EMERGING Launceston soccer sensation Luke Eyles will face a question of loyalties in the National Premier League this weekend.
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The Victory League’s rising star winner will play for Tasmanian champions Olympia against the club he will represent for the next two years.
Launceston-born Eyles, 17, who played for Riverside Olympic juniors before moving to Hobart three years ago to join the National Training Centre program, inked a deal with South Melbourne in May.
But he will be out to topple his future club in the national knockout competition which unites the champions of each state and has landed Glen McNeill’s team a trip to the Victorian giants’ Lakeside Stadium.
One of the biggest clubs outside the A-League, South are a former National Soccer League club with a rich history of producing top quality players and winning silverware.
Olympia are very aware of their opposition, with the two clubs involved in a sister club arrangement that has spanned many years.
Olympia won three of the four trophies on offer in Tasmania this year, including the club’s first league title since 1996 when McNeill was captain.
‘‘We are just starting to reflect on the season that we have had and we are obviously very happy with the way it unfolded,’’ he said.
‘‘There were ups and downs and we were pushed to the final game but the resilience that our players showed was pretty amazing.’’
Olympia enter the encounter off the back of collecting the Victory Cup with a 3-1 win over Hobart Zebras.
Their cup campaign also saw a 1-0 win over Northern Rangers and a Houdini act to beat University in a penalty shootout.
‘‘We couldn’t have asked for a better preparation.
‘‘The matches in the Victory Cup have been very competitive which is just what we were after leading into the South Melbourne game,’’ McNeill added.
Regular starters Shae Hickey, Nick Mearns and Jono Griffiths are all expected to return to the side.
Olympia are looking to go one better than their local rivals South Hobart who hosted South Melbourne in this competition in 2014, going down 1-0.
Spearheaded by striker Milos Lujic, South Melbourne also won three trophies in 2015, collecting the Community Shield, the Dockerty Cup and the Victorian title.
