THIS past weekend saw the Northern Territory Football League Women’s (NTFLW) Premier League kick off its finals series for the 2021/22 season. With the ladder-leading Nightcliff Tigers having a week off thanks to their strong performances, there were two contests that took place at TIO Stadium, with both matches making things very interesting moving forward.

DARWIN BUFFALOES 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.1 | 2.6 (18)
PINT 2.2 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 (15)

The Darwin Buffettes were able to set up a tantalising clash against the Tigers next week by taking down PINT at TIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon. It was a cracking contest in the end, with PINT jumping out to an early lead in the first term, but the class of the Buffettes was able to shine through, particularly in the second half. They were able to restrict the reigning premiers to no goals in the final three quarters of play, as they claimed a thrilling three-point triumph to hold the double-chance up their sleeve.

For the Buffettes, Kylie Duggan and Molly Althouse were named their side’s best, both impacting the contest for all four quarters. The pair were excellent in the win, even in the first term when Darwin was on the back foot, and were able to get reward for their effort when the final siren sounded. The duo will be crucial to Darwin’s premiership hopes moving forward. For PINT, Reni Hicks was her usual damaging self and was nearly the match-winner on multiple occasions.

WARATAH 4.2 | 9.5 | 13.5 | 15.7 (97)
ST MARY’S 1.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 2.1 (13)

The second final of the day saw Waratah claim a big win over St Mary’s in the elimination clash at TIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Warriors jumped out to a big lead in the first term, dominating the play and booting four majors in this time. They further extended this lead in the second term, and by this stage, they held an unassailable lead over a disappointing St Mary’s side. It was evident that the Warriors were a class above an elimination final appearance heading in, and they displayed exactly that on Saturday when they stormed away with an 84-point triumph.

The Warriors were well-treated to a five-goal haul from Stephanie O’Brien, with the forward proving unstoppable throughout the match. She more than doubled St Mary’s goals on her own in a truly dominant performance. She had some good help from teammate Lisa Roberts and Lisa Miceli, who booted three majors of her own as her strong form continued.