Olympia FC Warriors are 2015 Playstation 4 Victory League Champions. The Warriors recording a 4-0 victory over Devonport in their Round 21 match; to finish on top of the league and first past the post to claim a maiden PS4 Victory League title.

The victory ensured the club's first senior title in almost 20 years. With coach Glen McNeill romantically returning the club to the top of Tasmanian football for the first time since 1996 - when he captained the club to title victory.

The win although convincing in the finish, in many ways encapsulated the Warriors season with some scares along the way.

It was a nervy start for Olympia, in a game with so much riding on it tension was high and it took some time for the hosts to settle. As it ticked over ten minutes, they started to pile the pressure onto Devonport but with a mixture of missed opportunities and quality goalkeeping from Strikers gloveman Tom Pearce an opener proved elusive.

Emmanuel Tsakiris looked likely to open the scoring in the 17th minute but he squandered a golden opportunity after being sent through one on one with the keeper. He fired wide to the right with a shot that curled after it zipped beyond the goal frame. Tsakiris entered the match in the golden boot mix but failed to find the back of the net and press his case for the accolade.

Pearce stood in the way of the Warriors on many occasions with a fine display of shot stopping to deny Olympia's best efforts at goal. The youngster seem unflustered by the occasion and the vocal Warriors crowd behind his goal. He produced a sensational stop to deny Nick Meredith in the 19th minute, Meredith beat his marker Michael Dahya and jigged inside to fire a fizzing drive that Pearce plucked out of the bottom corner with a diving save.

Immediately following Olympia's effort on goal it was a heart in mouth moment at the other end for the Warriors. Beau Blizzard charged away on a counter attack, carrying it from inside his defensive half past Lachlan Nichols to the top of the box where the striker fired a shot that beat the outstretched arms of Sean Lewis and rattled into the left upright. 

In the 25th minute there was another scare for Olympia with Blizzard clipping the opposite post. Adam Gorrie worked in from the right wing and shaped to shoot before laying off for Blizzard, who cannoned a shot that agonisingly glided off the right upright and away to the relief of the Warriors.

In the 33rd minute the packed house at Warrior Park broke into raptures of relief and celebration, with Hoy giving the home side a valuable lead. Vandermey unleashed a long diagonal ball deep in defence on the right wing to inside the box on the left wing.  Hoy met it on the volley and sent it into the bottom right with a fine first touch. Confusion reigned at the back for Devonport as Pearce was caught off his line and Hoy capitalised with a sumptuous effort. 

The goal seemed to calm the nerves of Olympia and as they entered the second stanza the Warriors showcased why they are the 2015 champions.

In the 58th minute they made it 2-0 as Gavin Hoy netted his and Olympia's second. He slipped in on the left side of the box, outfoxing a couple of defenders he fired a shot that beat Pearce at his near post to lodge into the bottom right corner. 

The second made it unlikely for Devonport to cause an upset but the third put the result to bed with Fabian Gustaffson scoring a sealer in his final match for the club. Tsakiris forced a save from Pearce with a firm shot and Gustaffson was on hand to stroll in and tap home with a follow up to make it 3-0.

Luke Eyles then put the cherry on top of the title winning day with a well taken goal, nipping inside the box from the left wing he fired a shot across the face and into the bottom right corner.

The Warriors closed it out 4-0 with little late resistance from the visitors and were left to celebrate a monumental occasion in the club's long history.

Elsewhere on the Victory League's final day the buzz was focused on the PFD Golden Boot race with Adam McKeown holding a one goal advantage over reigning golden boot winner Brayden Mann entering the round. 

At half time at both games it seemed it would be McKeown's to own as Mann missed out on finding the back of the net in the opening half against Glenorchy.

The second half saw McKeown bag three more goals and strengthen his grip on a lead before Mann came home with a wet sail. Scoring five goals in the final 25 minutes of the season to claim his third golden boot, Mann closed it out with a final goal with the last kick of the game.

South Hobart won their clash with Glenorchy 10-0 with Mann bagging five, Leszczynski two, while Chris Hunt, Alfred Hess and Hugh Undy scored singles.

It was Glenorchy's final game in the Victory League until at least 2019 and they gave a good account of themselves in the opening half, making it hard for South Hobart, trailing 2-0 at the break.

Unfortunately Mann's pursuit of the golden boot and the pressure of South Hobart saw them succumb to South and fall 10-0 with an eight goal second half.

Launceston City looked likely to cause an unlikely final day upset with the northern outfit jumping sister club Zebras with an early onslaught.

 

They opened in the fifth minute through Aaron Mattarozzi, who chipped Graham Wright. Zebras restored parity through James Sherman, who capitalised from chaos in the box to nod home an equaliser.

City then struck two in nine minutes, with Isaac Degetto tapping home in the 23rd minute and Nathan Butler netting in the 32nd to make it 3-1.

The second half produced a Zebras revival with five goals seeing Zebras storm home to a big win.

McKeown scored the half's first in the 50th minute before Dwayne Walsh equalised in the 79th minute. McKeown then headed the Zebras ahead before Kurt Engels scored another to take it to 5-3, before McKeown rounded out a hat trick in added time to see it finish 6-3.

At Lightwood Park the Northern Rangers were far too good for Kingborough Lions, belting them 6-1.

Harry Thannhauser was the star with a brace in a dominant midfield performance, Schalde Anderson also struck two, while Chris Hill and Yitay Towns both netted in the big win.

In the eighth minute Rangers shot ahead through Thannhauser, who shot a gentle volley past the Lions 'keeper.

A back post header from Hill doubled it up for the Rangers in the 33rd minute giving them a 2-0 half time lead.

The floodgates opened at the start of the second half with Thannhauser getting his second with the help of a deflection in the 49th minute, Towns then nodded in their fourth two minutes later. Anderson scored from the spot in the 55th and lobbed the keeper in the 70th. 

Danny Cowen scored in the 78th as mere consolation in a tough day for the Lions down at the den.

It is now onto the Victory Cup - 

The Victory Cup is a random knockout cup to finish the year, it involves eight clubs – the top six from the Victory League, the Southern Champions (University) and the Northern Champions (Somerset).

The draw at last night's dinner produced the following quarter final match-ups.

Victory Cup – Quarter Finals

University v Launceston City – 2:00PM/Saturday 29 August 2015 (Olinda Grove)

South Hobart v Somerset – 2:00PM/Saturday 29 August 2015 (Darcy Street)

Kingborough Lions v Hobart JEEP Zebras – 2:00PM/Sunday 30 August 2015 (Lightwood Park)

Olympia FC Warriors v Northern Rangers – 4:30PM/Saturday 29 August 2015 (Warrior Park)

 

Playstation 4 Victory League Round 21 Results

Kingborough Lions United 1 (Danny Cowen 78') Northern Rangers 6 (Harry Thannhauser 8', 49', Chris Hill 33', Yitay Towns 51', Schalde Andersen 55', 70’)

Olympia FC Warriors 4 (Gavin Hoy 33', 58', Fabian Gustaffson 66', Luke Eyles 71') Devonport Strikers 0

Hobart JEEP Zebras 6 Launceston City 3

South Hobart 10 (5', 21' Leszczysnki, Mann 65', 68', 75', 80', 90+3, Hunt 79', Hess 84', Undy 90') Glenorchy Knights 0