WITH the weekend having passed, so has another round of the Northern Territory Football League Women’s (NTFLW) Premier League, with some exciting action across the matches. There were a pair of whopping scores in percentage-boosting wins. Sides were looking to jump up the ladder with their big wins, as the season edges closer to the pointy end. However, the main action came in Saturday’s second match, where the league’s two top teams face off in what was an enthralling affair.

Nightcliff Tigers 5.7 (37) def by. Darwin Buffaloes 8.8 (56)

In what was arguably the most anticipated clash of the year, the competition’s two undefeated sides faced off in a potential grand final preview at Darwin Mazda Nightcliff Oval on Saturday afternoon. There was plenty of hype heading into this clash, given these were the two strongest performing sides so far this season, and the match lived up to these expectations. In what was a close battle, it was the Buffaloes that emerged victorious to take top spot on the ladder heading into the final part of the 2021/22 season, and with two byes already in the bank, they look likely to keep this spot.

The first term kicked off proceedings with the Tigers announcing their intentions early, dominating possession in the opening minutes of play. They continued to pepper the ball inside their forward-50, but inaccuracy prevented an early lead. The ball essentially lived in their half of the ground, with the Buffaloes constantly on the back-foot, but thankful for the lack of accuracy in front of the big sticks. Regardless of this, the Tigers took a nine-point lead into the first break and this momentum looked likely to carry into the second term, with Nightcliff looking to wrap up this match early.

The Buffaloes came out looking much better in the second term, delivering a much more competitive outing as a team. However, much like their opponents in the first term, they were unable to convert the opportunities they created for themselves. To add insult to injury, the Tigers were able to take the ball down the other end and score a major with Emily Casey booting a six-pointer on the run. Darwin were able to answer shortly after with a clever snap coming from Tayla Hart-Aluni and the lead was trimmed back to just seven points as the contest began to truly heat up. When Buffaloes skipper Kylie Duggan found teammate Dominique Carbone, who kicked truly, Darwin had taken a one-point lead.

The third term saw scoring increase from both sides, as the game opened up to open the second half. The Tigers appeared to find their first quarter form, booting the first two goals of the term to take an early 13-point lead in the opening minutes. Their opponents fought back shortly afterwards to level up proceedings, before the two teams went back and forth for the remainder of the quarter. The Buffaloes took a slim three point advantage into the final term as the match went right down to the wire.

The final term was a pure display of class from Darwin, who took the period as their own in what proved to be a deciding 15 minutes of football. Buffaloes forward Michelle Sliwinski took a big pack mark in the goal square and converted to give her side a handy 10-point lead. Following this, Darwin controlled the play and continued to pepper the goals, booting one more through Johanna Gregory as they ran away with the lead. In the end, the margin stood at 19-point lead as the Buffaloes announced themselves as the clear premiership favourite.

For the victors, there was no denying that best-on-ground honours go straight to Carbone, who was terrific all day. She put in a four-quarter effort and even when her side struggled for ascendancy, she was still putting her all into every contest she encountered. Teammate Duggan was just as good, finding plenty of the footy and executing whenever she had ball in hand. For the Tigers, Jasmine Ware was impressive in defeat, nearly dragging her side over the line at various stages of the match.

Around the grounds, the Southern Districts appear back in form with a whopping 133-point thumping of the Palmerston Magpies at Norbuilt Oval on Saturday morning. Despite a couple of tough losses in recent weeks, the Districts looked at their best in the big win, with six players booting multiple goals (including Chiarah Koops who booted five of her own) and will be looking to make one last charge towards the top four.

Moving to DXC Arena, Waratah have proved themselves as a threat for a finals spot with a 50-point victory over PINT on Saturday afternoon. The reigning premiers were expected to put up a fight in this contest, however Waratah were too good, kicking away in the final term to record a crucial win in the context of their season. If they wish to take the last finals spot up for grabs, they will have plenty of confidence in their ability and will be able to draw on this win moving forward.

The final match of the round saw St Mary’s flex their muscles, tearing apart Tracy Village to the tune of 158-points at TIO Stadium on Saturday evening. Victorious forwards Nikita Long and Alana Coombes combined for 12 goals as St Mary’s were able to have their way with their opponents. With the Tigers being defeated in the match above, the side will be well-aware of the opportunity to claim a spot in the top two, and this performance certainly did no harm to these aspirations.