AFTER a break over the Christmas and New Year period, the Northern Territory Football League (NTFL) Men’s Premier League returned over the weekend. The competition enjoyed Round 13 of the season, and with plenty of sporting competitions around the country either being postponed or cancelled due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the NTFL has offered some level of consistency for sporting fans not only in the Northern Territory, but all around Australia.

This week did see one match forced into postponement, with the clash between the Tiwi Bombers and St Mary’s unable to go ahead due to recently imposed restrictions in the state. However, the league was still able to hold the remaining three matches across the grounds, and there was plenty of entertainment for footy fans to enjoy with some big wins and thrilling contests.

Wanderers 2.3 | 5.8 | 7.11 | 11.14 (80)
Palmerston Magpies 1.2 | 3.3 | 4.5 | 5.6 (36)

The first match of the round saw the Wanderers deliver a dominant performance in their match against the Palmerston Magpies, claiming a 44-point win at TIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Wanderers were clinical for all four quarters, leading all day and hurting their opponents whenever they had ball in hand. The Magpies were never given a chance to get themselves back into the clash, with the Wanderers ruthless against their opponents, sealing the result early in the final term to claim their eighth win of the season and cement their place in the top four.

For the Wanderers, Daniel Clee accumulated a whopping 39 disposals and 11 marks in an eye-catching performance. He was extremely efficient with ball in hand and was also able to hit the scoreboard with a goal of his own after setting up his teammates on multiple occasions. For the Magpies, Eric Guthrie was able to find plenty of the ball in the loss, finishing with a team-high 33 disposals and 10 inside 50s.

Nightcliff Tigers 0.0 | 2.8 | 4.9 | 9.11 (65)
Southern Districts 3.3 | 4.5 | 6.7 | 8.9 (57)

Moving to Nightcliff Oval, the Nightcliff Tigers were able to produce an impressive comeback to defeat the Southern Districts by eight points on Saturday afternoon. The Districts looked a red-hot chance to upset the ladder-leading side in the opening half of this match, but the class of the Tigers was able to shine through in the final term, as they stormed home to boot five-goals-to-two in the period to prevent any sort of boilover and keep their spot on top of the standings. The effort of the Districts must be commended, as they look to make one final charge towards the top four.

For the victors, Sam Harper and Daniel Bowles each racked up 26 disposals to (equally) lead all-comers for the match, in a true team performance. 19 of the Tigers’ players recorded double-digit disposals as they shared the ball to great success in the end. For the Districts, they were led by Michael Bowden, who’s 26 disposals nearly dragged his side to an unlikely win.

Waratah 3.5 | 7.9 | 11.14 | 19.15 (129)
Darwin Buffaloes 1.2 | 3.5 | 4.7 | 7.9 (51)

The final match of the round saw a powerful display from Waratah, as they dominated their clash against the Darwin Buffaloes to claim a 78-point win at TIO Stadium on Saturday night. The victors entered this clash heavily favoured to emerge victorious, given the standings heading into round 13, and they were able to live up to these expectations. It was a commanding outing for Waratah, who were able to boost their percentage in the final term by booting a whopping eight goals for the period, with their eyes well and truly set on stealing top spot from the Nightcliff Tigers. On the other hand, the struggles of the Buffaloes continued, with the side sustaining their eighth loss of the season with this defeat.

For Waratah, there were none better than Corey Rich, who was outstanding in his side’s big win. Rich stuffed the stat sheet with 21 disposals, nine marks and five goals. His day could have been even bigger had he converted any of his three misses, but he was still undoubtedly terrific. For the Buffaloes, Jarrod Stokes fought hard despite the tough loss, and gathered 27 touches of his own.