Northern Territory Football League Wrap-Up (Round 16)

A young Wanderers outfit has easily accounted for Southern Districts in the first game of the triple-header at TIO Stadium on the weekend. The Eagles had over a dozen changes to the previous week’s side but this did not deter them as they ran out winners 16.8 (104) to 7.6 (48). It was a tight first quarter with both sides having to adjust to the heavy conditions of the ground. After quarter time it was all one way traffic with the Eagles outscoring the Crocs 14 goals to four in the final three quarters. Recent NT Thunder signings Liam Patrick and Mitchell Taylor were exceptional in the wet conditions while Nathan Djerrkura found plenty of the football. Damian Cupido made his return for Southern Districts and booted three goals.

Nightcliff has sent a message to the rest of the competition after a resounding win over fifth placed Waratah. The Tigers dominated from the onset and won by 79 points outscoring the Warriors 31 scoring shots to five. Waratah could not manage a goal after half time and it is the second time this season they have been restricted to only two goals for the match. Daniel Dzufer used his superior work rate to burn off the opposition and reward himself with three goals while youngster Brandon Parfitt continued his impressive debut season.

Palmerston fought off a determined Buffaloes side to win by 15 points in the late game on Saturday. The match was played in very sloppy conditions with the playing surface badly torn up from the previous two games. The double blues had the better start to the match and were able to take a narrow lead into the first change. The Magpies pegged back the lead and always managed to stay a couple of goals in front for the rest of the game. Palmerston are now only one game behind Waratah on the ladder and a strong finish to the season could give them an unlikely finals berth.

A mercurial five-goal performance from small forward William Rioli helped St Marys to a 58-point win over Tiwi Bombers at Real Estate Central Oval on the Tiwi Islands on Sunday. Rioli played dry weather football on a wet day and handled the ball superbly en route to his five goals. The Saints were in control for most of the contest apart from a concentration lapse in the third quarter that saw Tiwi gain the momentum. The ship was steadied in the final term as the Saints won 19.21 (135) to 11.11 (77). Skipper Peter Macfarlane continued his excellent season in front of goal with another bag of five in the absence of competition leading goal scorer Justin Van Unen. 2013 teammates at Mooroopna in the Goulburn Valley Football League, Karl Lohde and Mark Blake, formed a great combination and resulted in many centre clearances for St Marys.

LADDER:

1 St Marys 16 15 0 0 1 1853 914 202.74 60

2 Wanderers 16 13 2 0 1 1412 1042 135.51 52

3 Nightcliff  16 9 6 0 1 1418 1186 119.56 36

4 Southern Districts 16 8 6 1 1 1306 1145 114.06 34

5 Waratah 16 6 9 0 1 1061 1294 81.99 24

6 Palmerston  16 5 10 0 1 1082 1472 73.51 20

7 Tiwi Bombers 16 4 10 1 1 1459 1662 87.79 18

8 Buffaloes 16 2 13 0 1 940 1591 59.08 8

 

LEADING GOALS:

54 – Justin Van Unen (St Marys)

49 – Troy Taylor (Southern Districts)

43 – Damian Cupido (Southern Districts)

40 – Peter Macfarlane (St Marys)

38 – Shane Thorne (Wanderers)

 

TWITTER – @JClark182

About Jackson Clark

Born and bred in Darwin, Northern Territory, I am a young, aspiring football writer that lives and breathes the game of Australian Football. I'm also a keen player and coach.

Comments

  1. What comp does the NT Thunder play in Jackson? How does their team get put together? Surprised to see that the Suns delisted Liam Patrick. Skinny but quick and skilful – a real livewire who played well against the Eagles at Subi.

  2. Jackson Clark says

    NT Thunder play in the NEAFL competition which is supposed to be a second-tier comp equal to SANFL, VFL, WAFL. It has the Brisbane, Gold Coast, GWS and Sydney reserves side.

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