Unless it was a better than usual performance she nI saw them a few weeks ago, I'm surprised Kingborough are so far down the table.

Clarence have three outstanding young prospects in Hatcher, Snell and Smith, but there may be a few players who aren't quite good enough for NPL.

I think the Tas NPL has improved and there is more depth.

It was a good game.

It was Knights playing  Olympia.

Last week I watched a decent game between Clarence and Zebras.

Zebras won 6-3 after Clarence led 3-2 at half time.

Yes.

I'm using the terms NPL and state league as being the same thing.

Ahh cheers, yes I vaguely remember Glenorchy playing South (I could be wrong)  in the cup final maybe. Good game.

Glenorchy Knights were replaced by Clarence a few years ago after a terrible 2015 NPL season.

They have won the Southern Championship 3 years in a row and done well in FFA Cup and other competitions where they have taken on NPL sides.

I have no idea how they will go in NPL next season (if it remains in place) or how their squad payments compare to NPL clubs.

Riverside in the Northern Championship are a former State League Club from the 90's who appear to be likely to just edge out Devonport's reserves this year. If they do go up I would expect them to struggle. There are rumours that Clarence may be kicked out of the NPL due to poor performance. 

Personally I would stick to an 8 team NPL with yearly P/R playoffs of the lowest NPL Tas team and the winners of a 2 legged Northern Championship vs Southern Championship "State Final" rather than have automatic relegation. I would also be pushing for more matches in the Championship comps as the Southern comp only has 16 games in a 9 team comp.

There are actually 2 rounds to go in the 2018 NPLTas season.

A victory in either match should see Devonport win the title given a 16 goal lead in goal difference.

Do you mean the NPL?

I'm not too sure about the quality of the local 'second tier' comp in Tassie atm. Do they have a Tasmanian equivalent of say an Altona Magic with lots of money or will they be more along the same of Clarence and Kingsborough? 

The state league is mooted to increase from 8 to 10 teams next year.

I think it will dilute the talent too much.

One game to go and Devonport Strikers are 3 points in front of South Hobart with a better goal average.

On the weekend  I saw South beat Launceston City 2-0. City are now 3rd on the ladder.

I also watched Kingborough defeat Clarence United  2-0.

4 on the trot for City and unbeaten in 5.

1-0 win over Zebras, aswell as Kingborough losing to Clarence, assures them of a top 6 finish and also puts them above Rangers with Rangers to play Olympia tomorrow.

@decentric

Isn't markaj at Zebras in some capacity aswell now?

Interesting to see this now.

*Zebras

Tommy Fotek replaces Peter Savill



* Borough 

Gabriel Markaj replaced by Mark Broadbent, the club TD, who initially declined the job.



*Olympia

Ian Shaw replaced by Kenny Weston.


IMO all coaching replacements have improved the style of football and performance.

Surprising result  given where South were earlier in the season.

Good round up, BP.

City is the only  team I haven't seen this season.

Well done South Hobart!

Wrapping up the league with 3 rounds to go.

Launceston City have had a good last month since getting beat 8-1 by Olynpia. a draw against Devonport and 3 wins against the sides around them. They come up against the big boys for the final 3 weeks, so will be looking to steal a couple points off them, to sure up 6th spot. Bodes well for next year aswell with majority of players still early twenties and younger. 

Biggest change that I have seen with them is quick clean touches in the middle with some strong long through balls really utilising their runners on the outsides as well as young Mies up top start to find his feet and use his size one on one. It definitely helped having Brookfield playing for abit of experience around the younger boys. 

It was amusing hearing Rangers fans a couple of weeks ago trying to put City down for having won less games when now 2 weeks later they are on the same amount of wins, still 3 weeks to go I know and a big 3 weeks for City with Zebras, Olympia and South to finish off the year.  Whilst Rangers have Olympia, Lions and Zebras. Lions are also a chance of catching City with Clarence, Rangers and Devonport to round out their season.

NPL Tasmania standings after round 17:
1 South Hobart 17 15 0 2 67 17 50 45      
2 Hobart Olympia 17 11 2 4 51 24 27 35       
3 Devonport City 17 11 2 4 46 22 24 35      
4 Hobart Zebras 17 8 5 4 42 14 28 29      
5 Northern Rangers 17 4 4 9 21 39 -18 16      
6 Launceston City 17 3 3 11 19 46 -27 12      
7 Kingborough Lions 17 2 5 10 14 51 -37 11      
8 Clarence United 17 2 3 12 14 61 -47 9
 
round 18 schedule:
Friday July 28th 8.00pm Hobart Zebras v Olympia Warriors
Saturday July 29th 2.30pm Devonport City v Northern Rangers
Saturday July 29th 2.30pm Launceston City v Clarence United
Sunday July 30th 2.30pm South Hobart v Kingborough Lions*
 
*if South Hobart win next Sunday against Kingborough Lions it will secure them the 2017 NPL Tasmania premiership and a spot in the 2017 NPL national finals.

