Darwin Brothers Kelam Nona scores six tries against Sharks in NRL NT Round 6

A six-try effort from skilful centre saw out the Darwin Brothers women’s win in a gritty contest against the Sharks, while the men’s top three widened the gap to the rest of the competition. Read the latest NRL NT action.

Darwin Brothers beat the Northern Sharks in Round 6. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

A six-try effort from skilful centre saw out the Darwin Brothers women’s win in a gritty contest against the Sharks, while the men’s top three widened the gap to the rest of the competition.

Kelam Nona was the star of the show for the unbeaten reigning premiers against the Northern Sharks in Round 6, scoring just as many tries as there have been weeks in the league to date.

The centre was the go to option popping up perfectly whenever her side managed to create an overlap through their big ball runners such as captain Ellie Niki and Jacinda Summers.

And when the chance was there she didn’t miss diving over six times to bring her season tally to 15 so far this season, more than double of her closest competitor on that count.

The Brothers were made to work for their win though going down early to a Sharks side, which has made some big recruitments in 2025, but worked their way back to see it out 26-24.

Sharks fought to a lead following the first Nona try with scores coming from Sylvia Watson-Compton and an absolute stunner from Jaymee Park, who went over backward through multiple defenders.

Park had another thriller in the second half sprinting down the right wing and beating three tacklers in the process to score her second, finished off with the accurate boot of Cecilia Misob.

However, Brothers found their moments taking on tackles and gaining ground off their usual hard workers such as Courtney Tamati and Bianca Scrymgour.

Courtney Tamati of the Darwin Brothers had a strong game for the Darwin Brothers. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

And with Nona there at the end of it all they were well rewarded for their efforts on the score board.

They went up by two scores with just minutes on the clock, the largest gap to that point, but a last gasp Tamara Madzika score showed Sharks will continue to be a threat this season.

“I’m very happy with the girl’s efforts, we knew it would be a tough match for us and while there’s improvement to come everyone’s happy with the win,” Niki said.

“We strayed away from our structure a bit at times, but as we relaxed and got back to what we know we were able to spark a comeback.

“Kel was great, she’s one of those people that if you tell her she scored six tries she’d brush it off and be humble, that’s a testament to her game and how far she’s come, we’re lucky to have her.

“We’re still missing a few girls in a few positions, which has been tough but our juniors have stepped up and have been playing really well for us.”

Elsewhere, Litchfield jumped into second with a 44-6 win over the Nightcliff Dragon, with Erin Luchetti scoring a brace, and Palmerston beat South Darwin 40-0.

Meanwhile, in the men’s competition the top three sides, Brothers, Palmerston and Litchfield all claimed wins to separate from the rest of the field.

Litchfield bounced back from their loss in last week’s Mitchell Russell Shield match with a strong 44-12 win over Nightcliff to stay in the top spot.

The Bears came out with energy and precision with fullback Harry Heath lively when given front foot ball and asking plenty of questions.

Captain Trent Wedding controlled the game and had his fair share of try assists including for opener sending a great kick forward that Ben Drayton leapt on.

The skipper linked up with Brock Priestley who in turn found Heath who raced in for his first of two tries for the match, while Matthew Woolmington showed his prowess off the tee.

However, errors leaked into the side’s game that Nightcliff was able to take advantage of as Nightcliff’s orchestrator Robbie Butcher gave his side a platform.

Sunia Radravu went over to put the Dragons in the contest, and though Litchfield were able to strike back the game became much more error-strewn as the half wore on.

Ilalio Lutua was another from Nightcliff to benefit scoring during the fourth placed side’s brief resurgence, but they do were their own worst enemies at times.

The Bears found their composure again in the second half and widened the gap with Priestley scoring a brace and efforts from Naylor Symons and Clancy Court also resulting in tries.

Wedding was again the instigator of many scores with his cross field kicks and passing prowess catching the opposition out, but he felt the side needed to be sharper moving forward.

“It was a difficult game where we didn’t really play the footy we wanted and fell back on some old habits,” Wedding said.

Litchfield captain Trent Wedding ahead of the 2024 NRL NT season. Picture: Patch Clapp

“We started off well with five from six sets, but we fell off with compounding errors and giving away penalties before bringing it back at the end, but we have to put in an 80 minute performance.

“It’s been hard because we’ve had players in and out every week, we had seven players from the reserves playing but that points to our depth that helps us in these situations.

“Harry’s 17 and he’s been absolutely killing it since he started and Fletcher Tomes really showed tonight he could be a leader at the front.

“For us it’s just about cleaning up the little things, the compounding errors and penalties after we kick the ball that if we get right would make the game a lot easier.”

Meanwhile, Aaron Kurnoth was the star for the Darwin Brothers as they beat the Northern Sharks 52-14, with Antonio James and Caleb Niki also strong in attack.

South Darwin lead their Palmerston foes early on, but the Raiders have proven themselves a top three side this year and steered themselves to a 56-16 win, with three Jarrad Lane tries.

Originally published as Darwin Brothers Kelam Nona scores six tries against Sharks in NRL NT Round 6