With four rounds remaining, NPL title is still up for grabs

With four games remaining, the situation at the top of the NPL Tasmania standings is exciting.

Each one of the leading four teams could win the title, but as the end of the league season approaches, it is looking more and more likely that either Glenorchy Knights or South Hobart will claim the title.

Knights shrugged off Riverside Olympic and won 4-0 away at Windsor Park on Saturday.

Riverside did go close on a couple of occasions, but Knights had obviously recovered well from their trip to New South Wales in midweek, where they lost 3-0 to NWS Spirit in the Round-of-32 of the Australia Cup.

Stefan Cordwell gave them an early lead and Joshua Redfearn added a second midway through the first half to make victory almost inevitable, although they did leave the coup de grace very late.

Cordwell and Redfearn both completed their braces with goals in the 89^th and 93^rd minutes respectively.

South Hobart again sailed perilously close to disaster against bottom-side Launceston United at Birch Avenue.

The precocious Harrison Oates, surely the best young talent in the competition, gave South Hobart a 2-1 lead by the 47^th-minute mark.

Charlie Reynolds had made it 1-1 within a minute of Oates’s first goal.

But, strikes by Austin Yost and Alex Walter appeared to have sealed the win for the visitors by midway through the second half.

South Hobart’s defensive frailties then showed themselves again as two goals by David Owusu, the second deep into stoppage time, made it one goal the difference.

South hung on for the remaining seconds to win by the odd goal and save themselves from acute embarrassment.

Devonport City, the reigning and increasingly likely outgoing champions, downed Launceston City 2-0 with goals by Brody Denehey and captain Kieran Mulraney.

Denehey’s goal came early in the game and Mulraney’s in the last 10 minutes, which indicates the home side must have had plenty of time to salvage the game.

Launceston City have capable players and a more than a useful team, but for some reason they cannot put things together and click when it matters.

On the Friday night, Kingborough Lions United did what they had to do and put away an inept Clarence Zebras side 3-0 at Lightwood Park.

The state of the refurbished pitch prompts a few questions.  Players and referees regularly slip and fall on the surface and there was a strange double side-line on one side of the pitch nearest the club rooms.  I know it should not have happened, but on two occasions, a player taking a throw-in in that area of the pitch took it from the second line inside the genuine side-line.  It was a Clarence Zebras player on both occasions so that shows they weren’t really switched on.  And, the referee ordered the player to retake the throw-in.  I’m just wondering whether the throw should have been awarded to Kingborough instead?

Noah Mies and Kobe Kemp gave the Lions a 2-0 lead at half-time, while Tom McKernan scored the seemingly obligatory own-goal for Clarence Zebras these days midway through the second half to make it 3-0.

NPL Tasmania

Kinborough Lions United 3 (Noah Mies 26’, Kobe Kemp 39’, Tom McKernan 64’ og)

Launceston United 3 (Charlie Reynolds 36’, David Owusu 82’, 90’+5) lost to South Hobart 4 (Harrison Oates 35’, 47’, Austin Yost 53’, Alex Walter 68’)

Riverside Olympic 0 lost to Glenorchy Knights 4 (Stefan Cordwell 6’, 89’, Joshua Redfearn 24’, 90’+3)

Launceston City 0 lost to Devonport City 2 (Brody Denehey 9’, Kieran Mulraney 80’)

NPL Tasmania Standings (As at 4 August 2024)

TEAM	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
Glenorchy Knights	17	12	4	1	73	18	40
South Hobart	17	11	5	1	53	24	38
Devonport City	17	10	5	2	42	17	35
Kingborough Lions	17	10	3	4	56	32	33
Launceston City	17	7	3	7	30	28	24
Riverside Olympic	17	4	1	12	24	58	13
Clarence Zebras	17	3	1	13	24	51	10
Launceston United	17	0	0	17	12	92	0