The 2015 Playstation 4 Victory League kicks off this week with a blockbuster opening round at KGV Football Park, that will see every club meet their closest rival from 2014.

The following are profiles filled out by all eight clubs ahead of the season.

  

Club: South Hobart Football Club

Coach: Ken Morton

Home ground: South Hobart Oval (affectionately known as "Darcy Street")

Club Colours: Red and Blue

Captain: Hugh Ludford

2014 Club Highlight: Winning the League is definitely our 2014 highlight. This is a measure of success for us, as is the ability to play consistent football. 

The 1-0 loss to South Melbourne in the NPL Finals Series was an exciting game to play (and what a terrific effort from the team), and of course the Westfield FFA Cup first round loss on penalties to Tuggeranong was a memorable night.

What are your thoughts on your first three fixtures? 

Hobart Jeep Zebras, Devonport and Olympia look to be formidable opponents. All have new and exciting players and we look forward to the test.

What are your hopes for the season ahead? 

One game at a time, so to win our first game is our first priority.

Biggest rival?

Our next game determines our biggest rival.

Who are your key signings?

Alex Leszczynski from Zebras, Alfred Hess from Canberra and four quality youngsters from the NTC - Oscar Thomas, Connor Schmidt, Liam Quaile and Kobe Kemp. Jacob Brennan also shows a lot of promise.

Any major losses from last year? 

Andy Brennan to South Melbourne, Nick Morton to Melbourne City FC, Liam Scott to Green Gully, Connor Kass to Pascoe Vale, Caleb Ludlow to Northcote and Jayden Hey to Zebras. 

Who are the young players to watch from your club?

Alex Walter, Chris Downes and Darcy Hall. They have come through our youth system and we are delighted to have them playing first team football this year. They are progressing and have big futures.

2014 Best and Fairest: Andy Brennan

Best PS4 Victory League finish? First

Unique club information: We turn 105 in May!

 

Club: Hobart Jeep Zebras

Coach: Chris Hey 

Home ground: KGV Football Park

Club Colours: Black and White

Captain: Henry Fagg

2014 Club Highlight: Russell Courtney being captain of Tasmania v Melbourne Victory.

What are your thoughts on your first three fixtures? Very difficult and will sort out the top two contenders very quickly.

What are your hopes for the season ahead? Some Silverware. 

Biggest rival? Olympia FC Warriors

Who are your key signings? GRAHAM WRIGHT ( GK SCOTLAND GRETNA 68 F.C. ) NATHAN COOK (CB  England Pickering Town F.C ) TYLER HARRISON (GK) , JAYDEN HEY (SH), BEN PHILIPS (OW).

Any major losses from last year? RUSSELL COURTNEY, NATHAN PITCHFORD , MATTHEW FERGUSON , ALEX LESZCZYNSKI, ANDREW TELEGA, RYAN SMITH, MARCELLO MARCHIOLI, CURRAN FERNS, ANDY CLARK, MARK PAGE, ROB KAY, JONO LADIC, JOEL STONE.

Who are the young players to watch from your club? LUKE WARRENER, DALE HUGHES.

2014 Best and Fairest: RUSSELL COURTNEY 

Best PS4 Victory League finish? Second 

Unique club information: WORKING WITH BEACHSIDE F.C FOR 2016.

 

Club:  Olympia FC Warriors

Coach: Glen McNeill

Home ground: Warrior Park

Captain: Alexander Holmes

2014 Club Highlight: Winning the Women’s Premier League premiership.

What are your thoughts on your first three fixtures? Olympia will be on nine points after they are played.

What are your hopes for the season ahead? We as a group of players, coaches and administrators expect to win the premiership and all the trophies that are on offer in 2015.

Biggest rival? Any club we did not beat last year. 

Who are your key signings? Harry Woolley, Luke Eyles, Shae Hickey, Sean Lewis, Fabian Gustafsson.

Any major losses from last year? Every year in the off-season in all leagues players come and go. However any player leaving our club from juniors on up is of concern to our Board.

Who are the young players to watch from your club? Our whole Squad is young. All of our players are of quality and deserve to be watched. 

2014 Best and Fairest: Jake Vandermey

Best PS4 Victory League finish? Third

Unique club information: We are the only club in Tasmania with our founding fathers being of Greek Heritage.

Club: Northern Rangers 

Coach: Dane Hudson

Home ground: NTCA Ground.

