NONE of the five home sides this week got wins on the board, with the Darwin Buffettes continuing their impressive unbeaten record to start the season, while both Waratah and Palmerston Magpies have pushed their way up the ladder to sit in second and fourth respectively after respective shaky starts to the season.

ST MARY’S 2.2 | 2.2 | 4.3 | 4.3 (27)
WARATAH 1.2 | 5.6 | 6.7 | 10.12 (72)

GOALS

St Mary’s: N/A.
Waratah: M. Hunter 3, B. Martin 2, J. Kerinaiua 2, L. Roberts 2, M. Campbell.

BEST

St Mary’s: N/A
Waratah: R. Pryer, G. Cusack, B. Martin, B. Eckersley, M. Campbell

The opening match of the round started out relatively close with the Saints getting on top early, before Waratah well and truly got on top of the home side by half-time. With the scoring end after half time giving St Mary’s an opportunity to take back some control, it was not enough against the reigning premiers who kicked four goals and held the Saints scoreless in the final term to win by a solid 45-point margin. While Waratah were true to form, missing more attempts on goal than they scored, their high-quality forward line produced the goods once more with four players putting multiple goals on the board. Monet Hunter was prolific putting ball to boot, kicking three majors alone to almost outscore the Saints, while Rebecca Pryer put in the hard yards across the four terms to put their third consecutive win on the board.

BIG RIVER HAWKS 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 3.6 (24)
WANDERERS 0.2 | 2.6 | 5.7 | 6.8 (44)

Big River Hawks: N/A.
Wanderers: M. Johnston 2, S. Armitstead, K. De Satge, S. De Satge, T. Bush

BEST

Big River Hawks: N/A
Wanderers: S. De Satge, P. Koulakis, M. Johnston, S. Armitstead, T. Davern, S. Mauboy

It was a solid and impressive win for the Wanderers this week, with the Eagles toppling the league’s newest side and putting another win on the board to take the side up to three victories – albeit one by default in Round 2 thanks to a player breach. While the Hawks have had a rough start to the competition they have shown some good signs in recent weeks and should be relatively pleased with this outcome, keeping their consistency up for a second match in a row after two massive losses to start the season. While the Hawks kept close for the first half of the game thanks to Eagles inaccuracy, the Eagles cleared up their act in the second half to well and truly earn the win. For the Wanderers, Morgan Johnston put two goals on the board to open her account this season, while Shekeine De Satge and Pierre-Angelique Koulakis impressed once more in the victory, with the side sitting up in third.

TRACY VILLAGE 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 (6)
PALMERSTON MAGPIES 3.4 | 7.6 | 13.9 | 19.12 (126)

GOALS

Tracy Village: B. McDougall.
Palmerston Magpies: A. Moreen 5, M. Brown 2, J. Stassi 2, N. Medbury 2, T. Jeffrey 2, B. Byers, I. Ronberg, T. Williams, J. Baird.

BEST

Tracy Village: K. Marschall, L. Toner, K. Dumbris, T. Everett, A. Lang, M. Lowndes
Palmerston Magpies: T. Jeffrey, A. Moreen, T. Williams, B. Byers, J. Baird, I. Ronberg

Tracy Village were dealt another rough trot again this round, going down by a whopping 120 points to Palmerston Magpies in the highest scoring match of the round. Arthurina Moreen proved why she is a key player for the Magpies with five goals under her belt against the Razorbacks, who were on the back foot from the starting whistle. The Razorbacks snuck a goal onto the board early thanks to Bonnie McDougall, aided by the efforts of Kiri Marschall and Lisa-Maree Toner, but were unable to penetrate the Magpies’ backline for long with a solid defensive effort from Palmerston rebounding entries and constantly pushing the footy back down the ground. Tulaha Jeffrey was key for the Magpies, booting two goals and creating plenty of setup play, while three other individuals put multiple goals on the board showcasing the side’s versatility and range of options inside forward 50.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS 1.1 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 4.6 (30)
DARWIN BUFFETTES 3.0 | 3.0 | 6.2 | 6.4 (40)

Southern Districts: N/A.
Darwin Buffettes: C. Boyd 2, B. Stokes 2, M. Ellis, K. O’Connell.

BEST

Southern Districts: N/A
Darwin Buffettes: N. Dunn, M. Ellis, J. Iacono, T. Hart-Aluni, M. Roberts

The Buffettes were put through their paces again this week when they took on Southern Districts, defeating the Crocs by 10 points to uphold their position atop the ladder. It was a scoreless third term from the Districts that gave the Buffettes the opportunity to slam home victory, with the Crocs unable to force their way through Darwin’s impenetrable defensive unit enough to get over the line, despite rendering the Buffettes goalless in the final term. The Buffettes well and truly took advantage of the clear scoring end in the first and third quarters, applying scoreboard pressure to keep the Districts chasing on the back foot even when they had the wind in their favour. For the Buffettes, Bianca Stokes and Calista Boyd kicked two goals apiece to open up the match, while Nicolette Dunn and Michelle Ellis also created plenty of opportunity around the ground, able to impact on the contest.

NIGHTCLIFF 0.2 | 2.2 | 3.3 | 3.3 (21)
PINT 3.2 | 4.2 | 6.7 | 7.8 (50)

Nightcliff: M. Ward, J. Anyon-Smith, S. Politis.
Pint: J. Hewett 3, K. Smits, J. Baksh, J. Downey, J. McFee.

BEST

Nightcliff: L. de Hommel, E. Wolsey, H. Turnbull, M. Ward, R. Russell, G. Skehan
Pint: N/A

The final match of the round saw a battle between third and sixth, with Nightcliff’s fairytale start to the season well and truly ended after two solid losses in a row. Pint were far too good for the Tigers from the get-go, kicking three goals in the first term to set up a solid lead by quarter time. Though inaccuracy was a minor issue for Pint in the second half, they had taken the lead and were unwilling to relinquish it to the Tigers who despite their best efforts were only able to put on one goal after half time. Despite the loss, Laura de Hommel and Emma-Lou Wolsey contested well throughout while Mickayla Ward kicked a debut goal in her inaugural NTFL Women’s match. For the victors, Jasmyn Hewett added another three goals to her season bank, proving she is a solid option forward and certainly one to watch out for.