Palmerston Raiders and Nightcliff Dragons pulled off big Round 3 NRL NT wins

Nightcliff Dragons flipped the script on the reigning premiers, while the Darwin Brothers triumphed in the women’s grand final rematch. Catch up on all the NRL NT Round 3 action.

Palmerston Raiders have shot to the top of the NRL NT Men’s Premiership with a determined showing against fellow power side the Darwin Brothers.

The Raiders’ Round 2 match against the Sharks was called off before half time leaving the side intent on coming out strong in their next match.

And though Brothers have showed they’re the side to beat early in the competition, it was Raiders who got the early lead and never let go to win 18-10 and leapfrog their opponent on the table.

Suliasi Tavodi on the charge for the Palmerston Raiders in Round 3 of the 2024 NRL NT season. Picture: Patch Clapp / NRL NT

Brothers dominated possession in the early stages with the usual suspects such as Caleb Niki and Isaac Seden-Kurnoth getting plenty of the ball.

However, a touch of impatience at pivotal moments and a lively Palmerston defence punished them in their moments on top.

The Raiders absorbed that early pressure and eventually found the way out of their own half to put their opposition on the back foot.

It was a stunning kick from Jarryd Lawton that allowed Alex Parsons to charge towards an open try line, and he was only stopped by a stunning tackle from Brothers’ full back Antonio James.

The momentum was still all coming from Palmerston’s direction and a quick delivery out of the tackle allowed the dangerous Suliasi Tavodi to go over.

Raiders’ game management kept them on top through the half, with halves Beau Ryan and Alex Parsons keeping the side ticking in attack.

On the toll of half time they kept their composure and chose to kick for goal when awarded a late penalty, which Watson Koroirere slotted through the sticks from about 50m.

Their attacking prowess came to the fore in the second half as they broke the Brethren’s defence on multiple occasions with Joshua Strzelecki and Beau Ryan the try scorers.

It left Brothers a mountain to climb, but they were given a hint of hope when Koroirere was sin binned for a tackle on Seden-Kurnoth.

Brothers finally got on the board off the very next passage as Hayden Riggs went over, but with only 10 minutes left on the clock.

Antonio James gave the side a little bit more hope sprinting pretty much the length of the field after breaking the Raiders’ line to make it try number two, but it wasn’t enough to close the win.

Coach Daniel Roach was proud with the win, but said there were still areas his side needed to work on as the season goes on.

“We had a few boys out, but the side dug deep, and while we got a bit sloppy at the end we go top now, which is great after three rounds,” he said.

“Our defence was really good, our marks were working and our attack was working too, we were tiring them out behind the ruck.

“We’re putting it together week by week, we just need to assess our injuries and see where we’re going wrong and going right heading into the next round.”

Brothers show class in grand final rematch

Four tries from Jacinda Summers helped the Darwin Brothers women triumph in their grand final rematch against the Palmerston Raiders.

The reigning premiers have had a heated rivalry with the Raiders in recent years with the past four grand finals being fought between the sides.

But it was the side in blue and white who stamped their authority in their Round 3 meeting as they won 34-10.

Halves Courtney Tamati and Tahlia Corrie directed the play for their big ball runners such as the returning Ellie Niki or Liana Niki to take full advantage of.

And it wasn’t long before Summers, playing on the edge, had her first try working off the dominant carries and soon after a second as her side blazed ahead.

But the Raiders have been the main opposition in recent years for a reason and they came hard even when the upper hand was denied them.

Jacinda Summers scored four tries for the Darwin Brothers against Palmerston. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Victoria Alley ensured her side was given strong service when they had time on the ball, and Lucy Aigea was her typical ball dozing self, carrying defenders with her on every charge.

And eventually they would get one back from Theresa Paterson, who cruised through the Brothers defensive line to put her side on the board.

Megan Cameron would be their second scorer come the second half as the Raiders found some momentum on the offence, and a hair denied them a third on the wing.

Still though, it was Brothers who came harder with Summers adding an extra two tries to her record, while Ellie Niki and Janna Ransome got themselves a result too.

They had the match well in hand deep in the second half, however still had something to celebrate when Tamalia Gillett lunged over for the final try of the match to mark her debut in the senior side.

Captain Bianca Scrymgour said it was great for her side to get the win with a young squad against their biggest rivals.

“These juniors have always seen Raiders as our main competition, so this win will give them the confidence they need going forward and to keep building,” she said.

“We’re not going to get comfortable with these wins at this stage, we never take any of the squads we come up against for granted so we just have to keep going and not let ourselves get complacent.

“We know everyone’s after us, as they would be, and that’s great for us as we can use that as motivation to keep moving forward.”

Meanwhile, the Litchfield Bears enjoyed a 60-0 win against the South Darwin Rabbitohs to make it two wins from their opening three matches.

Teka Voysey managed a hat trick while Emma Forysth and Luzena Chevalier-Roberts scored two tries each in the dominant win for the Bears women.

Nightcliff flip script on reigning premiers

The Nightcliff Dragons flipped the script when they pulled off a rousing win against reigning premiers Northern Sharks.

It was a reversal of fortunes from recent years where the Sharks have been the dominant side in the competition, while Nightcliff have missed out on finals.

But despite recent history it was the Dragons, fresh off a demolition job against South Darwin in Round 2, who put the reigning premiers to the sword with a 56-14 win.

Co-captain David Tabuai led the way as the Dragons cut through their opposition’s defence with their pace and fluid passing.

Robbie Butcher was instrumental in the halves, while the side’s other captain Brenton Motlop led a monstrous effort in defence, which the side often used as a platform to attack off of.

Brenton Motlop playing for the Nightcliff Dragons in the 2024 NRL NT season. Picture: Patch Clapp / NRL NT

And a mountain of tries followed with Tabaui and penalty taker Trey Crowley crossing the white paint while Asiveli Rauga and Ephraim Grebadi had braces before half time.

Sharks, who despite missing some still had plenty of quality in Adam Hall, David Munro and Jacob McCarthy couldn’t make a real dent as the Dragons kept coming.

It took a typically strong McCarthy charge through the line for the side to save themselves from going into the half empty-handed.

They found some parity in the second half with Munro and usual danger man Samuel Pearson getting in on the scoring action.

But by then the damage was done particularly with Warwick Williams scoring twice to add to scores from Harley Byers and Jace Byers as Nightcliff secured another big win.

“We knew we had a good preseason and good energy coming, but coming up against a strong side we just wanted to work on our structure and I think we did that,” Motlop said.

“That wasn’t what we expected, we thought we would be in for a scrap, to win like that was a big surprise for us.

“But it’s a credit to all the work we put in and the energy that we’ve been building this year with Sam Irwin and Darren Manaway as coaches.

“It’s good signs for us, we’re not in finals yet, it’s only Round 3, but we’re off to the start that we wanted and we’ve got to keep stepping it up as we go.”

The Litchfield Bears bounced back from their Round 2 defeat as they beat South Darwin 44-12 at Warren Park.

The Bears had a flurry of tries with Jackson Smith crossing for four tries, while Julius Appo and Jake Flanagan both managed two tries each.

Originally published as Palmerston Raiders and Nightcliff Dragons pulled off big Round 3 NRL NT wins