ROUND 3 of Northern Territory Football League Women’s (NTFLW) saw a massive switch in momentum, with only one side remaining undefeated and in the same position on the ladder as they sat prior to the weekend’s matches. Meanwhile, Tracy Village got its first win on the board for the season leaving only Big River Hawks yet to win a match at this early stage of the season.

WARATAH 0.6 | 1.10 | 2.12 | 4.17 (41)
NIGHTCLIFF 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 (1)

GOALS

Waratah: M. Cooper, A. Love, J. Smyth, L. O’Shea.
Nightcliff: N/A.

BEST

Waratah: J. Smyth, J. Singh, I. Rapson-Staropoli, A. Love, S. Puruntatameri
Nightcliff: L. de Hommel, H. Turnbull, E. Wolsey, E. Morrison, E. Johnson

Inaccuracy plagued last season’s premiers in the opening match of Round 3, with Waratah booting a whopping 17 behinds to only four goals. While it was easily enough to get them over the line, keeping their opposition in Nightcliff – undefeated until now – to only one behind, it could be a frustrating sign of what is to come for the Warriors with a second unsuccessful match in front of goal. Meanwhile, this match sees Nightcliff lose their unbeaten streak to start the season, dealt a savage blow by Waratah and only producing one behind for the match. It was a relatively even start to the match with both sides unable to find the goals, however it was Waratah’s ability to hold onto the footy that kept them one step ahead despite Nightcliff’s constant defensive efforts. For Nightcliff, Laura de Hommel put in tough slog as did Hannah Turnbull, while Waratah’s Jordan Smyth and Jenna Singh impressed on their way back up the ladder. While Nightcliff have plenty to improve on they will need to keep their confidence up despite this loss, while Waratah will need to tidy up their accuracy if they hope to compete with consistency and pile on the pressure throughout the season.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS 2.2 | 5.4 | 8.10 | 12.13 (85)
PINT 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 (12)

GOALS

Southern Districts: E. Miller 5, M. Derschow 2, T. Holtze, K. Patterson, M. Breed, S. Hoogeveen-Hill, C. Deegan.
Pint: S. Peris, C. Evans.

BEST

Southern Districts: N/A
Pint: N/A

The Southern Districts well and truly earned their position in second this week with the biggest margin of the round, locking the ball in their forward half and forcing Pint to scrap for every ball. While inaccuracy was a minor issue for Districts it did not seem to phase the home side, booting 12 goals and 13 behinds on their way to an impressive victory and percentage to boot. Ebony Miller starred for Southern Districts with five majors to her name, closely followed by Mickaela Derschow with two while five other players put goals on the board. For Pint, strong efforts inside 50 from Shailyn Doreen Peris and Cara Evans were unfortunately not enough, and despite a goal apiece the defensive strength of the Crocs saw them take plenty of turnover ball to keep the Districts forward-line busy.

PALMERSTON MAGPIES 1.1 | 4.4 | 4.5 | 4.7 (31)
DARWIN BUFFETTES 2.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 6.0 (36)

GOALS

Palmerston Magpies: A. Moreen 2, F. Puruntatameri, K. Whittaker.
Darwin Buffettes: M. Ellis 2, R. De Santis, D. Carbone, T. Bullen, T. Paterson.

BEST

Palmerston Magpies: T. May, J. Baird, B. Byers, N. Medbury, T. Williams, I. Ronberg
Darwin Buffettes: B. Stokes, T. Hart-Aluni, M. Ellis, M. Roberts, N. Dunn

It was a final quarter three-goal blitz that got the Buffettes over the line against the Magpies, down by 11 points at the final change and needing a big push to the finish. The Magpies had a slow start out of the games with the Buffettes outscoring them in the first before the tides changed with the Magpies managing a 10-point lead heading into the first change. While both sides struggled to get points on board in the third with only the one behind conceded, the Buffettes well and truly put on the accelerator in the final term to boot three goals to nil and take the win, staying at the top of the ladder as the only undefeated side. The likes of Arthurina Moreen (two goals) and Tabitha May were impressive for the Magpies, while Janet Baird and Billie Byers were also up there with a willingness to contest every ball. For the Buffettes, Michelle Ellis added two more goals to her early season tally, while Bianca Stokes and Tayla Hart-Aluni put on a solid performance once more.

WANDERERS 0.0 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 5.6 (36)
ST MARY’S 2.3 | 4.5 | 4.8 | 4.10 (34)

GOALS

Wanderers: K. Motlop, S. De Satge, T. Davern, M. Wood, J. Jones-Cubillo.
St Mary’s: N/A.

BEST

Wanderers: S. De Satge, P. Koulakis, M. Johnston, C. Vea Vea, T. Parriman, L. Motlop
St Mary’s: N/A

It was a massive confidence boosting come-from-behind win that the Wanderers needed this week and that’s certainly what they got, prevailing against an unconvincing and inaccurate St Mary’s side to hop into fourth on the ladder. While St Mary’s got to a speedy start and held on for majority of the match, the Eagles put in the hard yards when it mattered most to come away with the two-point victory. Five individual goal kickers got on the board for Wanderers in the victory, with Shekeine De Satge named best-on-ground for the Eagles with a dominant performance and a goal to boot. Meanwhile, Pierre-Angelique Koulakis stood up once more despite the Saints’ best efforts.

TRACY VILLAGE 1.1 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 4.6 (30)
BIG RIVER HAWKS 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 (0)

GOALS

Tracy Village: N. Jones 2, S. Bailie-mace, B. McDougall.
Big River Hawks: N/A.

BEST

Tracy Village: K. Brown, G. Young, N. Jones, A. Biggs, K. Marschall, Z. Clarke
Big River Hawks: N/A

Tracy Village well and truly owned the Big River Hawks on Sunday, handing the Hawks their third successive loss and lifting the Razorbacks to second last on the ladder. While the Razorbacks well and truly bounced back from their massive 62-point loss to Pint last week with this win on the board, the Hawks had as much opportunity to raise the bar and get on the board but were unable to put a score on the board for the second week in a row – though keeping their opposition to only 30 points will surely be a positive outcome after two massive losses in the opening rounds. For Tracy Village, a win on the board at this early stage of the season will be a massive confidence booster, with Nikesha Jones pulling on the boots for the first time this season and kicking two goals, while Kiarna Brown, Gabby Young and Alexandra Biggs all stood up.