NTFL 2024-25 live stream: Watch Waratah vs. Wanderers in Round 15
Waratah rebounded from their recent run of tight losses with a resounding 95 point victory in their Foundation Cup face-off against Wanderers. Watch the full match REPLAY.
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Waratah rebounded from their recent run of tight losses with a resounding 95 point victory in their Foundation Cup face-off against Wanderers.
The Tahs had been on the wrong side of back-to-back tight losses against the league’s current top two Districts and Tiwi and needed to break that unhealthy trend with finals approaching.
Both are NTFL foundation clubs, and it was Waratah that triumphed in their annual Foundation Cup match played under lights at Gardens Oval.
The Warriors bounced out of the blocks and had a six goal to nil buffer at the first break, and although wasteful in front of goal on many occasions, they contained Wanderers in most areas and ran out 17.19 (121) to 4.2 (26) victors in the match honouring 108 years of the NTFL.
Rival coaches nominated Tanner Lovell (Waratah) and Riley Calvene (Wanderers) as recipients of the Foundation Cup best players for their respective sides.
Waratah dominated early with ruckman Riley Irvin winning all the aerial duels but only three behinds resulted in the initial forward forays and it took eight minutes before Toby Hutt marked and goaled for the first of the match.
Soon after, hard running Liam Odea got another and when Hutt got his second for the term, the flood gates opened, and Waratah led by 40-points at the first break.
Maxwell Kelly’s skilfully constructed set shot early in the second got Tahs going again and when Joel Hillis repeated the dose, the home team was flying.
A piece of individual brilliance by Muk Muk winger Dray Thompson, when he charged along the scoreboard wing, set up his sides first goal when Austin Smith found himself at the fall of the ball in the square and he goaled at the nine-minute mark.
However, Tahs settled and with a brace from Brodie Carroll, they went to the long break holding a comfortable lead.
Wanderers closed up shop in defence in the third and Waratah managed a mere two goals, but four more in the last ensured the red and white team secured a well-crafted win.
The importance of the win was not lost on Tah dynamo Brodie Carroll.
“Obviously after those two recent losses it was good to get a win and especially when it keeps our top three chances alive,” Carroll said.
“It was an even performance by us today but credit to Wanderers they made it hard especially early and they hassled us all game in our front-half and that pressure told on the scoreboard.
“But importantly, it was an even performance by us today – our younger players and Toby Hutt up forward were all good contributors, and all played their role.
“Today was pretty close to what we’ve got but we are not looking too far ahead and now it’s Nightcliff next week.”
Score:
Wanderers: 0.1 2.2 3.2 4.2 (26)
Waratah: 6.5 11.10 13.14 17.19 (121)
Goals:
Wanderers:
Jak Trewin, Dray Thompson, Lachlan Hourigan, Austin Smith
Waratah:
Toby Hutt 3, Scott Carlin 2, Brodie Carroll 2, Fraser Holland-Dean 2, Maxwell Kelly 2, Liam Odea 2, Tanner Lovell 2, Joel Hillis, Riley Irvin
Best:
Wanderers:
Riley Calvene, Mitchel Taylor, Dray Thompson, Lachlan Hourigan, Austin Smith
Waratah:
Tanner Lovell, Riley Irvin, Brodie Carroll, Oliver Poulson, Joshua Saltalamacchia.
Preview
Despite strong showings and tight score lines Waratah have lost their past two matches, something they can’t afford to happen in the Foundation Cup against Wanderers.
The Foundation Cup is an important match recognising two of the original NTFL clubs and their shared history, with two big Premier League games between the men and women at Gardens Oval.
The NT News and KommunityTV will stream every moment of this clash from 7pm on Saturday.
Waratah have slipped to fifth on the back of their recent losses, but their performances in those games indicate they’ll be more than a challenge for whoever they face.
The Tahs led for the majority of their match against league leaders Southern Districts before a fourth quarter fight back and then fought to almost beat Tiwi last round.
