on hand to force the ball home.

Photo:  Kingborough's Eli Wright tackles South Hobart's Adam Gorrie.  The attendance was poor and may he been greater if the game had been played on Sunday. [PlessPix] 

South Hobart needed to win to retain top spot but could only manage a 3-3 draw with a late goal.

Nick Morton fired them to a 2-0 lead in just under half an hour and they seemed on their way.

The Lions clawed their way back into contention when former South Hobart player Kobe Kemp pulled a goal back in the 37th minute.

They were definitely in the hunt when Noah Mies made it 2-2 midway through the second half.

Otto Schwarz gave the visitors the lead with just over 20 minutes left.

An excellent goal by Bradley Lakoseljac 2 minutes from the end ensured the home side of a share of the points.

Lakoseljac was returning from injury and his goal must have delighted his father, Brendan Lakoseljac, a former star of the game in Tasmania, who had come down from Gladstone in Queensland.

Photo:  Clarence Zebras' Sam Tooze throws himself into the task at hand, namely stopping Devonport's Fahim Moradi. [PlessPix] 

Devonport City righted their stricken ship by downing Clarence Zebras 4-0 away at Wentworth Park and regained third place.

Clarence Zebras were not disgraced but have defensive problems to sort out if they are to right their ship.

Dairai Mahachi put Devonport in front in the 28^th minute and led 1-0 at the break.

Riku Ichimura, who was busy all over the park and at the end of some fierce tackling, calmed Devonport nerves when he made it 2-0 7 minutes after the resumption.

Photo:  Devonport's Fahim Moradi shoots at goal despite a desperate attempt by Clarence Zebras' William Simaan to intervene. [PlessPix] 

Nick Lanau-Atkinson made the game safe with a third goal just short of the hour mark, while Brody Denehey’s superb strike with 16 minutes left completed an important win for the visitors, especially in the absence of the injured midfield dynamo Charles Bidwell.

Glenorchy Knights earned a solid 4-0 win over Launceston United, who never gave up but were outclassed.

It took Knights more than half and hour to score and the shot by Dimitris Theodorou was helped in by a wicked deflection.

Photo:  Launceston United goalkeeper Noah Curtis turns away a cross. [PlessPix] 

Knights led by that goal at the interval but were never in any danger and they scored three more times in the second half to seal the win.

Joshua Redfearn made it 2-0 three minutes after the resumption and Stefan Cordwell added the third with a free-kick that took a significant deflection on its way into the net.

Henry Bain completed the scoring from a cut-back by Cordwell.

Joshua Cauteruccio received a nasty lower leg injury from a tackle by a Launceston opponent but after treatment was able to continue.

Photo:  Referee Josh Clement, who was making his NPL debut, watches as Glenorchy Knights' Dimitris Theodorou gets a pass away. [PlessPix] 

 NPL Tasmania

South Hobart 3 (Nick Morton 15, 28, Bradley Lakoseljac 88) drew with Kingborough Lions United 3 (Kobe Kemp 37, Noah Mies 64, Otto Schwarz 69)

Clarence Zebras 0 lost to Devonport City 4 (Dairai Mahachi 28, Riku Ichimura 52, Nick Lanau-Atkinson 58, Brody Denehey 74)

Glenorchy Knights 4 (Dimitris Theodorou 34, Joshua Redfearn 48, Stefan Cordwell 66, Henry Bain 73)

Photo:  Glenorchy Knights opened their renovated club rooms for the first time on Saturday. [PlessPix] 

 NPL Tasmania Standings (As at 24 May 2024)

TEAM	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Glenorchy Knights	8	5	3	0	31	6	18
South Hobart	8	5	3	0	21	10	18
Devonport City	8	4	4	0	20	7	16
Kingborough Lions	8	4	3	1	27	12	15
Launceston City	8	4	1	3	14	9	13
Clarence Zebras	8	2	0	6	13	22	6
Riverside Olympic	8	1	0	7	9	33	3
Launceston United	8	0	0	8	7	43	0

Photo:  Glenorchy Knights' renovated headquarters on Saturday. [PlessPix]

Photo:  Devonport's Taylor Last takes a tumble under challenge from Clarence Zebras' Sam Tooze. [PlessPix]