Teams and players to watch in the 2023-24 NTFL season
From a hugely important Maurice Rioli Cup tie, to a few matches that could decide the shape of finals NTFL Round 13 promises to be decisive one. We’ve analysed who will win and why.
Northern Territory
Don't miss out on the headlines from Northern Territory. Followed categories will be added to My News.
There’s plenty on the line when the NTFL sides go head to head in what promises to be a decisive Round 13 of the 2023-24 season.
The Maurice Rioli Cup between a Tiwi side on a roll and reigning premiers Waratah will have plenty of bearing on the season, as will Buffaloes’ match against Districts.
Meanwhile, Nighcliff and PINT will both be aiming to soar up the table when they take on Palmerston and Wanderers respectively.
Wanderers vs PINT
Save a late season catastrophe, PINT have well and truly put themselves in touching distance of their first ever Premier League finals campaign.
And this match against Wanderers is one they know they need to put away to not only maintain their top five placing, but also start to look at the top three.
The Greenants pulled off one of the most miraculous comebacks of the NTFL last week, going goalless until late in the third quarter and still beating reigning premiers Waratah.
It’s the kind of a result a side can build their season around, and it will live on in their memories for some time.
Steven Motlop was the spearhead of the comeback playing off halfback and delivering chance after chance to those ahead of him.
Brad Ryan and Harrison Maher both had big games too, and know they can continue that momentum, then it comes down to the Benjamin Bretts and Matt Ryans of the world to finish.
There’s talent aplenty in this PINT side, they just need to shoot goals a little sooner going forward.
Meanwhile, Wanderers have not had the season they would have wanted, dropping all their games except the two against bottom side Palmerston.
Jaxon East and Nathan Arbon have been the standouts for the Muk Muks this season, and both know how to get plenty of the ball.
While old heads such as Mitchel Taylor and Braedon McLean remain two of the best in the comp when given the chance.
Wanderers are a side with talent, they’ve just struggled with consistency, and while PINT have suffered the same caveat at times they have been better as the season has gone on.
Our tip: PINT
Palmerston Magpies vs Nightcliff Tigers
Nightcliff will be thinking of two things when they travel to Cazalys Arena to play Palmerston — get the win and rack up the points.
Win this game and the Tigers will go top of the table, leap-frogging St Mary’s who have a bye this week, and they’re heavy favourites to complete that goal.
They’ve got workers right across the pitch from the likes of Brett Kennedy and Cooper Dahms up the field to their potent backline including skipper Ryan Nyhuis and Mitchell Norton.
Then they have their ball magnets, whether it’s dual Nichols medalist Brodie Filo or Lachlan Tardrew, who were everywhere against Wanderers after the break.
This is not a side coming to go easy, they want to win and score points, and there’s little else on their agenda.
Meanwhile, it has been a season to forget for the home side Palmerston, who have yet to win and this week confirmed they would be parting ways with head coach Josh Heath.
This is their chance to react to that news and at home maybe they can make something of themselves, but there is a clear gap between these sides at present.
Ashton Hams, who was a shining light before Christmas, is missing again, meaning plenty will fall on Phil Wills in his 251st game to inspire his young troops.
Waylon Davey and Lucas Edmonds are both known for their moments of magic, and maybe a couple of early goals will get the spirits up.
Our tip: Nightcliff
Waratah vs Tiwi
The Maurice Rioli Cup is usually a game played with plenty of passion, but this match also holds plenty of value in the context of the season.
Reigning premiers Waratah are currently sitting in third after 12 rounds, and know they need to stay in the top three to avoid finals sudden death.
They did have a setback coming out of the Christmas break with PINT running them down in the fourth term to take the win.
But in many ways that match was testament to just how close the top five sides are at the moment, with one win separating the teams looking likely to play finals.
Waratah will bounce back and have the side to do it with their midfield of Scott Carlin, Lachlan Cassidy, Brodie Carroll and Arnold Kirby easily among the best in the league.
Chuck in the fact that Jayden Magro still leads the goal kicking, an area that Anthony Munkara and Dwayne Kerinauia are also threats in and this is a dangerous side.
Most important however, when you come up against a Tiwi side with momentum is your defence, and Waratah have that covered too with Jack O’Sullivan and Dylan Collis in good nick.
That’s right, after three seasons of poor results the Bombers have momentum winning three matches straight for the first time in four seasons.
New coach Patrick Bowden and experienced head such as former AFL player Sam Darley have driven the standards at the club, and the wins have come as a result.
Stanley Tipiloura and Kim Kantilla continue to prove themselves stars in the making, while youngsters such as Karlson Kantilla and Thaddeus Puautjimi are starting to come into their own.
Tiwi can scare anyone at the moment, they proved that against St Mary’s, but this Waratah side looking to bounce back on their home deck is very hard to ignore.
Our tip: Waratah
Southern Districts vs Darwin Buffaloes
It’s do or die for the Darwin Buffaloes with chances of breaking back into the finals conversation slimming by the day.
However, they find themselves up against an imposing Southern Districts side in need of a win themselves, to clinch a highly contested double chance.
Last time these sides met it was highly contested fixture, which Districts only got the upper hand in by the final term.
This time they’re playing at Norbuilt Oval, where Districts will be hoping for another big showing to impress their home fans.
And they have the personnel to get the job done, whether it’s the goal kicking Jarrod Brander or dual rucks Matt Dennis and Wyatt Ryan.
They’re incredibly potent in the midfield too with Jed Anderson, Matthew Johnston and Beau Schwarze each doing plenty with the footy this season.
It’s a tall order for Buffaloes, but if the Double Blues want to play finals this season it’s this sort of game they need to win.
