THE weekend is almost here, and so is the upcoming round of the Northern Territory Football League Women’s (NTFLW) Premier League. This week marks the final round of the 2021/22 home-and-away season, with finals just around the corner. The top five is locked in after 17 rounds of action, but the battle for fourth place is well and truly alive, with a clash set to decide it scheduled for this weekend.

St Mary’s vs PINT
Saturday, February 19 @4pm
TIO Stadium

The biggest match of the round will see St Mary’s host PINT at TIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with the two sides set to face off for the final spot in the top-four as the season wraps up.

St Mary’s currently sit just half a game outside the top four coming into their final matchup, and this match carries heavy significance on their season, given a win would move them up a spot. They started the season in ripping form, but have been inconsistent in the last few weeks. They will be coming into this match with fresh legs given they had the bye in Round 17, and will be eager to return to the form that served them so well earlier on. However, they face tough competition here, and will need to bring their high-scoring best if they are to emerge victorious.

The reigning premiers found themselves bested by the Darwin Buffaloes in Round 17 and will be looking to improve as they prepare for a crucial clash this weekend. Despite stalling throughout the first few weeks of the season, PINT found their feet as their campaign rolled on, returning to the form that delivered them a premiership last season. They have not won a game since Round 15, where the claimed a 20-goal triumph over Tracy Village, so they will be eager to repeat this effort, albeit against a tougher opponent this week.

Around the grounds…

The round will be kicked off when the Darwin Buffaloes head to Norbuilt Oval to take on the Southern Districts on Saturday afternoon. With both sides locked in to their respective positions of second and sixth, expect the two teams to come out ready to finish the season on a high, and while the Buffaloes will enter as favourites, this could go either way.

The bottom two sides of the competition will clash when the Wanderers take on Tracy Village at Tracy Village Oval on Saturday afternoon. Tracy Village will get their final chance to claim a win in the 2021/22 season this weekend, and with the Wanderers unable to truly fire this year, they will find no better chance.

In a blockbuster matchup, Waratah will face off against the ladder-leading Nightcliff Tigers at Gardens Oval on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors are placed nicely in third, and barring any ridiculous results around the league, look locked into this spot, but they will still need to bring their A-game in what could be a finals preview in the coming weeks.