Find out how your NTFL team is placed for season 2023-24
Another eventful NTFL season is here, promising old rivalries and some of the most exciting players in the country. See how each club is shaping up.
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Another eventful NTFL season is on the way promising old rivalries, fresh ideas and some of the most exciting footy players in the country.
And for the fourth season, the NT News will again be your one-stop shop for all the action as we livestream both the men’s and women’s premier league.
The season will hit off with a grand final rematch between premiers Waratah and a hungry Southern Districts full of talent.
Meanwhile, the league’s newest side PINT have made some big season moves grabbing both Steven Motlop and Liam Holt-Fitz from their rivals.
Nightcliff have a new coach in the successful Leigh Crossman, as do Tiwi with former Richmond and Bulldogs player Patrick Bowden while Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti also returning to the Bombers.
Former Hawthorn, North Melbourne and Gold Coast player Jed Anderson is another playing in the NTFL this season linking up with Southern Districts.
Palmerston are another side who have pulled a big player or two out of their hats in recent years, and all eyes are on the Magpies again to see what they will reveal in season 2023-24.
And plenty of enthusiasm should be expected from historic sides St Mary’s, Darwin Buffaloes and Wanderers, with all three never too far away from the top.
Get your club by club preview below:
WARATAH
Last season: Premiers
Coach: Ryan Ayres
Ins: Anthony Munkara
Outs: TBC
After a 23-year dry run Waratah finally reached the NTFL summit once more in the 2022-23 season, beating Southern Districts in a tight grand final.
Now they’ve got to refocus and do it all again and give the rest of the competition a reminder of what they can do when on top.
As with most club’s there will be a change of personnel, but the Tahs have been good at retaining their player base in recent years.
But the likes of Jayden Magro, Darcy Hope and Robbie Turnbull are among the sides the club will be hoping to lock down for the coming season.
Meanwhile, Centralian Abe Ankers has proven his talents in 2023 winning being part of both the NTFL and CAFL premiership winning sides, picking up the Minahan medal in the CAFL.
Coach Ryan Ayres said despite the potential turnover, his side had enjoyed a strong preseason and was looking forward to showing what they have come Round 1 against the Crocs.
“It was unreal to win after the 23 year drought, at the same time though we’re focused on the season ahead,” Ayres said.
“Retention is what we’re looking at, we’ll see some changes with some players missing, but that’s Darwin, it’s always fairly transient.
“We’re coming in the same as other seasons, last year was one of the most even competition’s going so to come away with the win was unreal.
“You go into every season wanting to win a premiership, and we’re confident we’ve done the work off the field to achieve there so we will be confident going into the season.
“We definitely have the target on our backs now, but we do most weeks as most clubs love to beat Waratah, they all load up against us.”
Much like a lot of NTFL clubs Waratah will be digging into their youth early on, and they will be confident there too having won the under-18s last season.
Brody Embuscado, Timothy Kerinaiua, Dwayne Kerinaiua and Xavier Blitner are some of the young players to look out for from the side.
“We’re in a good situation because under-18s won the premiership last year and we will have a few of those boys in early on,” Ayres said.
“The majority of them have played senior footy before, but we do need to get some more games into them.”
SOUTHERN DISTRICTS
Last season: Runner up
Coach: Shannon Rusca
Ins: Jed Anderson, Jarrod Brander, Wyatt Ryan, Matt Johnston, Jordan Johnston, Jordyn Cotter, Nik Rokahr, Shaydon Close
Outs: Nick Weightman, Ben Galbraith
Southern Districts may have fallen short to Waratah last season, but the building team under the guidance of Shannon Rusca will be in the mix once again.
The Crocs fell just short in a thrilling grand final, and it’s an experience the whole squad full of younger players will have learned from.
The league’s premier ruckman and last year’s Chaney Medallist Matt Dennis will be one to watch again, this time as a fly-in.
As will club leaders Dean Staunton and Michael Bowden who each found plenty of form throughout the 2022-23 season.
But beyond them there’s plenty of emerging talent including Brandon Rusca, Beau Schwarze, Tom Boustead and Taj Stanley who are all building as leaders in their own right.
“We’ve had a pretty good preseason, it’s been really good to have Dave Barnard on board in his new role at Crocs,” coach Rusca said.
“We have plenty of numbers on the track, but obviously like all the other clubs we have to wait for our top up players to come in and give us some real depth.
