South Hobart lead and Joel Badger keeps chasing

Joel Badger's remarkable rise continued on the weekend, with the in-form striker netting another hat-trick to inspire Kingborough Lions United to a 3-1 victory over Launceston City in Round 16 of NPL Tasmania.

Fresh off becoming one of the competition's breakout stories, Badger delivered again, scoring all three goals as second-placed Kingborough maintained the pressure on league leaders South Hobart.

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It was a ruthless 30-minute treble from Badger, who has scored 21 goals in 20 matches this season - including 15 in the league.

The reigning champions, however, ensured the gap remained at four points after a professional 3-1 win over Devonport City Strikers.

Alex Walter opened the scoring before Samuel Berezansky and Kobe Kemp sealed another important three points at the top of the table.

South East United strengthened their push up the standings with a convincing 4-1 victory over Launceston United, led by a brace from Callum Brown.

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Clarence Zebras also enjoyed an entertaining afternoon, defeating Riverside Olympic 4-2 thanks to two goals from Michael Hatcher.

Meanwhile, Glenorchy Knights collected a valuable three points on the road, easing past Ulverstone 2-0 to round out the weekend's action.