Saturday was another great weekend for A-League Men’s and A-League Women’s football in Tasmania with the double-header at North Hobart Oval.
The weather was good and, again, the pitch looked postcard perfect.
Western United must have been pleased at the attendance (just over 5,000), which is more than they often get for other ‘home’ games.
I found it quite exciting and it reinforced my view that watching professional football is the bees’ knees, and watching it live beats watching on TV hands down.
It’s a pity we won’t get another chance in Tassie until at least next season.
Here’s what the men’s coaches had to say afterwards:
John Aloisi (Western United)
“I’m happy with the effort and I’m happy with the performance and happy that we came from 2-goals down. We deserved more. We deserved the 3 points.
“They got two goals that [were] controversial.
“The first one? I don’t know what the handball rule is anymore because it deflected off Vidmar and hit his hands. I don’t know where his hands are supposed to be, off a cross that’s coming from a yard away.
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“And then the second goal. There was a corner and Gomes gets a free header because Josh Risdon can’t go and challenge for the ball because he’s being held.
“Sydney do that. They get away with it. You can’t blame them, but why are we having VAR when they’re not checking these things?
“So, we go two goals down when we’re completely in control of the game in terms of they’re not creating any real chances and we created a number of clear openings.
“Proud of the boys’ effort, but it’s the story of our season so far. Things aren’t going for us.
“We’ve improved. We’ve been good. The turning point would have been us winning because we deserved the win.
“The boys haven’t dropped their heads. They keep fighting, they keep believing. Again, last week, against the Wanderers, we were the better team creating and having the more chances. We just keep going and keep on trying to get the results that we know we deserve.
“I’m proud with the effort.”
Ufuk Talay (Sydney FC)
“Yeah, disappointed [with throwing away a 2-0 lead]. I think we weren’t at our best today, but we made those moments count when we got into the opposition box, where one led to a penalty and then, from a set-piece, we scored the second goal.
“And then, obviously, conceding a second goal with one ball over the top just before half-time allowed them to come back into the game, and then concede from an opposition throw-in and they scored their second goal.
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“I think, overall, both teams probably could have snatched the points at the end. We had some chances and they had some chances as well but, overall, the 2-2 away from home is not a bad result at the end of the day.
“We took Max [Burgess] off because I wanted more pressure on the ball. The way that we play, we need pressure on the ball and I think, at times, he did it well. He was all right with the ball, but I think on the other side of the game, my expectation is that we press and we press as a unit.
“The venue was great and I think there was a great turnout today. It would have been nice if they were closer to the ground and a football stadium, a rectangular stadium, would have brought them in and made the atmosphere probably a lot better at that same time. But, overall, I think it’s a great opportunity for people in Hobart and in Tassie to be able to see an A-League game.
“The surface was fine. It was a little bit heavy. Obviously, they wet the pitch, but it was a great sunny day in Tassie and I think the pitch dried up pretty quickly so it held the ball up at times, but look, overall, it’s the same for both teams.”
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Central Coast Mariner’s women’s team player Shadeene Evans came on as a substitute during the second half of the 2-1 loss to Western United.
Evans is from Borroloola, a remote Aboriginal settlement in the Gulf Country of the Northern Territory.
Tasmanian soccer tragic, Glenn Thompson, had a significant hand in her development as a footballer.
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The 22-year-old Evans has played for the Australian Under-20 team and was a member of a party of Indigenous youngsters taken to Brazil for the 2014 World Cup by Thompson and John Moriarty. The latter played for South Australia against Tasmania at South Hobart in then early 1960s [a 0-0 draw].
Thompson returns to Tasmania regularly and attends local games and he told me that Evans was identified as a player of potential at the age of nine.
He has taken teams from Borroloola to competitions in Darwin and on the Gold Coast but decries the lack of funding and interest in remote communities which has seen much talent go to waste.
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Glenorchy Knights have signed two defensive midfielders from interstate.
Joshua Cauteruccio, 19, is from Melbourne and arrived last week.
He played American college football recently and has also played for South Melbourne Hellas.
Dimitris Theodorou, 22, is from Western Australia but has also played with Launceston United.
He made his debut for Knights in the recent 4-3 loss to Kingborough Lions United in a pre-season friendly at KGV Park.
I stumbled upon the pair training together at a suburban oval on Sunday and was impressed with their dedication and skills.
It’s not often one sees players training outside of club training on their own and such commitment is commendable these days.
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