Skipper Jarrod Stokes remains the standard at the club, while Nick Yarran has impressed since making the switch from St Mary’s.
From there they’ve stacked up with Mitch Robinson and Rhys Mathieson coming in alongside ball magnet Baxter Mensch.
This is a game Buffs need to win and with this being their first game since the break they will have the freshness, but this Districts side should never be underestimated.
Our tip: Districts
BIG TALKING POINTS FROM ROUND 12
The NTFL returned from the Christmas break with the premier league sides greeted by a downpour on their first match back.
PINT, Tiwi, St Mary’s and Nightcliff were the best in the wet in the men’s premier league, and the same sides came out on top in the women’s comp as well.
See all the main talking points from Round 12 of the season below.
Tiwi maintain winning ways
The NTFL is always at its best when the Tiwi Bombers are performing, and picking up their third straight win for the first time in four seasons is a sign of a side on the rise.
The Bombers have been the wooden spooners each year since the 2020-21 season, impacted by Covid, community unrest and a unique training situation due to location.
That will not be the case this season as the Bombers already have four wins under their belt, and with the momentum they have in hand the potential to grab some more.
New coach Patrick Bowden has brought into the culture of the team and instilled a real confidence in his side, whether it’s the local talent or fly-ins.
Former AFL player Sam Darley has been an important leader in the squad, and his buy in has helped inspire the side while the likes of Kim Kantilla are able to play their best footy as a result.
And with all the young players they have at their disposal, such as Karlson Kantilla and Thaddeus Puautjimi, it’s a sign this is a side building towards something special in coming years.
“We wanted to improve on what was being done over the past couple of years,” Bowden said.
“And we’re doing that so anything from this point is a bonus, we’ve got nothing to lose and we go into these games with less pressure.
“We just want to take on the game, as the Tiwi fellas do, with excitement and energy and hopefully we can give a few teams a scare as a result.”
Their latest win against Palmerston has them placed to finish seventh at a minimum, but their eyes will be on closing the gap to the Darwin Buffaloes, who sit just one win ahead.
PINT’s miraculous comeback
PINT completed one of the competition’s best comebacks in recent history, after claiming just their first goal at the tail end of the third quarter to beating the league leaders Waratah.
Goals came as a premium for both sides in the wet conditions, but for the majority of the match-up it was Waratah who had the upper hand across the ground and, more importantly, on the scoreboard.
But when Ethan Penrith got the first goal for the side before three quarter time something clicked in the side and despite the reigning premiers’ best efforts, it was the Greenants who dominated.
Two goals to finish the third and four unanswered majors in the fourth quarter not only put PINT in contention, but sealed their win.
In many ways the credit does go to the PINT backline with former AFL player Steven Motlop everywhere, while Brad Ryan had another impressive stint.
It means PINT now sit two wins clear of sixth place Darwin Buffaloes on the ladder, and they will now be feeling pretty confident of a first ever finals series in just their second premier league season.
The Greenants have well and truly moved past their midseason blip, and are now not just a side in the conversation for finals, but one people will expect to see there.
Also in their favour is their bye is behind them and their remaining matches include games against each of the bottom three sides, Wanderers, Tiwi and Palmerston.
Tiwi women show strength
The Tiwi women have had a season of ups and downs having to navigate missing players to the inaugural TIFL women’s league throughout the first half of the season.
But out of the season and with that season wrapped up they were able to field all of their best for the Bombers cause and really show what they are about.
They trailed early on against Palmerston, another side on the up this season, but stuck with the contest all day and in the end had all the momentum going their way.
Maria Rioli was a standout throughout the match, constantly taking on the contest, while Laelia Dunn was a multiple goal scorer.
The Bombers were also well served by AFLW recruits Joanna Lin and Sarah Darcy who brought the extra experience to the outfit.
It’s perhaps too late in the season for the Bombers to make a proper drive towards finals but beating a side on top of them certainly bodes well for the rest of the season.
Wet weather battles
NTFL players are no strangers to wet weather footy, with seasons past being marked by storms and monsoons.
But this year rainy days have been fewer and further between than normal, meaning the Round 12 down pour would have come as a shock to some systems.
It proved a particular factor in the St Mary’s vs Southern Districts top four battle, in which both sides were forced to play in the wet for the majority of their match.
Saints proved the better side in the conditions using their surge tactics to catch the bigger bodies of Districts out and put the pressure on their opposition.
The Green Machine was dominant with Dylan Landt, Nate Paredes and Joel Garner particularly impressive in the midfield, while everyone outside them got stuck into the contest.
Meanwhile, Districts went for the short kicks and handballs trying to move the ball around, but in the conditions and against an opposition bringing the pressure the tactic did not bear fruit.
Crocs were, however, the better finishers blazing home as the rain eased up with their bigger bodies finally able to get some dominance in the contest, they just left the run too late to get the win.
Nightcliff were another side to adapt well in the wet playing a conservative game to unease their Wanderers opposition.
And once they had eased themselves in were able to rack up the scores with Brodie Filo and Lachlan Tardrew everywhere around the ball as their side posted a 100-plus score.
While this season has been more on the hot side than the wet side adapting to the wet conditions could very well determine success at the tail end of the season.
More Coverage
Originally published as Teams and players to watch in the 2023-24 NTFL season
Cops hunt for scooter snatched from 27-year-old in ‘aggravated robbery’
Northern Territory police say they’re still searching for an electric scooter snatched from a woman over the weekend. Read the latest.
10 rental reforms to solve NT’s ‘most severe’ housing crisis
Territorians continue to feel the heat of one of the most “severe housing crises in history”, with a Darwin law firm calling for 10 renters’ reforms.