Round 15

Round 15 may see a new leader at the end of the round due to Devonport having the bye and Somerset having a catch up game to still be played, If the in form Ulverstone roll the Sharks tomorrow it will see them jump Devonport and be equal top with the Sharks. Ground conditions across the North N/W will be not ideal playing surfaces and may cause some headaches.

NOTE: The game between Launceston City and Riverside is now played at Riverside

Launceston United V Prospect Knights 2:30pm Birch Ave

Launceston are at home this week and after hosting a part of the junior cup last week, One does wonder what the pitch conditions are like. Launceston were unlucky in their last game not to take a point against Ulverstone and will be full of confidence taking on the Knights. Both teams will be fresh after missing last week as well.

Prospect will need to win this game to keep pressure on the Ranger s in 4^th spot and will be trying to leap frog them come finals time. Prospect have played some attractive football of late and with Sean(Twang)Harris back at the club they will be a very strong unit coming into these final games. Ray Heald had this to say” Have a few missing this week forwards Andy Compagne, Trent Mitchell, Paul Thomas all injured and Gallager Innis goal keeper interstate for work

Sean Harris and Mark Baker both available this week our young Midfield of Matt Heald, Nathan Butler and Mitchell Dent are improving with each game they play and can be confident that they are now competitive with  the top teams.

Each game we now play is a must win if we are to make the top four, not having a ground to train on for two weeks is also not ideal but assume most clubs are in a similar position, need that turf pitch in the north.

From all reports Launceston were unlucky not get some points against Ulverstone last round so will need to at our best to get the points.

Somerset Sharks V Ulverstone Reds 2:30pm Shark Park

Match of the round for sure. Ulverstone in some red hot form and the Sharks have only dropped on game.

Somerset will be looking to open the gap on the the Reds and Devonport who have the bye. If the Sharks can get over Ulverstone it opens up a 5 point gap over second place. Somersets ground has not been trained on for 2 weeks and will allow both teams to play fast football. With Somerset signing to players over the past week it also bolsters their senior squad with having 2 fresh subs for tomorrows game. Coach Considine said this” The Sharks will need to improve their recent form when they take on “in form” Ulverstone this week. With the likelihood of a boggy pitch, and the unavailability of a few players, this will be another close match but the Sharks are hoping for full pints in their quest for the premiership title.

Ulverstone will be on a hi after last weeks away win to the Rangers, Connor Meanie was in fine form bagging a hat trick. They will be with out their super star Shaun Conkie who has decided to go skiing on the main land but im sure the Red will have some one to replace him. If the Sharks want to win they will have to stop the drive of Meanie and Adam Conkie.

Launceston City V Riverside 2:30pm Winsdor Park (GAME CHANGED DUE TO GROUND CONDITIONS)

This is another game where ground conditions may affect the out come. With the ground being closed all weekend and this week it will be interesting to see if the council close the ground again. Launceston will probably be hoping this as their V League squad is on the road and with injures and suspension have taken more NPL players. Roger Mies  is in out standing form and will be looking to add to his tally of 10 goals already this year.

I really feel sorry for the team that Riverside play when they start playing as well as the team on paper should and it could very well be this weekend. Riverside are long over due for a win and with a depleted city side should take the spoils. Wayne Penfold said this” After 2 weeks off because of a bye and last week’s postponements, we are really champing at the bit to get back on the park. This week’s opponent Launceston City got the jump on us in the previous encounter scoring in the first 15 secs of the game and then a second goal within a couple of minutes. The end result was 4-4 draw and we did well to get back into the contest. Its those fighting attributes that we need to take into this week’s game. City have a young side that is well supported by their veteran Roger Mies and his experience has definitely helped them this year. But we are confident that we can come away with a win by building on our last performance against Rangers.

Rangers V Burnie United 2:30pm NTCA

With the V league side playing after the NPL at the NTCA, Rangers should have a full squad to pick from and will be looking to keep their position in 4^th. Rangers will always be favourite at home as they have turned it into a fortress over the last few years and to even come away with a point you are doing very well. Clubman The Donk said this""A tough game awaits us Vs Burnie United this week.  Disappointing to miss out on the 3 points last week, but we will look to put that behind us and re set our sights against Burnie.
Last time we played them at Montello, we had to fight for the win very hard, we expect nothing different this week, they are physical, we expect that, but physical football doesn't win football games, we know we can prove this again.  There are some injury clouds amongst our line up, so we will have to assess these prior to the game kick off. But as per normal, having the Victory League at home after the premier league, we will be able to use what is left after we account for a growing injury list.
We have proved this year that even without our Victory League players, we are good enough, but we need to be more disciplined, that has cost us the three points last week, we can't let it happen this week.

Thats what the undermanned Burnie side will be hoping to do. With a few regular starters and their number 1 striker still in Melbourne, But im sure who ever takes these boys spots will be able to replace them well. After narrowly loosing to the Sharks and the Reds a week before that, There will be belief with in the team they cam match it with the top sides. Burnie United camp said this” Rangers at ntca will be a big challenge this week for us, Xavier Smith, Tyler Johnstone and Brodie Best  not available, but Josh Dailey Trent Potts  and Dominic Culburt will be back in the squad. We will play a similar game as we did against somerset putting a heap of pressure in the midfield not allowing any space. Dom will play a crucial part in attack trying to take on the ranger defence at pace.

Ladder After Round 14

1	Somerset	11	10	0	1	52	9	43	30
2	Devonport	12	9	1	2	39	15	24	28
3	Ulverstone	12	9	0	3	30	17	13	27
4	Nth Rangers	13	8	0	5	28	24	4	24
5	Prospect	12	6	2	4	31	20	11	20
6	Riverside	11	3	1	7	15	23	-8	10
7	Burnie	12	3	0	9	15	35	-20	9
8	L'ton City	12	2	2	8	19	42	-23	8
9	L'ton United	11	0	0	11	3	47	-44	0