“We got to the point where we had to blood some juniors and had to run with that for a bit, but Matt (Cannard) did a fantastic job and gave me a great list to start from again.
“Last year we fell short against a quality side, but we just have to make sure we can keep building on what we did last season, and previous, for the future sustainability of our footy club.”
The Freds Pass-based side also has a host of newcomers to the side including Wyatt Ryan from Central Districts who will fill in well for Dennis in ruck.
Matt Johnston and Jordan Johnston from Ballarat also come into the side from East Point in the Ballarat League, adding plenty of firepower in the midfield.
But perhaps their biggest signings have been former AFL players Jed Anderson and Jarrod Brander.
“Last season we didn’t struggle to make inside 50s, we were happy with that area of our game,” Rusca said.
“But we had some really quality players to get the ball there, so we’re just making sure we can bolster in that area so can continue to give our forwards a chance.”
ST MARY’S
Last season: Third
Coach: Anthony Vallejo
Ins: Seth Harris, Will Robinson, Tex Korewha
Outs: Matt Green
St Mary’s didn’t quite live up to their incredibly high standards come the 2022-23 finals, but plenty of returning players from their third place finish is proof they will be in the fight again.
While the past few years have been a changing of the guard of sorts for the Green Machine, they are a club with plenty of talented emerging and existing players.
Last year’s Nichols Medallist Dylan Landt, leading goal scorer Jackson Calder and premier defender Kieran Parnell led the club through off-season and are expected to look the goods come game time.
Coach Anthony Vallejo said the side would be full of familiar faces with a real off-season focus on bringing youth through and finding another forward to take the pressure off Calder.
“All the big names have been on the track, having stayed here in the off-season, and have been putting in some time with the under-18s,” Vallejo said.
“We were pretty disappointed not to play in the grand final, our goal every year is to finish in the top three and then play in the big dance.
“I thought we did really well during the year, we blooded plenty of kids, but in the business end of the year we had some little injuries to key players which hurt us in finals.
“We’ve got the right players, it’s always a challenge getting the right mix between getting talent up here and developing youth, but I think we have it right.
“Up forward the issue is just about trying to help Jackson out, and finding another forward so we can take the burden off him because we have been really Calder-conscious in the past.”
Meanwhile, Landt has stepped in at captain taking over from Nate Paredes, who will be more of a fly-in player through the season.
“It’s been a bit of a different approach this year, I didn’t play down south and instead had a bit of a lay-off, so I’m starting to get itchy feet again,” Landt said.
“It’s been good to come up and work with the younger players we have up here in the preseason, and that’s going to be really important for us to get them playing senior football.
“Being captain is going to be big boots to fill considering the legends who have captained Saints in the past, but I’ll be relying on Nate a lot and other leaders in the club.”
NIGHTCLIFF TIGERS
Last season: Fourth
Coach: Leigh Crossman
Ins: Jonathan Layon (Banks), Brett Kennedy (Banks), Mitch Norton, Kyle Emery
Outs: Shaun Wilson
Fresh faces and fresh ideas is the theme at the Nightcliff Tigers this season, with new coach Leigh Crossman eager to take the side back to the top.
Former coach Chris Baksh doubled the club’s premierships winning three on the trot between 2018-19 and 2020-21, and now they’re after some rejuvenation to stay in the league’s upper rungs.
Crossman brings a successful history with him, having led the Tiwi Bombers to their only premiership, and more recently coached Banks to back-to-back Premier Reserves flags.
It’s those experiences he will draw from bringing some of his Banks squad, such as Jonathan Lanyon, across to join him at the Tigers.
Kyle Emery is another big gain for the side, returning to the club after a year’s absence to add a key option up forward.
And it’s the mix of fresh ideas, some veterans such as Cam Ilett and Ryan Nyhuis, and plenty of young talent which has the side confident ahead of the new season.
“We’re reasonably confident with the direction we’re heading, coming in everyone is 0-0 so it’s still a bit of an unknown with how other sides are shaping up,” Crossman said.
“We’re lucky enough to have a really solid junior program, where we have a lot of talent coming through, and developing that talent is crucial for our senior side.
“Having someone new coming in with a fresh set of eyes has reinvigorated those guys who have been around for a while.
“We’ve tried to build on what we’ve had in the past, and also bring in some new which seems to have worked with this group.
