THIS past weekend saw the final home-and-away round of the National Territory Football League (NTFL) Men’s Premier League take place, as the 2021/22 season enters the postseason. After a number of strong campaigns from the competition’s best teams, the final round saw some of them flex their muscles heading into the finals series.

Unfortunately, the scheduled clash between the Tiwi Bombers and the Palmerston Magpies was unable to go ahead due to the Bombers withdrawing from the competition a few weeks ago.

SOUTHERN DISTRICTS 8.1 | 16.6 | 22.8 | 27.11 (173)
DARWIN BUFFALOES 3.1 | 7.2 | 10.2 | 14.3 (87)

Southern Districts have prepared for their upcoming finals series in style, taking down the Darwin Buffaloes in convincing style with a 86-point triumph at Norbuilt Oval on Saturday afternoon. The Districts burst out of the gate, booting a whopping 16 goals in the first half, storming away to claim a commanding lead at the main break. They simply proved too good for the Buffaloes, evidenced by their 27-goal effort in this contest as they look to their elimination final next week.

For the victors, Jake McQueen racked up a game-high 30 touches and eight inside 50s as he proved to be a constant threat at finding the ball and damaging the opposition whenever given the chance. Up forward, there were a number of contributors helping their side get to a whopping 27 goals, including Jonathan Ross, who booted five goals in a commanding display. For the Buffaloes, none were better stats-wise than Ben Archard, who racked up 25 touches and booted a goal in a brave effort.

ST MARY’S 8.3 | 12.6 | 20.10 | 23.12 (150)
WANDERERS 1.3 | 3.6 | 3.8 | 4.9 (33)

In a potential preview of a finals matchup in the coming weeks, St Mary’s delivered a dominant performance in their win over the Wanderers at TIO Stadium on Saturday night. The home side got out to a blistering start, booting eight goals in the first term to take a commanding lead. They further extended this in the three quarters that followed, and have cemented their spot in second place heading into the upcoming finals series. On the other hand, the Wanderers will need to improve their game against the contenders if they are to make a dent in the postseason.

For St Mary’s, there were none more impactful than spearhead forward Jackson Calder, who booted a whopping nine goals in his side’s mammoth win. The opposition defence had no answer for his outstanding play, with the forward able to assert his dominance in the air and on the ground. For the Wanderers, Marlon Motlop was once again impactful with a team-high 28 touches as he ran hard to receive the ball from teammates.

WARATAH 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.6 | 8.7 (55)
NIGHTCLIFF 3.3 | 4.6 | 9.10 | 13.12 (90)

In the final match of the round, the ladder-leading Nightcliff Tigers were able to deliver a dominant second half to blow away Waratah to the tune of 35 points at Gardens Oval on Saturday night. The game was tightly contested in the first half, and while the Tigers led for most of this time, the Warriors kept themselves within arms’ reach. However, Nightcliff was able to flick a switch in the second half, storming away in the third term with five-goals-to-one to essentially seal the result as both sides prepare for a masssive finals series.

For the Tigers, Sam Harper led all-comers in the disposal count with a game-high 22 touches and 11 contested possessions, as he was willing to win the ball at the coalface for his side. Teammate Brodie Filo also impressed as he typically does for the Tigers. For the Warriors, Jayden Magro did all he could ahead of the ball, booting five of his team’s eight goals.