THIS past weekend saw the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) Men’s Premier League host their 12th round of action, with the season reaching the final third of games. This group of games saw some mammoth scores with the teams around the top of the ladder flexing their muscles with some impressive winning margins, with none bigger than Nightcliff’s whopping victory over the Bombers. The landscape of the top four also changed, with St Mary’s storming into third position with a strong triumph of their own. With the top half of the ladder moving closer to being locked in, each match moving forward carries heavy significance for these teams.

TIWI BOMBERS 2.6 | 5.10 | 6.12 | 8.14 (62)
NIGHTCLIFF TIGERS | 6.2 | 14.7 | 23.12 | 29.16 (190)

The Nightcliff Tigers have truly cemented themselves as the premiership favourite with a 128-point victory over the Tiwi Bombers at Wurrumiyanga Oval on Saturday afternoon. The result of the match was as expected, with the two sides occupying the bookend positions of the ladder. The Tigers made sure there were no upsets here, as they punished the early inaccuracy of their opponents on the way to their ninth win of the season (from 11 matches) to keep themselves at the top of the table for the time being.

For the victors, there were four players who booted four or more goals in the massive win, demonstrating their multiple avenue to goal. Leading all-comers was Cameron Illett, who slotted six of his own in a dominant performance ahead of the ball. For the Bombers, Michael Dunn competed all day despite the tough loss and put in an admirable outing.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS 2.1 | 2.2 | 3.6 | 4.7 (31)
ST MARY’S 4.3 | 10.10 | 18.12 | 23.15 (153)

St Mary’s was able to climb the ladder in Round 12, thanks to their 122-point victory over the Southern Districts at Norbuilt Oval on Saturday afternoon. A six-goals-to-none second period gave the victors a commanding lead by half time, and when they booted eight majors in the third term, the match was all but over. It was a terrific performance from St Mary’s who snuck into third position on the ladder with this win and appear to be peaking at the right time, with just six matches left to play.

For St Mary’s, there was no stronger contributor than forward Jackson Calder, who booted a whopping eight majors in the win, and was clearly the most dominant and influential player on the ground. He had some strong help from Nathaniel Paredes, who was also impressive in the big triumph. For the Districts, Ethan Maney fought hard all day despite the circumstances.

DARWIN BUFFALOES 1.3 | 8.6 | 11.9 | 15.11 (101)
PALMERSTON MAGPIES 4.2 | 8.3 | 10.4 | 15.5 (95)

In the most thrilling match of the round, the Darwin Buffaloes have emerged victorious in their clash against the Palmerston Magpies to the tune of just six points at Cazaly’s Arena on Saturday night. The Magpies stormed out to an early lead, but the Buffaloes were able to steal the lead in the second term, and the lead went back-and-forth from there. However, it was Darwin who was able to generate more shots on goal, and while its inaccuracy nearly proved costly, the Buffaloes were still able to grab the four points.

WANDERERS 1.4 | 3.5 | 7.9 | 9.11 (65)
WARATAH 5.3 | 7.5 | 11.11 | 16.13 (109)

The final match of the round saw a highly anticipated battle between two top-four sides, with Waratah proving too strong for the Wanderers, claiming a 44-point win at Tracy Village Oval on Sunday afternoon. There was plenty of hype surrounding this clash, given the two sides are looking finals bound as we approach the home stretch of the season. However, there was always going to be only one winner, and this time it was Waratah, who looked a class above its opponents, leading all day to deliver the club’s eighth win of the season and climb to second spot on the ladder.

For the winning side, Jayden Magro and Corey Rich combined for six goals as Waratah managed to find plenty of avenues to goal, with six players with multiple majors for the day. For the Wanderers, Edward Simpson continued his strong run of form with another four goals, as he made the most of every opportunity provided to him by his teammates.