“Like most sides we will look to attack. Territory footy is a different brand of footy, it’s faster, it’s free flowing and we want to continue that trend.”
Captain Nyhuis said the club’s core at the moment carried a heavy junior influence with some of their bigger names still down south.
“There’s a lot of junior influence at the moment and plenty of talent coming through there,” Nyhuis said.
“There’s a good vibe around the club at the moment. Leigh’s very structured and regimented in his coaching styles, he’s got plenty of experience and has brought fresh ideas to bring the best out of us.
“We pride ourselves on our junior programs, it’s been strong for a long time, which is down to great volunteers and great coaches believing in our talent, and we will see that early in the season.”
DARWIN BUFFALOES
Last season: Fifth
Coach: Cam Stokes
Ins: Baxter Mensch
Outs: Liam Holt-Fitz, Will Robinson
The Darwin Buffaloes returned to the finals fight last season, and have the player base to keep fighting for those positions.
However, they will have to contend with the loss of a couple of big guns, including former Chaney medallist Liam Holt-Fitz, to stay in the fight.
In their favour is a solid young core of players who have been building over the past few seasons including Antonio James, Nathaniel Cooper and Sterling Mitchell.
And in skipper Jarrod Stokes they have one of the best midfielders in the competition, who can burn any opposition once he gets on the run.
They’ve also got plenty of interstate talent who enjoy being part of their list including former AFL player Mitch Robinson, and social media star Thomas Baulch.
Coach Cam Stokes has said his side’s goal is to once again compete in the tail end of the season, where this year they would be hoping to come in with more form than last.
“Obviously our main goal is to play finals every year,” Stokes said.
“Our fairly young group has been together for a long time now, we’re after consistency.
“We’ve faded at time in previous years and had to work our way back, so it’s important we set some foundations early and be a lot more consistent.”
PINT
Last season: Sixth
Coach: Shannon Motlop
Ins: Steven Motlop (Wanderers), Liam Holt-Fitz (Buffaloes)
Outs: TBC
Despite being the newest side in the NTFL Premier League, PINT have been the big movers in the off season gaining more than one big player.
Former Geelong and Port Adelaide player Steven Motlop has made the jump from his family club to join his brother and now-coach Shannon Motlop at the Greenants.
And the club didn’t stop there with another goal kicking coup in the form of former Darwin Buffaloes and Nightcliff Tigers livewire Liam Holt-Fitz.
These were moves which Shannon Motlop said were essential for his football club to make the jump from the side who narrowly missed finals to one which will still be playing come March.
“I think we kicked ourselves out of games just not having the polish to finish last year, we we’ve looked to really add something to that and hopefully we can win a few more games,” he said.
“We were really competitive, we should have played finals really, from the outside a lot of people said ‘well done’ but we dropped two really winnable games against the Bombers.
“This year has been a lot better planning wise, last year it wasn’t so much about the team but not having the ability to know what was going to happen.
“We just had to work with what we had, we’re a very tall team who needs to match the competition in pace and find that balance in that area to give us more leg speed.”
Meanwhile, the core of the group from previous seasons will stay together with Matt Ryan returning as the captain once again.
But with the kicking prowess of Holt-Fitz and Motlop, the taller than average side now has the injection of pace needed to compete with the best.
“That’s sort of what we’re aiming for this time around, we need some good players down forward after we kicked ourselves out of a lot of games last year,” Motlop said.
“Steven’s finishing and his ability to win a game off his own boot is going to be massive for us, he’s the type of player we don’t have enough of.
“He’s getting a little bit older, but he’s got the leg speed and the agility to avoid the opposition tacklers and get the goals.”
PALMERSTON MAGPIES
Last season: Seventh
Coach: Josh Heath
Ins: TBC
Outs: Baxter Mensch (Buffaloes)
Palmerston have been the side to watch when it comes to former big AFL names in recent years, but in season 2023-24 they’ve kept their cards closer to the chest.
In the past two seasons they’ve played Eddie Betts, Gary Ablett Jr, Travis Varcoe, Neville Jetta and Mathew Stokes grabbing themselves plenty of attention.
But coach Josh Heath said the focus so far had been on developing the players he had at his disposal locally, while there were “a few things hidden away”.
“Really excited for the season, the AFL grand final on the weekend got the blood boiling making sure we’re all organised and prepared,” Heath said.