NPL Tasmania standings after round 16:
1 South Hobart 16 14 0 2 64 15 +49 42
2 Devonport Strikers 16 11 2 3 46 20 +26 35
3 Olympia Warriors 16 10 2 4 49 24 +25 32
4 Hobart Zebras 16 7 5 4 37 14 +23 26
5 Northern Rangers 16 4 4 8 19 36 -17 16
6 Kingborough Lions 16 2 5 9 13 48 -35 11
7 Launceston City 16 2 3 11 16 45 -29 9
8 Clarence United 16 2 3 11 14 56 -42 9

Round 17 schedule:
Saturday July 22nd 2.00pm Devonport Strikers v Olympia Warriors
Saturday July 22nd 6.30pm Clarence United v Hobart Zebras
Sunday July 23rd 2.30pm Kingborough Lions v Launceston City
Sunday July 23rd 2.30pm Northern Rangers v South Hobart

Attended this game yesterday.

Borough were leading 1-0 until the conceded a penalty in the 92nd minute.

It was a most enjoyable game to watch. Borough only have one remaining import since Gabriel Markaj's sacking. Mark Broadbent has them playing much better as a team unit.

What Borough fans told me at the game was that he relinquished the the NPL job this season to concentrate on the Borough academy. I think Broadbent has written a uniform club philosophy that is permeating all ranks of the club.

There are a lot of young players at Borough. They seem to have a much bigger quota of locally developed players in their squad. If Broadbent stays with them for a few more seasons, he has been appointed for two more, if Borough can find someone to do the development as well as Broadbent, they could be a force in another year or so.

I've trained with most of the NPL coaches. Broadbent is unequivocally one of the most knowledgeable Tassie NPL coaches from working with Dean May  and Kenny Weston, former NTC coaches, for years. 

Zebras played some  slick football at times. Jayden Hay was outstanding at RB for them.

NPL Tasmania standings after round 14:
1 South Hobart 14 12 0 2 57 12 45 36      
2 Devonport Strikers 14 11 1 2 44 17 27 34      
3 Hobart Olympia 14 9 2 3 44 21 23 29      
4 Hobart Zebras 14 6 4 4 33 11 22 22      
5 Northern Rangers 14 4 3 7 16 32 -16 15      
6 Kingborough Lions 14 2 4 8 12 44 -32 10      
7 Clarence United 14 2 2 10 12 51 -39 8      
8 Launceston City 14 1 2 11 13 43 -30 5
 
Round 15 schedule:
Saturday 2.00pm Kingborough Lions v Hobart Zebras
Saturday 4.30pm Launceston City v Devonport Strikers
Saturday 4.30pm Northern Rangers v Clarence United
Sunday 2.00pm South Hobart v Olympia Warriors

Scenes. 

Didn't attend this game due to social commitments. It was cold too.

Hoping to attend Kingborough /Northern Rangers today. 

1 all draw tonight between Zebras and Olympia. Can definitely see the investment coming to fruition in the NPLT. May have also helped with p&r

This last week I've seen the highest standard game I've seen in Tasmania from both teams.

Devonport beat Olympia 2-1 at Warrior Park.

It featured some good football from both teams.

 Chris Gallo is coaching Devonport to play  some good football. Ditto Kenny Weston with Olympia.

FFA Cup Final result: Olympia 4, Knights 2.


Women's Final:  Hobart Zebras 1, Launceston City 0.

Only 24 years old too! could go well if given the opportunities. Craig Carley left the avengers to come back to the Suns, and geeze we really needed him back!!

Tyler  Fischer has left the Devonport Strikers to play for Victorian NPL side Avondale Avengers.

He has scored 11 goals out of 12 games played in the Tasmanian NPL this season.

Surprisingly, Eduardo Castenada, has left the National COE and is now on the bench for South Hobart's senior NPL team.

Many of us watched him play for the Joeys.

This week's round saw:

Olympia 3, Kingborough 2.

Clarence 0, South Hobart 6.

Northern Rangers 2, Launceston City 1.

Zebras 0, Devonport Strikers 1.


Kingborough has just played two of the southern 3 powerhouses away from home in the last three weeks, beating one, Zebras, and losing by the solitary goal to the other, Olympia. Borough coach, Mark Broadbent, is a very good coach who has never previously had the cattle.



The animosity between the five southern NPL clubs is much fiercer than between HAL fans on here. Given how so many players and coaches change from one club to another regularly  from season to season, I'm surprised how one eyed and hostile the hard core supporters are when they post on Walter Pless's blog.

Pless hosts in excess of 1500 individual posters per day ATM. At one stage it had 3 000 visitors per day a few seasons ago.