Scott Carlin, Tanner Lovell, Ricky Monti and Riley Irvin have been among their standouts in recent weeks, with each putting their side in positions to close out games.
Skipper Dylan Collis said his side was eager to snap the losing run on their home track, but knows Wanderers, who want to get back to winning ways themselves, are no easy beats.
“The cup is one of the biggest home and away matches of the year and based off last time we faced them we know it’s going to be a good match,” he said.
“The top five is really tight this year and those recent matches could have gone either way, we were in front for 90 percent of the game against Districts it was just about our ability to close it out.
“Then against Tiwi their speed and run got us and we couldn’t quite get in front when we came back, they closed out the game a bit better than we did so that’s got to be a focus this time around.
“Tanner has been huge alongside Ricky, they’re recruits that have exceeded expectations, while Scott has been doing it for the past three years and taken his game to another level.”
Wanderers haven’t quite enjoyed the return from the break they would have wanted after a string of strong pre-Christmas performances had them in finals form.
A draw to Palmerston and losses to Tiwi and Buffaloes have ended the Muk Muks hopes of playing finals this season, but there is still plenty to play for.
Wanderers will want to end their season on the right foot and build on the positives with their recruits, youngsters like Sonny Smiler all led by one of the NTFL’s best in Mitchel Taylor.
Jeremy Piercy has been one of the standout pick-ups for the club this season and said a win in the Foundation Cup would be significant for the club.
“The aim here is to just find our way back to form, we’ve struggled the past few weeks to play consistent footy through the four quarters,” he said.
“We’ve lost a few players due to injury, but credit to the other sides they played the full game and we lost a bit of our pre-break confidence and probably moved away from how we like to play.
“The club is heading in the right direction from last year, you can see that in the win against St Mary’s, but we just have to play consistent footy and the results will come.
“The team that we’ve picked for this one can give them a good fight, it’s just a matter of playing four quarters of footy, and we can win games when we do.”
A full replay of the match will be available post game.
The NT News and AFL Northern Territory have come together in a partnership to live stream both the men’s and women’s Premier League games for this TIO NTFL season.
Meanwhile, in the women’s competition it’s a resurgent Waratah that come up against a Wanderers side still without a win but building every round.
The Tahs women have won their past two rounds aided by the return of former AFLW star Ange Foley, while the likes of Madeline Jeans and Ruby O’Dwyer have been continued standouts.
It’s something that has pleased captain Brittany Daly ahead of the Muk Muks match, which holds a special place as the Foundation Cup game.
Both men’s and women’s sides will be wearing a special jersey designed by former Waratah player Sharona Bishop.
“The sides are excited, it’s a game we always look forward to and we have a few girls with Wanderers connections so it will be a special moment for them,” she said.
“The season was tough ahead of Christmas, but we all came together and reflected on what we want out of the year, we just want to keep building and improving and that’s really showing on the field.
“We’re pretty much just trying to build on the past two weeks, stay composed in our game and have some fun too.”
Wanderers have yet to get on the winner’s list in the women’s season, but the signs of improvement from last year has ensured they were in the scoring much sooner than last season.
Young players such as Jayla Thorne and Jizelle Fejo are coming through the ranks, while the likes of Anneka Piercy and Leticia Lloyd are adding a new dimension to the side.
The Muk Muks have goalled more consistently this season and it’s the steady progress they help to see continue that has veteran Tiffany Parriman confident in their future.
“They’re all really keen to come out and have some fun, we’ve come a long way since last season and are getting on the scoreboard more consistently,” she said.
“We have a lot of young players and some emerging players in their first season this time around as well as some fly-ins that have helped bolster our side.
“There’s been a lot of great progress and despite the results we turn up every week and continue to build, that’s what we appreciate showing up and pushing forward even if we don’t get the win.”
The Foundation Cup matches are at Gardens Oval with matches from 9am, the seniors from 5pm, and plenty for the whole family to enjoy including a jumping castle and a half time little legends game.
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