THE weekend is just around the corner and so is the 12th round of the Northern Territory Football League Women (NTFLW) Premier League. Last weekend saw the landscape of the competition change, with the top-placed Nightcliff Tigers defeated by the unbeaten Darwin Buffaloes. This week will see the Buffaloes look to continue their hot streak, while the Tigers will be looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season. On top of all of this, there is plenty more for fans to look forward to this weekend with a number of intriguing clashes.

Southern Districts vs. St Mary’s
Saturday, December 18 @ 2:00pm
Norbuilt Oval

The round kicks off at Norbuilt Oval, where the Southern Districts will play host to St Mary’s in an exciting clash on Saturday afternoon. The Districts are fresh off their biggest win of the season, smashing the Palmerston Magpies by over 22 goals in Round 11, and will be looking to keep this momentum rolling as they make a charge towards the top four as the season edges towards its conclusion. However, they do face a tough task this week, with St Mary’s in some ripping form as of late, and they were able to even best the Districts’ margin for Round 11, taking down Tracy Village by a whopping 158 points. There will be an interesting battle between St Mary’s forward Nikita Long and Districts defender Malory Nankervis, both of whom are crucial to their team’s success.

Tracy Village vs. PINT
Saturday, December 18 @ 2:00pm
Tracy Village Oval

In what looms as a one-sided affair, PINT will travel to Tracy Village Oval on Saturday afternoon as they take on Tracy Village. PINT have proved inconsistent throughout their 2021/22 campaign to date, but are still right in the hunt for a top-four spot with just seven rounds to go. They will be given the opportunity to improve their chances when they take on Tracy Village this weekend, who have struggled throughout the season. They are yet to claim their first win, but showed signs of improvement in their loss to St Mary’s although the scoreboard did not reflect this. They will be looking to cause an upset, but PINT will be keen to make sure this doesn’t happen.

Darwin Buffaloes vs. Palmerston Magpies
Saturday, December 18 @ 5:30pm
Cazaly’s Arena

The Darwin Buffaloes will be looking to continue their unbeaten streak when they take on the Palmerston Magpies at Cazaly’s Arena on Saturday evening. The Buffaloes announced themselves as premiership favourites when they took down the Nightcliff Tigers in Round 11, who were also undefeated at the time. They still trail on the ladder, but that is due to a bye, and with the Tigers set to have the week off, this match proves a massive opportunity to make up some ground. The Magpies will be eager to ensure this doesn’t happen, but they face an uphill battle, given the contrast in the form of the two sides, but upsets can and do happen.

Waratah vs. Wanderers
Sunday, December 19 @ 2:00pm
Tracy Village Oval

The final match of the round will see Waratah and the Wanderers go head-to-head at Tracy Village Oval on Sunday afternoon. Waratah were able to cement a spot in the top-four thanks to a big win over the reigning premiers in PINT last weekend, and will be eager to keep this position with the pointy end of the season just around the corner. They will head into this match heavily favoured, given the Wanderers have won just the one game. However, the result is not cemented, and the Wanderers will be eager to turn their season around with a win, so expect both teams to bring their best to Tracy Village Oval to close out Round 11.