Club colours: Red, White and Blue (Home), Brown, White and Blue (Away).

Captain: Nick Lanau-Atkinson.

2014 Club Highlight: Finishing in the top four 

What are your thoughts on your first three fixtures? Very difficult first three rounds. 

Includes 2nd and 3rd from last year, there are no easy games in the Victory League.

What are your hopes for the season ahead? To finish in the top four again. I think with the way teams are shaping up a top four finish for anyone will be a worthy accomplishment.
 

Biggest rival? 

Launceston City are our cross-town rivals.

I think Kingbourough Lions this year will be very tough to beat. We had their measure last year, not in 2015 though. They have recruited well and follow the coaches instructions. 2015 sleeper.

Who are your key signings? We have back Adam Edwards and Mads Anderson from last year and have re-signed all of our young brigade from last year. 

Any major losses from last year? 

3 - Todd Hingston, Ryan McCarragher and Shane Brassington.

Who are the young players to watch from your club? I really rate Yitay Towns and Harry Thannhauser, these guys are 18 and under. 

There are a couple young players I am hoping to include in the 20 so hopefully you will hear their names as the season unfolds.

Our Leadership group of Nick and Pat Lanau-Atkinson and Aidan Rigby are only 21, so plenty of young players to watch. 

2014 Best and Fairest: Todd Hingston

Best PS4 Victory League finish? Fourth.

 

Club: Devonport Strikers

Coach: Bobby Eaves

Home ground: Valley Road 

Club colours: Yellow and Blue

Captain: Bobby Eaves

2014 Club Highlight: There are two that come to mind - I think the win we had against The Hobart Stripey Horses said a fair bit about the club in a season that couldn’t have started any worse and was compounded by injuries to key players. And secondly, the emergence of Michael Holden and his subsequent state selection and ongoing interest from Melbourne Victory. Really happy that the coaches decided to play him for 15 minutes.

What are your thoughts on your first three fixtures? Two away games and one at home. First up against a much improved Kingborough Lions at KGV – winnable – then South Hobart at Chris McKenna Park will bring the locals out down from the hills, should be a terrific game, then away again to a young Knights team – a game we would hope to win. 

What are your hopes for the season ahead? A top four finish and the emergence of  3-4 more young players. 

Biggest rival?  Ulverstone – to be honest, no one really stands out as we respect and like to beat anyone.

Who are your key signings? 

Luke Banfield (who?) Adam Gorrie, - keeping a lid on the rest. 

Any major losses from last year? Heaps, Callum Moore(UK),Cory Vickers (not required), Miles Barnyardos  (Cricket -Spain) Joel Stone (Redlands United), Ben Foote (Retired-Ulverstone), Casey ‘The Dugong’ Eaves (Some Pacific Atol somewhere eating fish).

Who are the young players to watch from your club? 

Pretty much all of them, Tom Pearce, 17 year old Goalkeeper with a big future. Beau Blizzard – 17 year old attacking midfielder with an awesome name. Dom Smith, 16 year old defender and Matt Jordan 16 year old midfielder/forward. 

2014 Best and Fairest:

Callum ‘The Hound’ Moore.

Best PS4 Victory League finish?

Second

Unique club information: 

Oldest Life member Harold Patterson (a star player in the 60s) still frequents the club and aids in fundraising. Another life member Peter Best cooks the best Dogs in the Southern Hemisphere.

Club:

Kingborough Lions United FC 

Coach:

Colin Robbins 

Home ground: Lightwood Park, Kingston

Club colours: Blue, Black and White.

Captain: Nick Cuthbertson

2014 Club Highlight: Made the semi-final stage of the 2014 Men’s State-wide Cup

Finished 6th in Season 2 of the Victory League (2014)

What are your thoughts on your first three fixtures? Round 1 – Devonport Strikers

Expecting them to play a similar playing style to 2014, have lost visa players Vickers and Moore from 2014 but have recruited visa players Maskill and Syson (not sure if the later will arrive in time to play us but he is a player we looked at recruiting so have knowledge of him). Game will be played on KGV, we are coming off a strong preseason with training sessions conducted regularly on KGV which will put us in a good position to play well on the surface. Gauging from 2014, Devonport appear to travel well and will be well prepared, they have some exciting quick young players and we will be expecting a tough encounter, some good football will be played by both teams.

