Season on the line for Demons

THE Hobart City Demons will be hoping on Saturday to keep alive their chances of playing their first finals campaign since joining the TSL in 2014.

The Demons are sitting sixth on the ladder and take on fifth-placed Launceston at Windsor Park.

A loss this weekend for Hobart City will make it almost impossible for the club to make the top five.

Launceston has one more win than Hobart City and with a healthy percentage of 118.91 compared with the Demons’ 81.59, it means Hobart City will need to jump into the top five on wins alone.

This is made even more difficult for Hobart City, which has the bye after this weekend’s game, giving Launceston an extra game in the run home to the finals.

Hobart City coach Kane Richter admits this week’s game is the most important of the season for his side.

“We probably have to win this weekend to keep our season alive,” Richter said.

“Realistically we need to win all of our last three games, which means it depends on us.”

Hobart City is coming off a loss to a strong Clarence outfit that welcomed back the experience of Wade Wall, Jason Bailey and Jake Cox.

Richter acknowledges Clarence’s talent helped beat his side, but believes his team contributed to making it look bet- TSL ROUND 17 ter. “Clarence is a quality side and their quality players played well,” Richter said.

“Our fundamentals weren’t good enough.”

“Things like three of us flying for a ball and our starting points were not great and then we let players like Cox get free.”

Richter wants his side to carry belief into this week’s game with his side beating Launceston by 27 points the last time they faced off in Round 8.

“Our pace and movement of the ball was really good last time we played them,” Richter said.

“That was on a smaller deck at North Hobart, so the bigger oval at Windsor Park should help us find space and use our assets.”

The dynamic duo of forwards Josh Williamson and Sean Willis were instrumental in the win over Launceston last time, with the pair kicking eight goals between them.

For them to have the same impact Richter believes the team needs to get its structures right to create space for the Demons’ fast forward line.