NTFL Round 18 Wrap Up

BY – JACKSON CLARK

TWITTER – @JClark182

https://www.facebook.com/ntfootball

Nightcliff did just enough to fight off a determined Palmerston on Friday night at Northline Oval. It was far from its best performance in the lead up to the finals but the Tigers won 9.14 (68) to 7.10 (52). It was a slow start to the match with both sides struggling to find the goals. At quarter time the Tigers led by a goal but that was reduced to just two points by the main break. Light rain started to fall at half time which further evened up the contest. Palmerston had its chances in the third term but struggled to convert its forward fifty entries into goals as the Nightcliff defence held strong. The Magpies threatened a comeback early in the final term but could not find enough avenues to goal to look a serious chance. Todd Grima was best on ground playing as a tall defender while Kayle Kossack and Darren Guelfi were other solid contributors.

St Marys recorded an emphatic 110-point win over Wanderers in the first game of a triple-header at TIO Stadium. The Saints dominated almost every facet of the match and eventually won 21.19 (145) to 5.5 (35). Despite the impressive win, people should not read too much into the result with Wanderers missing a handful of its best players. The Eagles were without Liam Patrick, Josh Cubillo, Marlon Motlop, Aaron Motlop, Daniel Weetra and a host of others. St Marys were also missing a number of players with at least five stars expected to return for their first final in a fortnight. Justin Van Unen kicked seven goals in a classy display to seal the Dennis Dunn Trophy for the competition’s leading goal scorer. Karl Lohde gathered 23 possessions through the midfield while Kane Leerson provided run from the back half and locked down on Chris Dunne. The big news story from the match was the facial injury to Saints hard nut Justin Wilson. The man known as Ferret collided with Wanderers defender Michael Dalla’s knee in a big collision late in the third quarter that halted play for almost ten minutes. He was taken to hospital with a concussion and possible jaw fracture but he will await results from a scan later this week.

Southern Districts returned to the winners’ list with an eight point win over Tiwi Bombers in the middle game. It was not all smooth sailing for the Crocs as the Bombers took it right up to them in the first half and refused to lie down. It was a fiery contest which saw Bombers utility Rikki Newton sent off for being reported on two separate occasions. Richard Tambling was a clear best on ground as the former AFL player exhibited plenty of class through the midfield to set up many forward opportunities. Jason Puruntatameri rebounded the ball well all game to be Tiwi Bombers’ best performer while Gerry Cunningham booted four goals.

In the late game it was Waratah that recorded a four-goal win over Buffaloes. It was a match where both sides had little to play for and this was reflected in the standard and crowd interest in the match. Buffaloes were competitive but a slow start to the match meant they were never a chance of stealing a victory. The Warriors kicked the first five goals of the match with small forward Harley Puruntatameri proving to be a real livewire in attack. Buffs spearhead Luke Clark was a presence but missed a few shots in front of goals. Sam Godden found plenty of the football while no one could lay a hand on speedster Jake Farrell. It was the usual suspects that played well for the Buffaloes with Matt Campbell and Steven Anderson named their best.

LEADING GOALS:

66 – Justin Van Unen (St Marys)

52 – Troy Taylor (Southern Districts)

45 – Damian Cupido (Southern Districts)

45 – Peter Macfarlane (St Marys)

38 – Shane Thorne (Wanderers)

LADDER:

1 St Marys 18 17 0 0 1 2156 1011 213.25 68
2 Wanderers 18 13 4 0 1 1515 1347 112.47 52
3 Nightcliff 18 11 6 0 1 1660 1282 129.49 44
4 Southern Districts 18 9 7 1 1 1457 1384 105.27 38
5 Waratah 18 8 9 0 1 1261 1431 88.12 32
6 Palmerston 18 6 11 0 1 1294 1608 80.47 24
7 Tiwi Bombers 18 4 12 1 1 1628 1878 86.69 18
8 Buffaloes 18 2 15 0 1 1033 1838 56.20 8

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.

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