 

Round 2 – Glenorchy Knights

First home game at the Lions’ Den, it will be a massive day for the club and our army of volunteers. Having already played a very young Knight’s team in the Summer Cup this puts us in a good place tactically. They have lost some experienced older aged players and this will place enormous pressure on the shoulders of their young players. I will be expecting another very strong and dominating game by our players.

 

Round 3 – Launceston City

Our first bus trip for the season to the north of the State, the game will have a later than usual kick off time of 4.30pm so the game will be played under lights predominately. Launceston City will be an unknown, they also have a new coach, but we will do our research on them during the first two rounds to identify their playing style, key players, strengths and weaknesses. It will be important game where we can continue to build belief in the group with another strong performance.

What are your hopes for the season ahead? We want to bring our club’s playing style statement and team model to life, professional and strong team and player performances will provide us with the rewards on the pitch. 

We believe our players are fitter, faster and stronger after completing a solid preseason program, and we are now in a position to demand high performances from the players and team.

We are seeking a top 4 finish in the PS4 Victory League in 2015. The club also has strong ambitions of winning the 2015 Men’s State-wide Cup, which would provide us with a fantastic opportunity to play in the Westfield FFA Cup.

Our round of 16 Cup game commences against the Metro FC at North Chigwell on Monday 6th April and we will be looking to start the campaign strongly.

Biggest rival?

No real big rivalry in the League but I think if you asked the players and the coaching staff at all levels in the club, they would all say South Hobart.

South Hobart is the benchmark team of the competition, and I think it’s about time we see a change at the top, everyone wants to knock them off. The players took some great positives from their performance against South Hobart in the Summer Cup and they now know how to beat them, next time the result will be very different.

Who are your key signings?

UK visa players Matheus Galante and Keiron Dale.

Ex Glenorchy Knights goalkeeper Alex Tatnell.

Returning players (from the 2013 season) Tom McDonald, Damian Pearce, Michael Palmer, Adam Hinkley and Cormac Collins.

Further additions to the squad - Ben Karagiannakis, Kyle Dedini, Chase McConnon and Lachlan Davey (GK). 

Any major losses from last year? Squad has remained fairly intact from last season, only omissions are Trent Pearce, Tom Young and Adam Coleman.

Who are the young players to watch from your club? Lewis Verdouw and Dean Watkins.

2014 Best and Fairest: Nick Cuthbertson (George Arnott Medal) 

Best PS4 Victory League finish? Sixth

Unique club information:

Kingborough Lions United FC is a “not for profit” sporting organisation that aims to provide systems, opportunities and choices which enable members to participate in football.

The Club exists to support and encourage the development of Football within the community and specifically within the Kingborough Municipality. In doing this the club aspires to develop the core values of living a healthy life style, honesty, commitment, integrity, fairness, respect for others and the law; and in following these values provides an environment that allows for both participation and the challenge of striving to play at the highest level possible.

The Club is committed to providing opportunities for all its members; players, coaches and volunteers or support staff including the opportunities for:

• Social players - juniors through to seniors who wish to play for the enjoyment of the

game with little or no focus on playing at the highest level.

• High performance players - those that do aspire to play at the highest level, so that they can develop their skills and techniques and reach that level, whether this lies within the Kingborough Lions United Football Club or further a field.
• The development of club coaches, support staff and volunteers, for these valued members of the club to be afforded the chance to improve their knowledge and skills to perform at the highest level they can. 

The Club’s registration and team numbers in 2014 were:

Seniors – 120 players/7 teams

Youth – 150 players/10 teams

Junior – 260 players/29 teams

Total – 530 players/46 teams

The Club has been successful in being granted a second consecutive FFT State SAP (skills acquisition program) License and this program is open to all school and club players in the Kingborough, Channel and Huon regions (you don’t need to play football for KLUFC).

The numbers of children engaged in the Young Lions SAP program averages 60 children per cycle and the program also promotes a young coaches program which leads the Youth Leadership Program participants into coaching opportunities in SAP.

The Young Lions Development Program has been expanded to offer:

• holiday camps for our junior players
• a SAP (skills acquisition program) for youth players
• a goalkeepers program for youth players
• a Discovery Program for 5-8 year old players
• Girls Football Discovery Days for 5-12 year olds

The Club aims to be a hub for football in the area’s south of Hobart – Kingborough, Channel and Huon regions. The Club successfully hosted the FFT State Cycle 4 (December 2014) SAP Festival at the Twin Ovals, Kingston and also the inaugural State-wide Youth Girls Festival late in 2014.

