ANOTHER week has gone and another demolition job for Nightcliff and the Southern Districts, with the two teams continuing to stretch the gap between themselves and the rest of the competition. Waratah dropped the ball in the last quarter to see St Marys cruise home, and a certain Palmerston forward buried the Tiwi Bombers.

WARATAH 9.8 (62)
ST MARYS 12.13 (85)

GOALS

Waratah: L. Collihole 2, M. Blake 2, R. Jolliffe, J. Beugelaar, J. Smith, S. Godden, L. Fitzgerald.
St Marys: B. Rioli 3, N. Paredes 2, B. Taylor 2, R. Mc Murray, M. Liddy, S. Rioli, S. Lampton, A. Wilson.

It was a battle of endurance last Saturday between the Warriors and Saints but in the end, St Marys pilled on the goals and Waratah could not catch them. Saints forward Brayden Rioli stood up after a quieter debut last week, finishing the game with three majors, while the consistency of Brandon Taylor continues to show each week as he bagged a pair of goals himself. Waratah forward Lachlan Collihole was quieter than usual with only two goals to his name, with fellow forwards Raven Jolliffe and Sam Godden restricted to one goal apiece. St Marys will be eyeing a move into the top-four spots next week, but Waratah will hoping to hang onto their spot when they face Darwin.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS 18.5 (123)
WANDERERS 5.12 (42)

GOALS

The Crocs have become the destroyer once again, with the Wanderers having no answer for the Southern Districts as they walked away 81-point winners last Saturday. The Crocs spearhead Bradley Vallance kicked five with the support of Shane Thorne and debutant Jess Koopman, who booted three goals each. Dean Staunton was named in the best again as he proves to be a real leader for the Southern Districts on the field. As for the Wanderers, it looked like another lacking performance with only one win for the season.

NIGHTCLIFF 15.8 (108)
DARWIN BUFFALOES 8.10 (58)

GOALS

Nightcliff: T. Melville 6, B. Filo 2, S. Deery, P. Wills, J. Miles, D. Bowles, B. Penney, L. Holt-Fitz, C. Ilett.
Darwin Buffaloes: J. Clarke 2, I. Palmer 2, A. Sambono, J. Anderson, C. Williams, L. Thomas.

BEST

Nightcliff: N. Brown, C. Holmes, B. Filo, S. Wilson, T. Melville, R. Morris
Darwin Buffaloes: D. Paull, C. Stokes, J. Anderson, J. Briston, B. Stokes, A. Sambono

The Nightcliff forward line struck again, defeating an in-form Darwin by 50 points. Trent Melville has been causing more headaches for defenders as he bagged six goals against the Buffaloes, continuing to prove each match that he is the dominant forward in the competition. Brad Filo also complemented Melville with two goals of his own in his second game of the season. Other Tigers star Shaun Wilson played hard and was named among Nightcliff’s best. On the other side of the coin Darwin champions, Adam Sambono played hard but couldn’t inspire his team to get into the game. Darwin will have another tough match this week against Waratah, but the Tigers will have an even tougher challenge when they take on the reigning premiers.

PALMERSTON MAGPIES 18.2 (120)
TIWI BOMBERS 11.9 (75)

GOALS

Palmerston Magpies: K. Emery 7, J. Lampton 2, M. Bunworth 2, B. Church, N. Deans, S. Brock, M. Dennis, J. Rhodes, A. Davey, S. Miller.
Tiwi Bombers: S. Munkara 4, T. Tambling 3, D. Munkara 2, A. Wonaeamirri, A. Tipungwuti.

BEST

Palmerston Magpies: M. Dennis, M. Bunworth, K. Emery, L. McDonald, J. Lampton, R. Baird
Tiwi Bombers: A. Darcy, R. Farmer, D. Anderson, A. Wonaeamirri, W. Puruntatameri, R. Mungatopi

The Magpies managed to avoid the bottom of the ladder last weekend by smashing the Bombers by 45 points. It was Kyle Emery who came out with guns blazing to slot seven goals for the game. Emery had been quieter over the last few weeks but came to play last Saturday. Matthew Dennis stared again for Palmerston and despite his team’s position – he has been named among the best for the fifth week in a row. As for Tiwi Bombers, there was one shining light in Dionysius Munkara who kicked four goals for the game, Munkara has been shouldering the forward responsibilities alone, he will need support if the Bombers are going to claw off the bottom of the ladder.