World Footy News

At the completion of Round 12, the NTFL now goes into a short recess over the Christmas/New Year period. Battle resumes again with Round 13 on January 10th, but this break presents an opportunity to assess where the teams are placed with a view to finals in February/March.

For a long while many believed that St Mary’s might be unbeatable. After consecutive flags, a 40+ winning streak and four wins to start the new season, St Mary’s were odds on favourites for another title. Yes, two losses and a draw between rounds five and ten showed their mortality. Nightcliff and Southern Districts (currently 2nd and 3rd) both enjoyed victories against the St Mary’s behemoth, and will remember that come finals time. Palmerston will also be very prepared to have a rematch against St Mary’s after their draw in round nine. St Mary’s are still favourites, but they know that they will have to work extra hard from here with a number of capable clubs breathing down their necks.
Nightcliff and Southern Districts are neck and neck. Both sit on eight wins. Both have beaten St Mary’s. Yet Nightcliff have had a season of contrasts. Their six game winning streak to start the season has been replaced with two wins from their last six games, including consecutive losses headed into the break. They need to find their energy again for the run to the finals. Southern Districts, by contrast, have been more consistent across the twelve rounds, yet have dropped games to lower ranked teams in Tiwi Bombers and Buffaloes along the way. To seriously challenge for a flag, Southern Districts would need to put the lower sides away.

Palmerston Magpies began the journey back to the top late last season with a good finish to the year. That has continued into the current season as they sit in fourth place and a real chance to play finals. The year started badly with four straight losses, but since then they have lost just once more, with five wins and two draws along the way. If the Magpies can keep that momentum they will be very hard to dislodge from finals action.

Last year’s grand finalists, Wanderers, were certainly looking out of sorts. Three wins from their first nine matches put them in a very fragile position. But three consecutive wins going to the break has seen them square the win/loss ledger and has them sitting in fifth place and a finals chance. However, they need to keep their good form going after the break to ward of challenges from sides below them.

One of those sides is the Tiwi Bombers. They sit in sixth place, just a game behind Wanderers but with a better percentage. A shocking run of six consecutive losses between rounds four and nine made finals action seem light years away for the Bombers. Yet they stay in the frame and play the two bottom teams – Waratah and Buffaloes – after the break with a great chance to challenge for a finals spot. They are a chance, but cannot fall away again as they did earlier in the season.

Buffaloes are a much improved team on last year, and they are still a rough chance for finals action if they win all of their games after the break. However, their season has been marked by runs of five losses to start the season, a streak of four wins after that, then one draw from their past three games. To reach the finals they need another big winning streak which is possible but not highly likely.

Waratah, last year’s finalists, sit alone at the bottom of the ladder with just one win. Finals football is not an option, both mathematically and for the fact that they must play the top three sides in the run home. Already waratah can start to play a devil-may-care brand of football as they blood players of the future and game plans for a new assault next season.

We will be keeping a close eye on how the NTFL season unfolds from here, with a pre-finals review at the end of the home and away season.







Left: Duel Norm Smith Medallist and AFLNT Hall of Fame Inductee Andrew Mcleod who retired this year after playing out his career with Buffaloes.