Four to become two in Tassie

Saturday 30 April is a big day on the Tasmanian football calendar with the two Lakoseljac Cup Semi Finals to decide who will go on to play-off for the solitary spot in the Westfield FFA Cup Round of 32.

South Hobart v Olympia, 2.00PM, Darcy St

Modern rivals South Hobart and Olympia FC Warriors are set to meet again for the first time since their season opening clash, as they play off in a blockbuster Lakoseljac Cup Semi Final at Darcy St. South Hobart dominated Olympia on that night, winning by a score of 6-3 and setting the tone for what has been a difficult season to date for the Warriors.

It will be a very different Olympia side that takes the park from the opening night following their high profile departures but it will be a stronger side than they put out in their 4-0 defeat to Hobart Zebras on Anzac Day. From that match they will welcome back the key pair of central midfielder Nicholas Mearns as well as their captain, and Centre back Jake Vandermey.

This should allow influential full back and star player Zachary Drake to return to his preferred position at right back, after being deployed as a make shift central defender against a dominant Zebras side that held them without a shot on target all game. Aidan Farquhar is also set to return alongside Vandermey to solidify the heart of defence, but they will have their work cut out for them up against an in form South Hobart attack that is averaging over 6 goals a game and is led superbly by the powerful Alex Leszczynski.

South Hobart by contrast are an incredibly settled line up and their one potential selection headache that would have come about following a strong weekend performance by Dan Brown has evaporated with Jack Turner unavailable for selection. This means Brown will likely take up his defensive midfield role with Matthew Lewis and Hugh Ludford set to resume their central defensive partnership as right back Liam Quaile returns to the side, having been rested on Saturday for their thumping 8-0 victory over Clarence.

With an FFA Cup berth awaiting the overall winners of the cup, the stakes are high for both sides, with both these teams having had a taste of national competition last year, through Olympia’s participation in the NPL Finals series and South Hobart the FFA Cup itself.

This should be a thriller and if you can’t make it to Darcy St, the game will be live streamed, which you can view HERE: from 1.45PM on Saturday.

 

Somerset v Devonport, 2.00PM, Cardigan St

The second semi final sees the lone non-NPL side remaining in the cup, Somerset, welcoming their coastal rivals Devonport to Cardigan Street for a David v Goliath battle.

The Sharks have beaten New Town 3-1 in the round of 16 and Ulverstone 3-2 in the quarter final but now face their toughest test to date up against the Strikers. Devonport have comfortably beaten Glenorchy Knights 4-0 in the round of 16 before thumping Kingborough Lions 7-1 in the quarters.

Both sides have started their respective league seasons in good form with Somerset winning 4 out of their 6 games and Devonport 5 from their 6. The Sharks are coming off a 1-0 defeat to Ulverstone over the weekend which snapped a streak of 5 consecutive victories whilst Devonport cruised past Kingborough Lions 5-0 to maintain their pressure on Zebras at the top of the PS4 NPL table.

 

CLICK HERE for a full preview of both Semi Finals.