THIS past weekend saw yet another round of the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) Men’s Premier League take place around the territory. There are just a couple of weeks until the regular season concludes and the finals series begins, and while the top four is essentially locked in, the final few weeks always deliver some cracking contests, and Round 16 was no different. There were only three games that went ahead for the round, with the Tiwi Bombers pulling out of the competition last week, so their clash with Southern Districts was considered a forfeit. However, this did not prevent the remaining games from producing some seriously entertaining action across the grounds.

WARATAH 3.2 | 6.4 | 6.5 | 7.7 (49)
ST MARY’S 2.4 | 9.8 | 10.12 | 19.13 (127)

The first match of the round saw St Mary’s claim a substantial win over Waratah at Gardens Oval on Saturday night in quite an upset. It was an anticipated clash given the two sides are locked into the top-four, but it was expected to be a very close affair. However, St Mary’s were far too good on the day, claiming a massive win as they edge closer to the top two.

The match opened in contested fashion, with just four points separating the two teams at the first break in what was shaping up to be a ripping contest. The second period saw the visiting side break away, booting seven majors for the term as they began to create some separation from Waratah. The third term saw scoring from both sides dry up, with St Mary’s extending their lead by scoring the sole goal of the quarter. The final period saw the victors save their best for last, booting a whopping nine majors for the quarter to storm away with a massive win.

For the victors, Nathaniel Paredes once again topped the disposal count with an equal team-high 26 for the match. Paredes has found plenty of the ball over the last few weeks and appeared to once again have it on a string in the win. Up forward, teammate Jackson Calder booted four goals in another towering performance. For Waratah, Dylan Collis battled hard to make his way to 26 disposals in a brave performance.

NIGHTCLIFF TIGERS 6.5 | 10.7 | 13.11 | 20.13 (133)
PALMERSTON MAGPIES 1.0 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 5.2 (32)

The Nightcliff Tigers have recorded a big win on the eve of finals, taking down Palmerston by a whopping 103-point margin at Darwin Mazda Nightcliff Oval on Saturday night. The Tigers currently sit atop the standings with 13 wins from 15 games, and they demonstrated their worthiness of said spot by dominating a struggling side in Round 16.

The Tigers burst out of the gates with a whopping first term, taking a 35-point lead into quarter-time to start the match in ideal fashion. From there, they never looked back, cruising through the remaining three quarters with the lead extended at every break. The Magpies simply had no answer for the intensity produced by their opponents and constantly found themselves on the back foot. A dominant final period saw the margin balloon out even further, as the Tigers edged closer to locking in top spot come season’s end.

For Nightcliff, Daniel Bowles enjoyed a day out as he found himself with a case of leather poisoning in his side’s win. He racked up a game-high 29 touches and could have hit the scoreboard to top it all off had his two shots on goal found the big sticks, but they were wayward in the end. Teammate Adam Wines booted four goals from 23 disposals and 10 marks in a truly impactful outing. For the Magpies, Lennon Marlin fought tooth and nail to give his side some energy from his 22 touches.

WANDERERS 3.2 | 5.5 | 6.7 | 9.10 (64)
DARWIN BUFFALOES 1.3 | 7.8 | 7.10 | 8.15 (63)

The best match of the round was saved for last, with the Wanderers and the Darwin Buffaloes playing out a thrilling contest at Tracy Village Oval on Sunday afternoon. The Buffaloes entered this match as underdogs, given they have been underperforming at stages this year, but produced an impressive performance to push one of the flag hopefuls to the limit.

The Wanderers started the first term strong, and the match looked to be playing out as expected as they took a lead into quarter-time. However, the Buffaloes booted six-goals-to-one in the second term to shockingly take the lead at half-time, which they maintained in the quarter that followed. The last term of the match saw an extremely exciting finish to the match. The Buffaloes booted a major to put themselves a goal up halfway through the quarter and given the scrappiness of the match at that stage, it looked to potentially be a match-winning play. Trailing by seven points with little time remaining, the Wanderers truly began their charge, but could only manage a pair of behinds to bring the margin back to five. A downfield free kick in the dying stages saw Thomas Motlop live out the dream and boot the match-winning goal after the siren after a best-on-ground performance.