Club:  GLENORCHY KNIGHTS 

Coach: MARK BROADBENT

Home ground: KGV Football Park

Club Colours: Red and Blue (check) 

Captain: Aaron Wilson, Leadership Group - Aaron Wilson, Vincent Kamano, Alex Woodham, Daniel Holmes. 

2014 Club Highlight: Hosting the very successful inaugural ANZAC Day ANZAC Cup Match, which will be held each year and played between Glenorchy Knights and Olympia Warriors.

What are your thoughts on your first three fixtures? Launceston City first up is an unknown quantity however Knights have always given a strong performance against them. Kingborough will be tough at home and having played them in the Summer Cup we have learnt a lot and will push them down at the Lions Den. Devonport will be a strong side again and will be a big test for our young side.

What are your hopes for the season ahead? That our young players develop over the season and build their knowledge and understanding of the game. The club would like to see the Victory team finish 5th or better and for our senior team to make the semi finals of the Lakoseljac Cup.

Biggest rival?  Launceston City

Who are your key signings? Phillip Kantzos and Matthew Nowicki.

Any major losses from last year? The club has lost a number of senior players including Shae Hickey, Paul Wilcock and Sam Johnson.

Who are the young players to watch from your club? Key young players will be Vincent Kamano, Aaron Wilson and Phillip Kantzos.

2014 Best and Fairest: Paul Wilcock

Best PS4 Victory League finish? Seventh

Unique club information: Knights has a very proud Croatian heritage.

The club will be fielding the youngest squad in the PS4 Victory League this season however by the end of the season Knights will surprise other clubs and develop into a well structured and disciplined team. The playing group has a lot of potential and is being well coached and educated in the game of football.

 

Club: LAUNCESTON CITY FC 

Coach: LINO SCIULLI

Home ground: MITSUBISHI PARK, PROSPECT

Club colours: Black and White 

Captain:  TOBY OMENIHU 

2014 Club Highlight: LCFC's First Victory League Victory v Hobart Jeep Zebras, which included marquee player Danny Allsopp's performance.

What are your thoughts on your first three fixtures?  Every week will provide a challenge, as there are no easy games in the Victory League. 

We will be striving to gain maximum points every time we step out on the pitch so have an expectation of success in the first three games which include an away game to Glenorchy Knights FC in Round 1 and home games against Northern Rangers FC and Kingborough Lions FC in rounds two and three.

What are your hopes for the season ahead?  To continue the improvement we showed during last season - in particular the development of our entire player group to be competitive in all games.

Biggest rival?   All Victory League clubs are rivals but if we were to pick one, it would be our cross town rivals - Northern Rangers FC, which we hold the utmost respect for.

Who are your key signings?    In 2015, we have the following key signings: 

Greg Duffy, Nathan Butler - Both NPL premiership players and strong defenders who previously played with Prospect Knights FC.  

Trent Mitchell - a striker and proven goal scorer at NPL level - returns to LCFC after spending time at Riverside Olympic FC.  

Frank Compton a utility player from the UK.  Omar Murati - an attacking midfielder from Brescia Calcio - Serie C in Italy. 

David Smith - who made a handful of appearances for LCFC in the latter stages of 2014 has returned to Tasmania full time, following the completion of his studies in the us and we are excited to have him as our number one keeper for 2015.

Any major losses from last year?    Whilst we've retained the bulk of the squad, our two key fly in players in 2014  - Gus Martin and Nick Abougelis are key losses, who have decided to focus on playing opportunities in the Victorian NPL. 

Who are the young players to watch from your club?    Aaron Mattarozzi, Dan Egan, Brad Martin, Dom Rossi, Isaac Degetto, Jarrod Linger, Noah Mies, Alex Turner.

2014 Best and Fairest:  Joint winners - Nathan Bartlett and Nick Abougelis, runner up - Dom Rossi.

Best Ps4 Victory League finish?  Eighth 

Unique club information: LCFC are very excited about the continued development of our home grown players, such as Aaron Mattarozzi, Dan and Shane Egan, David Smith, Dom Rossi, Isaac Degetto who were all part of the 2014 Victory League landscape. We have continued our focus on providing opportunities for the next crop of talented youngsters in the 2015 squad - Noah Mies, Jarrod Linger and Alex Turner. These youngsters have been identified as being an integral part of the future planning of the club and will be given opportunities throughout 2015 to be involved within the championship and Victory League squads.