A strange turn has occurred in the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) Women’s competition as Tracy Village forfeited its match against the Southern Districts. Three games continued after the shock withdrawal, as the Palmerston Magpies and the Darwin Buffettes duelled on a muggy day. The Buffettes started off well but the Magpies’ persistence would deny them a victory. St Marys fought off a hungry Wanderers to claim four premierships points, but the Eagles not going down without a fight shows they still have pride. In the final game, the Warriors only allowed Pint to score one point and crushed the Ants.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS 10.0 (60)
TRACY VILLAGE 0.0 (0)

Southern Districts won by forfeit.

DARWIN BUFFETTES 0.1 I 2.2 I 5.3 I 5.3 (33)
PALMERSTON MAGPIES  0.2 I 2.4 I 4.4 I 7.6 (48)

On a damp ground, the Magpies managed to wear down the Buffettes to a 15-point win. The match started off very sluggish as a tug of war, so neither team kicked a goal in the first quarter. Kylie Duggan and Machaelia Roberts clicked into gear in the second term, as Darwin scored two majors in a row. The lead was short lived as Freda Puruntatameri showed some brilliance inside 50 with a classy snap around the corner followed by a Jackie Chan-like goal, which put the Pies back in front. Undisciplined action would cause the Pies to lose the lead in the third tern, as two 50 metre penalties had undone Palmerston’s hard work. In the final quarter, Jessica Stassi would change the tide as she kicked her first major of the day. Janet Baird was next to pop up to boot two goals of her own, giving her team a decent buffer during the final minutes. Natasha Medbury kicked the final goal late to put the result beyond any doubt. Darwin was competitive early but simply ran out of legs against a younger team. Palmerston will face the Southern Districts this week in what should be another heavyweight match.

GOALS:

Darwin Buffettes: C. Whan 2, M. Breed, K. Tinley, M. Turner.
Palmerston Magpies: J.Baird 2, F.Puruntatemeri 2, N. Medbury, J.Stassi, S.Bush.

BEST:

Darwin Buffettes: C. Whan, D. Totham, K. Duggan, M. Roberts, N. Dunn
Palmerston Magpies: B. Byers, F. Puruntatameri, J. Misob, N. Medbury, J. Baird

WANDERERS 1.2 I 1.2 I 1.2 I 4.6 (30)
ST MARYS  2.3 I 4.7 I 4.9 I 5.9 (39)

With the Adelaide Crows practice match occurring on the same day, St Marys entered this match without the support of some of their stars. It mattered little as Alana Coombes stole the show, kicking three majors on the day. Coombes has been in good strides recently and is close to becoming one of the elite goal-crumbers in the competition.  She was well supported by the efforts of Katherine Dann, who kicked two of her own. The Saints forwards controlled the scoreboard for the first three quarters, but a late charge by the Eagles saw a close match. In the end, it was too little too late for the Eagles as St Marys claimed the win.

GOALS:

St Marys: A. Coombes 3, K. Dann 2.
Wanderers: I. Briston 2, A. Moreen, T. Tipiloura.

BEST:

St Marys: Not supplied
Wanderers: T. Tipiloura, A. Moreen, I. Briston

WARATAH 3.2 I 5.5 I 6.6 I 8.7 (55)
PINT  0.0 I 0.1 I 0.1 I 0.1 (1)

After their previous loss, the Warriors sharpened their spears last weekend and went hunting. Pint never got in the game, as defensive efforts by Sharona Bishop and Molly Cooper saw the Queen Ants score only one point for the game.  Amy Chittick and Breanna Martin kicked six goals between them while Sue Nalder booted a pair of her own. The Queen Ants may have locked in their finals spot, but if they don’t believe they belong there they may fall out in the first elimination final.

GOALS:

Waratah: A. Chittick 3, B. Martin 3, S. Nalder 2.
Pint:  Not supplied.

BEST:

Waratah: A. Chittick, M. Cooper, R. Pryer, S. Bishop, S. Nalder
Pint:  Not supplied