THERE were a lot of twists and turns in round 16, with the latter end of the season proving very intriguing. The first match saw Darwin pull a 180 in effort and fall to Pint. The Queen Ants have now cemented their spot for finals by showing the Buffs that they are for real. The next match was no upset for Waratah, who stormed through Nightcliff with little effort. The Palmerston Magpies were no different, sweeping through Tracy Village with ease to continue their premiership campaign. St Marys was last to fall, the Southern Crocs were hurt from their last defeat and gave the Saints a death roll. The Crocs are looking forward to making a statement ahead of their first women’s finals appearance in history.

DARWIN BUFFETTES 0.0 I 0.1 I 1.2 I 1.2  (8)
PINT 0.6 I 2.7 I 2.8 I 2.8 (20)

Goals

Darwin Buffettes: C. Whan
Pint: Not Supplied.

Best

Darwin Buffettes: J. Alley, C. Whan, K. Tinley, A. Bryan, M. Turner
Pint: Not supplied.

How the mighty have fallen, with Darwin falling to St Mary’s and now Pint over the past few weeks. However, credit to Pint who jumped on the Buffs early and took them by the horns. The Queen Ants may not have kicked a  goal after the second quarter but their defensive- efforts proved more than enough for Darwin. Erin Hetherington and her fellow backliners deserve a pat on the back, but for the Buffettes, the pressure is seeming to mount as we reach the end of the season. Celina Whan was the only Buff that could hold her head high as many Darwin stars went missing. Midfielder Tekesa Docherty-Cole was well contained by the Queen Ants, while the promotion of Jordann Hickey to the Melbourne Demons has left a huge gap in the backline. Elsewhere the Queen Ants are crawling over the competition but will meet a savage outfit in the Southern Districts this week.

NIGHTCLIFF 0.0 I 0.0 I 1.2 I 1.2 (8)
WARATAH 4.1 I 7.7 I 8.8 I 10. 12 (72)

Goals

Nightcliff: E. Wolsey
Waratah: A. Chittick 5, M. Cooper 2, L. O”Shea 2, T. O”Hehir

Best

Nightcliff: E. Wolsey, H. Turnbull, S. Miskin-Ripia, K. Simmons
Waratah: S. Bishop, A. Chittick, K. Piscioneri, A. Healy, B. Martin

In two weeks the nightmare for the Tigers will be over and they can start rebuilding for next season. Unfortunately, they had the misfortune of playing the reigning premiers late in the competition. Amy Chittick kicked a bag for the Waratahs in the absence of spearhead Lisa Miceli. Tall timbers Lauren O’Shea and Molly Cooper combined for four majors while Sharona Bishop, Breanne Martin, and Alysha Healy dominated the midfield. Waratah will again look to continue an onslaught performance when they meet Tracy Village this Sunday.

TRACY VILLAGE 2.0 I 5.0 I 8.3 I 11.4 (70)
PALMERSTON MAGPIES 1.3 I 1.4 I 1.4 I 1.4 (10)

Goals

Tracy Village: Z. Clarke
Palmerston Magpies: M. Brown 3, F. Puruntatameri 2, T. May, S. Bush, J. Huddleston

Best

Tracy Village: Z. Clarke, K. Dumbris, S. Bailie-mace, K. Hughes, B. McDougall, A. Ogilvie-Mitchel
Palmerston Magpies: M. Brown, C. Marshall, T. May, B. Byers, F. Puruntatameri  

An honest start from the Razorbacks saw them become a bacon buffet for the Magpies. Freda Puruntatemeri lit up the forward line with Michaeline Brown, with the pair managing five majors between them. Billie Byers was again steady in defense thanks to an impressive midfield, with Tabitha May being the stand-out. The Magpies have indeed become the heavy favourites to take home the cup this season after becoming the premiership fancies of the competition. Palmerston’s final rounds will see them face St Marys and the Wanderers, projected wins that are likely to give the Pies a huge advantage as they cruise into finals.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS 10.0 (81)
ST MARYS 0.0 (15)

Goals

Southern Districts: Not supplied
St Marys: Not Supplied

Best

Southern Districts: Not supplied
St Marys: Not supplied

After a poor performance in their previous match, the Southern Districts had one thought on their mind: crush the Saints. The Crocs were awake this week and showed the competition that last week was just a hiccup. Rhiannon Busch was star of the show, kicking four goals for the day. Tayla Thorn was close behind, running St Marys into the ground. Lateesha Jeffrey owned the backline, teaming well with Indy Sleeth as she controlled the ruck. This game showed how dominant Southern Districts can be on the scoreboard. Pint is up next for the Crocs, so they will be hungry to beat a team in form.