“We’re really trying to lock down our players and making sure we get the mix right early on, we’ve got Wanderers first up who are always strong and competitive.
“We’ve got a few things hidden away in terms of names, we’re working with a few blokes and Eddie is working with his foundation but we are in contact with some and seeing how we can fit them in.
“We definitely had some big names last year, but this year we’re looking at consistency in our playing group, we want players here for the season who will commit to our pathway to success.”
The likes of former Nichols medal winner Phil Wills and young guns Jonty Patrick and Clay Shadforth will be among the players to watch in the 2023-24 season.
While VFL Rising Star winner Sam Clohesy is someone who could make an appearance for the Magpies as the season goes on.
A push towards finals will be the big goal for Palmerston once again, as they looked a likely chance early last year, only to fall away in the latter stages as their big names moved back interstate.
“Sam is probably one of those players we’re waiting on at the moment,” Heath said.
“Winning the VFL Rising Star he’s obviously a bit of hot property at the moment, so we’re just sort of playing that out as it goes and staying in regular contact with him.”
WANDERERS
Last season: Eighth
Coach: Aaron Motlop
Ins: TBC
Outs: Steven Motlop (PINT)
It’s a transitional year for Wanderers as they adjust to losing a couple of big guns and look to build some depth from their crop of young up-and-comers.
For a historical club with 12 premierships coming second to bottom in 2022 wasn’t the result the Muk Muks were after, but it gave the club a chance the reset.
Losing Steven Motlop, who was among the league’s best in 2022-23, was another setback, but it’s given those who have stuck around the chance to step up.
Coach Aaron Motlop said while it had been a different preseason for his club, coming in with no expectations had his troops excited to make their mark on the competition.
“This year has been a bit different for a variety of reasons with some guys leaving so we’ve just got to navigate the start of the year with what we’ve got,” he said.
“Obviously last year didn’t go as we wanted so we just want to take some learnings from that and take into this season as a fresh start with no real expectations.
“We want to get back to that Wanderers brand of playing some exciting, two-way footy and also focusing on defence and taking the game from there.
“It’s been a bit of difficult not knowing if we would have some players stick around, but we have some guys coming up throughout the season who will be rolled out as the year goes on.”
Mitchel Taylor and Braedon McLean remain part of the club’s leadership group, while Marcus Totham will be one to watch coming off an injury stricken 2022-23.
Ryan McMurray, Daniel Clee, Matthew Motlop and Nathan Arbon are others who have had great preseasons, and Tyson Whyte is a junior who could make his mark.
Meanwhile, Motlop said the door was still open to the likes of Shaun Mannagh, Ed Simpson and Brodie Newman, as well as Beau O’Connell who chose to grow his game in Victoria.
“We have plenty of exciting, young guys, and if they keep performing we will reward them with exposure,” Motlop said.
“We don’t want to look backwards, we want to look forward and hopefully in doing that we can blood some of these teenagers at our club and see what they’ve got.”
TIWI BOMBERS
Last season: Ninth
Coach: Patrick Bowden
Ins: Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti
Outs: TBC
It’s been a tricky couple of years for the Tiwi Bombers who have three wooden spoons from the past three seasons.
However, there has been some cause for optimism of late with Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti making a big return, while a later TIFL season has left the players in a fitter state.
Former Bulldogs and Richmond player Patrick Bowden has taken over the coaching reins, and is expecting an improved side come the season start.
“I’m really excited, the opportunity to coach this sort of team doesn’t come around all the time, and I was pleased to get the chance,” Bowden said.
“We want to improve, we want to be a better team than we have been in previous years, and to do that we want to solidify our list and develop the young players we have on the islands and in Darwin.
“We’ve got some amazing players on the islands and we have some great players coming to us, and I think by being consistently involved with the Bombers we should get better.
“When I’m talking to players about wanting to improve I want to see they’re willing to go that extra mile, it’s just a pity we have to wait it out in Round 1 because we have the bye.”
Bowden said he would be looking at McDonald-Tipungwuti to provide some leadership on and off the field for his side.
“Just his leadership on the field is going to be enormous for us,” Bowden said.
“I think the island will be excited and he should be really excited too, but he needs to get ready for the heat as well and needs to get acclimatised.
“Things are going well for us with that late TIFL grand final, the players are looking fit, they’re playing well in our practice matches and I think the community has enjoyed the continuity in football.”
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