Launceston's NPL Tasmania teams suffered contrasting defeats as Riverside Olympic were thrashed 9-0 by Hobart Zebras before a late Olympia winner beat Launceston City 1-0.
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Zebras are supposed to be herbivores but the Hobart strain smelt blood and wasted no time going for the kill against some injured Roos.
With several regular starters injured, including goalkeeper Jarrod Hill (knee), defender Jasper King (shoulder) and holding midfielder Luca Vigilante (foot), Olympic were torn apart by a ruthless outfit still smarting from City's late equaliser a week earlier.
Zebras were 2-0 up inside five minutes and cruising 5-0 at the break before the scoreline threatened to reach Clarence proportions and test the limit of Windsor Park's new scoreboard.
Their kit may have been a hideous pink, but their football was as colourful as anything seen at either Launceston venue this season.
The hosts were frequently exposed down the flanks as Jordan Muller, Matthew Pace, Mat Sanders, Nick Edwards and Riley Dillon shared the first-half goals.
Sanders added a second-half hat-trick and sub James Ackerley joined the party but it could have been so much more as the visitors hit the woodwork six times including three times in one comical 30-second spell.
Olympic coach Alex Gaetani admitted it was uncomfortable viewing for the club's largest crowd of the season with the final scoreline bringing back memories of an 11-1 result between the sides in last season's Lakoseljac Cup.
"We were considerably outplayed for long periods but it is hard to criticise when a side is as young and inexperienced as we are," he said.
"All but a couple of the finishing side came through our juniors and we had a 15-year-old keeper (Reef Murfet) who was under the pump but pulled off some great saves."
City also finished pointless but it was a much different story as they kept Olympia well shackled until substitute Jono Mulungula latched onto a long ball from his keeper to poke the only goal past an otherwise faultless Lachlan Clark.
It was hard to stomach for a City team which was just four minutes away from extending its unbeaten run to three games.
"That was a good hard-fought game," said disappointed coach Lino Sciulli.
"You endeavour to make good games so people will come and watch but this was just not our day.
"The boys are starting to dig in and that's three games in a row where we've been up for the fight and that's what we're about."
City would have been buried much earlier but for Clark who made several superb blocks during the second half before the introduction of Mulungula eight minutes from time decided the outcome.
Glenorchy beat Kingborough 4-1 at KGV on Friday after Olympia had beaten Clarence 9-0 on Wednesday.
South Hobart host champions Devonport in a mouth-watering summit meeting of the top two at Darcy Street on Sunday.
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