Ballantyne won’t throw caution to wind
DEVONPORT Strikers will be walking a tightrope in Saturday’s NPL Tasmania action as they face a crunch clash with Glenorchy Knights while preparing for next week’s Australia Cup fixture.
A win would move the Strikers 12 points clear atop the table but with Wednesday’s tie against the A-League’s Wellington Phoenix, coach Tom Ballantyne is wary of fatigue.
“We’re going to have to look after the playing group a little bit … we really want to win tomorrow but we’ve just got to be very careful about leaving ourselves exposed for Wednesday,” Ballantyne said.
Devonport dropped its first points since March in a 2-2 draw with Kingborough last round but Ballantyne said his side “dominated the play” despite the result.
He is also preparing for a new-look Knights attack after Glenorchy coach James Sherman recently shifted star midfielder Austin Yost forward.
“James is a smart coach, he’s changed things against us once before … that poses a different question,” Ballantyne said.
While Devonport will have one eye on next week’s game, Sherman knows that won’t make things any easier for the
Knights. “Their squad is so strong that they’re probably able to make two or three changes and the consistency’s there,” Sherman said.
While Glenorchy sits second on the table, Sherman said that the gap to Devonport is too much for his side to overcome.
“I think it’s too tricky now,’’ he said.
“We’ve not been really anywhere near consistent or good enough this season.”
The Women’s Super League will also host a top-two clash on Saturday with Launceston United and South Hobart facing off.
Launceston is yet to lose after 12 games but South is just five points behind on the ladder.
With the opportunity to cut that gap even further, South midfielder Talia White said its playing group is full of confidence.
“We think the pressure’s mostly on them, they’re at home … we want to go up to Launnie and do what we haven’t done yet,” White said.