Glenorchy Knights retained top spot on the NPL Tasmania standings after Round 15 with an easy 7-0 away win over wooden spooners Launceston United at Birch Avenue on Saturday.
Riley Dillon and Joshua Redfearn each scored a brace, while Matthew Brkic, Stefan Cordwell and Dimitris Theodorou all chimed in with a goal apiece.
Launceston United have lost all 15 of their games and their impressive past back in the 1960s is just a distant memory.
Events have overtaken them and it is clear that they are out of their depth in present company.
Reigning champions Devonport City moved up a place into third with a comfortable 6-0 away win over second-last Clarence Zebras at Wentworth Park on Saturday.
Three goals in each half did the trick for the visitors.
Tall striker Xuan Cappellino punished his former club with two headed goals, while the others came from Riku Ichimura, Masi Benjamin, captain Kieran Mulraney and Mitchell Burley.
Devonport goalkeeper Mitchell Higgins, who started the season with Clarence Zebras before transferring to Devonport, has little to do against his former team-mates.
Clarence Zebras’ new goalkeeper, Jake Hayers, signed recently from South Hobart, had a torrid baptism of fire on his senior debut, conceding half a dozen.
Kingborough Lions United, as they do so often, slumped to a defeat after recent promising performances.
They had moved to third, but slipped back to fourth after losing 4-1 at home to second-placed South Hobart at the ridiculous time of 6.30pm on Saturday night in mid-winter.
Kingborough’s women’s team have been known to complain if they are relegated to so-called curtain-raiser games and not given top billing. Now is the time to promote them to the main event and we can see just how many people would show up to watch them if they were the main billing at 6.30pm on a freezing Saturday night.
South Hobart toyed with the Lions and led 3-0 at half-time through goals by Bradley Lakoseljac, Harrison Oates and an own-goal by Eli Luttmer on the stroke of half-time.
Kobe Kemp, a former South Hobart star, pulled a goal back for the Lions early in the second half, but young substitute Rex Maddock sealed the issue with a fine goal 7 minutes from the end and shortly after coming on.
On Friday night in Launceston, Launceston City conceded a goal to Riverside Olympic’s William Coert midway through the first half.
The visitors then shot themselves in the foot by having one of their best players, Gediminas Krusa sent off shortly after the resumption.
Thierry Swaby equalised for City just past the hour-mark, but an own-goal by the unfortunate William Prince with a quarter of an hour left completed an unfortunate evening for Riverside, who had started so promisingly.
NPL Tasmania
Launceston City 2 (Thierry Swaby 62’, William Prince 75’ og) beat Riverside Olympic 1 (William Coert 22’)
Clarence Zebras 0 lost to Devonport City 6 (Riku Ichimura 23’, Xuan Cappellino 26’, 31’, Masi Benjamin 46’, Kieran Mulraney 51’, Mitchell Burley 83’)
Launceston United 0 lost to Glenorchy Knights 7 (Riley Dillon 1’, 52’, Matthew Brkic 6’, Stefan Cordwell 53’, Joshua Redfearn 56’, 74’, Dimitris Theodorou 66’)
Kingborough Lions United 1 (Kobe Kemp 54’) lost to South Hobart 4 (Bradley Lakoseljac 5’, Harrison Oates 10’, Eli Luttmer 45’+3 og, Rex Maddock 83’)
NPL Tasmania Standings (As at 26 July 2024)
|
TEAM |
P |
W |
D |
L |
F |
A |
Pts |
|
Glenorchy Knights |
15 |
10 |
4 |
1 |
64 |
16 |
34 |
|
South Hobart |
15 |
9 |
5 |
1 |
43 |
20 |
32 |
|
Devonport City |
15 |
8 |
5 |
2 |
41 |
17 |
29 |
|
Kingborough Lions |
15 |
8 |
3 |
4 |
49 |
32 |
27 |
|
Launceston City |
15 |
7 |
3 |
5 |
28 |
21 |
24 |
|
Riverside Olympic |
15 |
4 |
1 |
10 |
24 |
50 |
13 |
|
Clarence Zebras |
15 |
3 |
1 |
11 |
23 |
42 |
10 |
|
Launceston United |
15 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
9 |
80 |
0 |
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