Riverside coach Alex Gaetani found an apt way to sum up his side's progress after an entertaining contest at Devonport finished 4-2 in favour of the champions elect.
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"The gap is not eighth versus first, it's a lot closer than that," Gaetani said after watching his side keep with the hosts for 70 minutes.
"It's a good reflection of where we're at that I'm really frustrated not to get something out of that.
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"When we had them at 2-1 we had chances and hit the woodwork and were very much in the game. For the first 20 minutes of the second half we were on top, had the momentum and I thought it could be our day.
"A few things did not go our way - I'm not sure about the penalty. That changed the game and they put us away. But I don't think the score reflected the game. I don't think we deserved to have four against us."
With suspended Yorkshireman Chris Wademan reduced to a spectating role at Valley Road, Olympic's display was orchestrated by Nil Sanz.
With a man bun, pink boots and a Spanish accent, Sanz is hard to miss on the field but produced a display every bit as eye-catching as his appearance.
Two typically clinical examples of Miles Barnard box foxing had the hosts 2-0 ahead, but Sanz had already hit the post before he reduced the arrears with a cool finish after Liam Gilmore had released Matt Spanos down the left flank.
Barnard and Ryan McCarragher missed chances to add to the scoring and with 20 minutes left the visitors were still in the contest before two goals in four minutes killed it off.
Joel Stone slotted home from the edge of the box before Todd Hingston smashed in a penalty after Mitch Jones was judged to have fouled Daniel Syson.
There was still time for substitute Will Coert to reduce the arrears with a tidy finish after being found, inevitably, by Sanz.
Olympic have a swift chance for revenge when the two sides meet again at the same venue next week.
"We have a second chance to upset them on Wednesday and we will go hell for leather in that one and look for an upset," Gaetani added.
Launceston City never recovered from a first-minute goal and went down 3-0 at Glenorchy Knights.
Straight from the kick-off, Alex Leszczynski set up Nicholas Naden who made no mistake.
Mackenzie Hancox, Noah Mies and Isaac Degetto had chances to equalise before a Matty Oh own goal doubled Knights' lead.
Goal-keeper Lachlan Clark and the KGV woodwork kept the visitors in it before Naden wrapped up the scoring 19 minutes from time after an Alex Bellini blast had been blocked by the hard-working Clark.
Goals from Horacio Guitterez Jr, Nic Cuthbertson and Keenan Douce gave Kingborough a 3-2 Friday night win over Hobart Zebras 3-2 who hit back through Matthew Sanders and a Chris Downes own goal.
South Hobart host Clarence at Darcy Street at 2pm on Sunday.
Northern Championship
Northern Rangers are one point away from the Northern Championship title after a dramatic come-from-behind 3-2 win against Somerset.
On an action-packed day at Cardigan Street, the hosts were 2-0 up at half-time before some blunt words and a timely substitution from Rangers coach Rod Fulton.
"I actually feel that Somerset are the toughest opposition we've played all year and I cannot work out why they are only fifth," he said.
"We were quite disappointing and I had to challenge their character at half-time. We weren't out of it but our effort was terrible. I talked to them for two minutes then left them to talk among themselves."
Fulton brought on Josh Lord into the no.10 role and pushed Rob Gerrard further forward.
The move worked a treat as Lord claimed two assists with Joe McCormack and a Wes Chugg double securing the win.
"Lordy was spreading the ball around and running at them with a care-free confidence which was just infectious and the boys caught onto that."
After four straight home games finished with a 5-0 loss to Launceston United, Rangers have since won successive away games at Devonport, Riverside and Somerset and can wrap up the title against Olympic next Saturday.
Olympic inadvertently kept the title race alive by losing 2-0 to second-placed Devonport at Valley Road.
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Rob Shaw
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
Heralding the impact of Tasmanian sport without saying "punching above its weight" is not as easy as it sounds.
