Nightcliff Tigers do it for milestone man Ilett beating Eddie Betts inspired Palmerston Magpies

The Nightcliff Tigers lifted to mark Cam Ilett’s 200th NTFL game with a win over an Eddie Betts-inspired Palmerston Magpies in a round dominated by wet weather.

THE Nightcliff Tigers lifted to mark Cam Ilett’s 200th NTFL game with a 10.16 (76) to 6.6 (42) win over an Eddie Betts-inspired Palmerston Magpies.

Wet and torrid conditions gave little opportunity for scores and little chance to keep the slippery ball in hand but that didn’t stop a massive crowd from pouring into Cazalys Arena on Saturday.

Both sides fought hard back and forth, eager to make the occasion a memorable one and it was close.

The Tigers were quick on the draw showing their pedigree even in difficult conditions getting the ball up the field quickly to allow Kyle Emery to score the opener.

Palmerston struck back soon after with Luke Meadows the benefactor of some smart midfield play.

Betts’ first touch of the ball got the crowd on their feet and though he missed for a behind, supporters were still over the moon to see the great man in action.

It was Nightcliff fans that lifted in the following section of play as inspirational forward Ilett, playing his 200th NTFL game slotted a goal off the back of a strong supply train.

Another chance came for Betts in the second quarter on the back of a Daniel Stafford handball. He made no mistake this time kicking through from the right forward pocket to add an NTFL goal to his resume and the crowd erupted in response.

Eddie Betts made his NTFL debut for Palmerston against Nightcliff at Cazalys Oval. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Inaccurate kicking in front of goal proved the bane of Nightcliff as they racked up the behinds in the difficult conditions but they kept forcing their way forward.

Injuries also began to hurt for the visiting Tigers, with Liam Holt-Fitz coming off with a hamstring injury while milestone man Ilett fought on through a calf injury.

But they stayed on top showing their class with dual Nichols Medallist Brodie Filo imposing himself around the ground.

“It was a good way to bring up 200 games, it might not have been the easiest game to watch with the conditions not being in our favour but it was still a good spectacle,” Ilett said.

“I’m going to have an issue with the leg for the next couple of weeks but if I do the right things I should be good to go, there’s plenty of time.

“The fact that Eddie was playing brought a lot of interest to the game. It’s just unreal that we get to play against someone like Eddie and a real credit to him.”

Betts was impressed with the intensity and quality Nightcliff brought to the game enjoying the match.

“It was a good match, good fun, a bit different to AFL footy. Nightcliff are a good side who play good footy,” Betts said. “I didn’t move much, staying mainly in the forward 50 which I kind of enjoyed. On that goal I saw the sign saying ‘Eddie’s pocket’ and I thought I could give it a go.

“There’s some real talent up here. If we can get that talent development up here you never know what you can get out of it.”

Lightning makes Rioli wait another week for 200th

A WASHOUT was declared at 5.45pm at Marrara on Saturday and neither St Mary’s nor Waratah had the chance to claim bragging rights in the fixtured clash.

With second place on the ladder up for grabs, both St Mary’s and Waratah players were lined up waiting for the scheduled 4.30pm opening siren, but with lightning in the near vicinity, and under safety guidelines, all participants cleared the arena.

AFLNT management declared the match a washout and that no game will be rescheduled.

A side effect will be Waratah and St Mary’s players will be disadvantaged in aiming for individual honours such as official and media best players awards, including goal kicking, since they have one less opportunity to showcase their talents.

St Mary’s dynamo Shannon Rioli will have to wait another week before he achieves his 200th NTFL match – Rioli was due to reach that milestone in Round 6 which was cancelled due to a Top End Covid lockout.

Eight goals for Crocs’ Jonathon Ross sees Districts manage dominant round 7 win over Bombers

AN eight goal haul from key forward Jonathon Ross capped off a dominant 18.22 (130) to 7.8 (50) win for Southern Districts over the Tiwi Bombers at TIO Stadium.

Tiwi looked to stamp some authority on the game early using their natural speed to feed the ball to Brendan Kantilla who nailed the first goal within two minutes.

However, the tide quickly turned against them as Districts’ height and strength got the better of the smaller Bombers’ unit.

Big forwards Ross and Leigh Willams proved crucial targets for the Crocs each kicking multiple goals.

And that accuracy alongside the hard runs and service of key midfielders Dean Staunton, Michael Bowden and Jack McQueen put the Bombers to the sword as an avalanche of goals came in.

The likes of Beau Schwarze and big man Patrick Gallow also lifted for the occasion racking up plenty of possessions in the midfield.

Jaedan Watts was among the goalscorers for Southern Districts. Picture: Tymunna Clements

Wasted opportunities in the cost Districts a chance to further push the score out but their strong service and the defensive work of Charlie McAdam kept Tiwi at bay.

However, the Bombers were as keen as ever to prove they’re a side that can still turn a game on its head and midway through the third quarter found their aggressive side.

That saw a slew of goals in their favour for Douglas Cunningham, Chris Moreen and William Dulla who took their opportunities.

Kim Kantilla showed his quality as well moving to the midfield to find the ball and eventually coming away with a goal of his own in the fourth quarter.

But the game had long since sailed in the direction of the Crocs with Ross scoring a goal in each quarter.

“It was good for us to get the job done, it was pretty hot out there so it was a good to grab the win,” Ross said.

“Our ball movement was really good linking up from the half back to the midfield and on to the forwards and after that it just came down to our pressure.

“We probably slowed down a bit after half time and they kicked back at us a bit grabbing a few points but we had a good score by then.

“Kicking eight goals was good. We had plenty of good delivery this week so it was an awesome feeling to be on the end of that.”

Score:

Districts: 9.4 11.13 16.17 18.22 (130)

Bombers: 1.3 2.5 5.8 7.8 (50)

Goals:

Districts: J Ross 8 L Williams 4 B Ah Mat J McQueen F Driscoll J Ganley J Watts D Robertson

Bombers: W Dulla 2 D Cunningham M Thompson K Kantilla B Kantilla C Moreen

Best:

Districts: J Ross D Staunton P Gallow C McAdam M Bowden

Bombers: W Dulla K Kantilla H Bolton D Cunningham L Oborn

Originally published as Nightcliff Tigers do it for milestone man Ilett beating Eddie Betts inspired Palmerston Magpies