World Footy News

Even curious onlookers love it when a horse stays with the rest of the field for most of the race, then bursts free coming into the home straight and races away to victory. The footy equivalent is no less exciting – euphoric for the victor and shattering for the team that has been trampled. Saints did it to Palmerston last weekend, and this weekend it was Nightcliff running over the top of the Tiwi Bombers.

Nightliff Tigers stayed close enough to the Bombers for the first three quarter of their match at TIO Stadium on Saturday night. The Bombers held a narrow eleven-point lead at the final change and would have hoped to at least hold their ground in the final quarter. But, the Tigers had other ideas and after kicking six goals in three quarters, unleashed another six in the final term of a low scoring match to claim a come from behind 13 point victory. The win keeps Nightcliff in second place, but the loss stings for the Bombers, leaving them outside the top five.

The Southern Districts Crocs enjoyed an eight-point week with their win over the Palmerston Magpies following on from an NTFL decision to reverse their finding over an ineligible player. The Crocs were given back the four points previously stripped from them, and their 55-point win over the Magpies sees them undefeated after eight rounds and two games clear of Nightcliff. The Crocs got away to a five goals to one first quarter and never looked back against the plucky ‘Pies. Former Essendon player, Leroy Jetta, kicked three for the Crocs, as did Dylan Barry,

St Mary’s were in a mean mood in their match against the Darwin Buffaloes. Also kicking five goals to one in the opening stanza, Saints then proceeded to move further and further away with the game, capitalising on the Buffaloes’ lack of scoring power to run out winners by 81 points, steered home by Peter Macfarlane with seven goals and Jack Musgrove with five. Saints now find themselves in third place after starting the season with three losses, whilst the Buffaloes are now in a dangerous position – second last and needing to find scoring avenues quickly to stay in the finals race.

In Sunday’s clash between traditional rivals – Waratah and Wanderers – it was the Tahs that looked a million dollars early. Leading by 43 points to nil at the first break, Waratah kept the pressure on a shell-shocked Wanderers team across the next two quarters to hold a 90-point lead at the final break. Defensively, they had kept Wanderers to just two goals by three-quarter time. The final quarter saw Wanderers kick five goals to make the scoreboard a little more respectable, but the damage had already been done by Waratah, with Kim Kantilla booting six of their goals.

Next weekend’s matches will see the Southern Districts Crocs clash with a revitalised Waratah on Friday night, St Mary’s will play the Tiwi Bombers at TIO Stadium on Saturday afternoon, followed by the Darwin Buffaloes versus Wanderers match. Sunday will see Nightcliff take on Palmerston.

Final Scores – Round 8:

Southern Districts Crocs 14 17 101 d Palmerston Magpies 7 4 46
Nightcliff Tigers 12 7 79 d Tiwi Bombers 10 6 66
St Mary’s Saints 21 11 137 d Darwin Buffaloes 8 8 56
Waratah 16 23 119 d Wanderers 7 2 44