Morton scouts series opponent

SOUTH Hobart has not qualified for the National Premier Leagues finals series since 2014, and coach Ken Morton is leaving no stone unturned in his preparations this time around.

The NPL Tasmania champion will square off against NPL Queensland winners Brisbane Strikers at Darcy Street, most likely on September 16, in the competition’s quarter-finals.

The series features the champions of each Australian state and territory competition, except Northern Territory.

Morton said he was deep into preparations for a home showdown with Brisbane — its first appearance in the series since a 2014 quarter-final loss to South Melbourne.

Last Sunday he went to watch the Strikers, and he also watched fellow premiership hopeful Gold Coast not long ago, and was glad the Strikers took out the league.

“I did not fancy playing Gold Coast, they are physical, they have big players and are very direct,” he said. “But the Strikers like to play through the midfield. I think we can score goals against the Strikers and we have the players to win.”

Morton also said he was in contact with two scouts in Brisbane, who were feeding him information about the Strikers’ game plan and key players.

However, he added not too much was readily available about Brisbane as live stream footage was quickly taken down post-match. He noted the Strikers had some decent wingers and strong central midfielders in both attacking and defensive positions.

“It’s a bit of an unknown,” Morton said. “We have a chance against them, but we have to be at our best.”

On Saturday South travels to Somerset for a League Cup quarter-final at Cardigan St. Other cup fixtures on Saturday: Olympia v Hobart Zebras, Glenorchy v Launceston City, Devonport v Northern Rangers.