THIS past weekend saw the Northern Territory Football League Women’s (NTFLW) Premier League hold its second week of finals at TIO Stadium. There were a pair of blockbuster matchups as the remaining four teams fought tooth and nail to get the desired result. As expected, the cream rose to the top, but perhaps not as many predicted. Both matches ended up as a bit of an upset, with the higher-seeded team falling in their respective outings.

PINT 1.0 | 1.0 | 3.2 | 4.3 (27)
WARATAH 1.3 | 5.6 | 6.10 | 8.12 (60)

Things kicked off with Waratah claiming a dominant win over PINT at TIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The reigning premiers have found themselves unable to claim back-to-back flags, with their season ended by the Warriors in week two of the finals. Despite entering this match as underdogs, the Warriors would have been confident in their ability to upset their opponents, given PINT were coming off a loss last weekend.

The match was fairly contested in the opening term, with inaccuracy preventing the Warriors from jumping out to an early lead. Both sides were keen to implement some physicality into the contest, and it showed on the scoreboard, with just two goals scored for the quarter. The Warriors got rolling in the second period, booting four unanswered majors to take a commanding lead at the main break. PINT finally got some offensive flow going in the third term, showcasing their signature ruthless style for much of the quarter, but the damage done by Waratah in the second was too much, as they cruised home to a 33-point victory.

For the victors, Lauren Pluker was named best afield, producing arguably her best performance of the season when it mattered most. She impacted any contest she found herself at, and was clearly the best performer on the field during this time. For PINT, Hillary Grubb was the standout, performing admirably and closing out her season in style.

NIGHTCLIFF TIGERS 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 4.3 (27)
DARWIN BUFFALOES 3.1 | 3.3 | 6.3 | 9.3 (57)

In another surprising result to close out the day’s action, the Darwin Buffaloes have advanced straight through to the grand final with their win over the Nightcliff Tigers at TIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Despite Nightcliff coming into this match heavily favoured due to their spot at the top of the ladder, the Buffaloes delivered a clinical performance in their biggest match of the year, and are in the box seat to take out the premiership for the 2021/22 season.

From the very first bounce, Nightcliff found themselves on the back foot, as Darwin came out with a high intensity style of play that rattled their opponents. They locked the ball inside their half of the ground, and eventually the reward came when they put three goals on the board in the opening term. These majors were unanswered as the Buffaloes took a three-goal lead into the first break. They then survived a fightback from the Tigers in the second term, but clearly got back on top in the third term. Darwin took full advantage of some slack work from Nightcliff and extended the lead even further. The two sides broke even in the final term, as the Buffaloes stormed home to a surprising five-goal win.

For the victors, Molly Althouse was again amongst the best, continuing her consistent season as she found the ball all around the ground. She had some good help from Kylie Duggan, who hit the scoreboard with a crucial goal as she helped lift her side to their best win of the season.

Nightcliff will take on Waratah for a spot in the grand final.