THE final round of NTFL Men’s Premier League before the Christmas break saw some big wins across the board with Nightcliff further cementing their spot on top of the ladder and St Mary’s edging closer with a dominant performance over the third placed Wanderers who are hot on their heels. All that and more.

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Darwin Buffaloes 10.5 | 15.7 | 20.13 | 24.16 (160)
Tiwi Bombers 0.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 6.5 (41)

GOALS:

Buffaloes: B. Foster 7, M. Campbell 6, A. Hodor 2, R. Pendlebury 2, J. Stokes 2, M. Coombes, N. Lowden, S. Foster, T. Clarke, K. Maroney
Bombers: N/A

It was all one way traffic from the opening quarter of play with the Buffaloes pushing out to a ten goal lead at quarter time showcasing their dominance. Although the flurry of goals slowly dried up the total continued to mount as the buffs displayed their ability to hit the scoreboard and could have done more damage had they been more accurate registering 16 behinds. The Bombers failed to register a major until the second quarter where they managed two goals but simply did not have the firepower to match it with the Buffs who seemed to have the ball on a string.

There is no denying that Brodie Foster was the main source of the Bombers pain with the Buffs star booting seven goals to take his season tally to 36 goals. Matt Campbell was not far off the pace with six majors of his own while there were a couple of other multiple goalkickers in the likes of Ryan Pendlebury, Jarrod Stokes and Adam Hodor. Overall Darwin appeared to be a well-oiled team with players able to find the big sticks with relative ease and head into the break with a pep in their step while the Bombers will be assessing what went wrong.

Nightcliff 3.2 | 8.7 | 10.9 | 13.14 (92)
Southern Districts 2.3 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 9.7 (61)

GOALS:

Nightcliff: K. Emery 4, B. Filo 3, H. Drogemuller, R. Mu, C. Ilett, L. Holt-Fitz, D. Bowles, T. Melville
Southern Districts: B. Rolfe 2, A. Boseley 2, J. Tsitas, L. Kiel, D. Staunton, L. Ogden, J. Dahlhaus

BESTS:

Nightcliff: C. Ilett, T. Boyd, J. Bowen, B. Filo, R. Mu, D. Butcher
Southern Districts: L. Kiel, J. Clark, C. McAdam, J. Ross, M. McLinden, B. Rolfe

After a relatively close first quarter Nightcliff put their foot down in the second piling on five goals to one to create a handy buffer heading into the main break. They carried that momentum into the second half steadily building on their margin and putting the win within doubt. While Southern Districts had a strong final quarter it was not enough to overrun the top of the table Nightcliff who were eager to end their season on a high and ensure they had prime position at the start of the break. Accuracy seemed to be somewhat of an issue for both sides but that did not stop the winners from totalling a handy score.

Once again Kyle Emery was amongst the action slotting four majors in the outing while Brodie Filo also proved to be a handy option inside 50 with three goals of his own to make it the third straight week he has hit the scoreboard. Cameron Ilett  managed to find plenty of the footy and peg a goal while Thomas Boyd also made his presence felt right across the ground in the win. For the Crocs, Billy Rolfe and Andrew Boseley were the two main contributors on the scoreboard with two goals apiece while Jay Dahlhaus also chimed in for a goal of his own. Luke Kiel impressed once again as did Jesse Clarke despite being in a losing side.

Wanderers 1.1 | 2.2 | 4.3 | 7.5 (47)
St Mary’s 2.3 | 4.5 | 10.6 | 13.7 (85)

GOALS:

Wanderers: N/A
St Mary’s: J. Calder 3, J. Long 2, R. Clarke 2, N. Paredes 2, J. Kluske 2, B. Tedcastle 2

BESTS:

Wanderers: N/A
St Mary’s: D. Landt, N. Paredes, A. Long, L. Jellyman-Turner, K. Parnell, R. Clarke

It was a slow start to the game with neither side able to really assert themselves early despite the Saints opening up a handy buffer at the half. But once the third quarter hit St Mary’s found their groove and made their move on the scoreboard piling on six goals to two and from there on, did not look like losing. The Saints made the most of their chances in front of goals while limiting the third placed Wanderers to collect their ninth win of the season and edge even closer to the top of the ladder, Nightcliff.

There was no shortage of options for the Saints inside 50 with six multiple goalkickers all managing to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Jackson Calder booted three taking his total to 15 for the season while Jacob Long also plied his trade, registering two majors for the afternoon. The ever-reliable Nate Paredes banged home two goals while Raphael Clarke collected two and was also named in the bests for his efforts. Dylan Landt stood tall in the win as Anthony Long continued his hot form for the Saints.

Palmerston Magpies 2.0 | 3.4 | 3.4 | 7.6 (48)
Waratah 3.7 | 3.7 | 7.11 | 12.18 (90)

GOALS:

Magpies: S. Inkamala 2, T. Kunoth, M. Dennis, F. Dickson, D. Stafford, R. Armstrong
Waratah: A. Ankers 3, H. Kerinaiua 2, Z. Westerberg 2, D. Lang, J. Arratta, J. Simson, B. Carroll, B. Orval

It was always going to be a gruelling contest for the lower placed Palmerston Magpies and that especially showed in the final term when Waratah went bang, nailing five goals to all but seal the deal. Tahs struggled in the second term to hit the scoreboard not even registering a single point, let alone a goal but come the second half the fourth placed side were re-invigorated booting nine goals to four while keeping the Magpies scoreless in the third quarter. Waratah could have had an even bigger day out, had they been more accurate registering a whopping 18 behinds but still walked away with a solid 32 point victory.

Abraham Ankers led the charge for Waratah slotting three goals. He was well supported by the likes of Zach Westerberg and Henry Kerinaiua who both managed two majors apiece while Darcy Lang showcased his array of talents to slot a goal of his own. There was only one multiple goalkicker for the Magpies with Shane Inkamala making his presence felt in his first game of the season while Toshie Kunoth returned to the goalkickers list with his sole major. Matthew Dennis, Daniel Stafford and Rohan Armstrong all chipped in for the Magpies but it was not enough to get them over the line and steal a win.