Chasers face off in must-win game

TITLE contenders South Hobart and Hobart Zebras meet this weekend in what could prove a season-defining clash.

Second-placed South takes on the third-placed Zebras at Darcy St on Sunday, with the loser likely to fall out of the running for the Victory League.

South Hobart sits five points behind leaders Olympia Warriors, while Zebras are a further point adrift, so a Warriors win combined with a loss to either side would give the loser too much work to do in the remaining six rounds.

Zebras are boosted by two mid-week signings, with former Cameroonian international Guy Bwele and returning Tasmanian midfielder James Sherman bolstering an already formidable squad.

Connor Schmidt returns for South Hobart after a week off, while defender Matt Lewis should also be fit to play after picking up a knock last week.

The importance of the match is not lost on Zebras coach Chris Hey.

“We have not lost in our past five games, so we take that as a positive moving into a game that will ultimately be the deciding factor in either club’s title aspira- tions for 2015,” Hey said.

South coach Ken Morton also acknowledged the significance of the encounter.

“The result is maybe more important than the performance, and I am sure Zebras are thinking the same,” Morton said.

The Warriors go into the final seven matches in excellent form and with a healthy lead, but they are not taking anything for granted.

They take on the Northern Rangers tomorrow at Warrior Park, and coach Glen McNeil says his team will need to be at its best to keep its rivals at bay.

“The squad is going well, we have clicked as a unit, but the hard work must continue whenever we take to the pitch,” McNeil said.

The Rangers have won their past two games, and sit in fourth place.

Also tomorrow, fifth-placed Kingborough Lions go to Valley Rd to take on Devonport City, which is seventh, in a match that could go a long way to shaping the top six for the Victory League finals series come the end of the season.

Bo ttom- of-the - ladder Glenorchy Knights take on sixth-placed Launceston City tomorrow afternoon at KGV in what is a clash of clubs competing for a Victory League licence next year.