THE weekend has finally arrived, and the next batch of Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) Men’s Premier League games are just around the corner. This marks the second week of finals for the competition, after a blockbuster opening weekend for the league’s postseason. There are a pair of cracking contests on the cards, with one match deciding which three teams remain moving forward, while the other offers a ticket to the big dance in a couple of weeks time.

St Mary’s vs Wanderers

Saturday, March 5 @ 4:15pm
TIO Stadium

The action kicks off at TIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon, with St Mary’s taking on the Wanderers in a do-or-die clash, with the loser of this contest eliminated from the remainder of the finals series.

St Mary’s wAS simply outclassed by Waratah in their qualifying final last week, and will be looking to bounce back this weekend. The Saints were convincingly beaten in the inside 50 and clearance battles, both of which are crucial to securing the win. If they are to advance to next week, then both of these areas will need to lift, given the importance of both stats. They will be looking to continue the production of Nathaniel Paredes, who notched up a team-high 23 touches in the loss last week.

The Wanderers emerged winners in a cracking contest against the Southern Districts in the first week of finals, eliminating their opponents and advancing to the next stage. They face a slightly tougher task this time around given the quality of the opposition, but will still be riding the confidence of last week’s win. Much of their success came from their ability to force a turnover and intercept the ball, given they racked up 13 more intercept marks than the Districts. Five of these came from Lloyd Johnston, so expect him to be involved again.

Nightcliff Tigers vs Waratah

Saturday, March 5 @ 6:45pm
TIO Stadium

The second match in Saturday’s blockbuster double-header will see the ladder-leading Nightcliff Tigers take on Waratah at TIO Stadium on Saturday night, with a direct ticket to the big dance up for grabs here.

The Tigers were far and away the strongest team of the 2021/22 season, and will kick off their finals campaign in this clash. They set the benchmark all year and will be looking to uphold this against a fellow contender here. Nightcliff has shown the capability of tearing apart any team in their path, and although the Warriors will likely prove a worthy foe, it is hard not to back the Tigers here. Keep an eye on Daniel Bowles, who has been known to rack up plenty of the ball in Nightcliff’s outings, so he should be prominent again here.

The Warriors got the job done against St Mary’s last week, and have set themselves up for a direct route to the grand final in this match. They dominated the key areas of the match (such as inside-50’s and clearances, which were mentioned above), and certainly looked the real deal in what was a true test of character. This week marks a big challenge for Waratah, but if they can produce similar output to their last outing, then why can’t they win this crucial clash. Jayden Magro could have had a massive outing last week with 22 touches and four behinds, so he should be looking to amend this missed opportunity this time around.