Northern Sharks beat Litchfield Bears in NRL NT minor premiership decider
The Northern Sharks furthered their hopes of sealing the 2023 minor premiership, while the Litchfield women had a big confidence-boosting win. Read the latest action from the NRL NT.
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Northern Sharks have put themselves in the box seat to win the NRL NT minor premiership after beating fellow front runners Litchfield.
With the sides tied on 20 competition points leading into the Round 13 encounter it was always going to be an interesting affair between the two top sides of 2023.
But it was Sharks, particularly in defence, who had the edge, winning 14-0 to give themselves an almost sure chance of taking out the minor premiership.
Sharks came out strong, as they have for much of this season, with both Jayden Sneddon and Mitch Burke creating chances.
However, the Litchfield defence led by captain Trent Wedding held strong with forwards Luke Mahood, Dillan Vanderburg and Brody Race all putting their bodies on the line.
The match was a real arm wrestle for much of the early exchanges with neither side able to find more than half chances.
That was until Sharks’ Damien Mick, just a minute after coming off the bench, was able to make a break offloading to Lachie Wright on the left wing who was able to slide over for a try.
The Bears had their time on the attack as well, but were set back by their struggles to complete sets while several kicks landed in the hands of Sharks’ dependable full back Cooper Segeyaro.
Sharks also had their missed opportunities whether it was overshooting passes or knocking on coming close.
A few contestable kicks from half Nathan Dixon landed Bears in a position where they looked on for a try, but even with their big bodies they were unable to get over the try line.
Sharks carried back up the ground but a tackle turned into scuffle between the both sides and Segeyaro was sent to the bin for escalating the exchange.
However, even a man up Litchfield were able to find their way over the try line constantly held back by the rock-solid Sharks’ defence.
But after all the Bears’ pressure it was Sharks who got the result with winger Samuel Pearson darting around defenders to score down the right wing.
Luke Miller was also lethal when he had his chances on the attack setting Wright up for another go at a try, but an infringement put paid to that opportunity.
The Bears were down but never gave in knowing one score could help them claw back into the game, but they found themselves held up over the line at least four times throughout the match.
Jacob McCarthy, Adam Hall and Shaquille Addo-Norris were among the big defenders making try-saving tackle after try-saving tackle.
And for all their efforts Bears couldn’t make it through with Wright instead making a break in a move which eventually led to a game-sealing try from five-eighth Kieren Danovaro.
“It’s a pretty good feeling to have won that, all the blokes play for each other which really shows the camaraderie of the side,” Sneddon said.
“It’s always good to get a win over one of the other premier sides of the competition, it gives us a bit of confidence heading toward the end of the season and finals.
“Our defence was something we talked about before going out getting numbers into tackles and working for each other.
“Now it’s just about polishing up leading into finals, getting around each other, getting the numbers down to training and getting stuck in where we can to keep getting better.”
Meanwhile, Palmerston beat Nightcliff 86-6 with Kendall Quakawoot, Brad Hansen, Will Beers and Blake Blomley among the multi-try scorers.
And Darwin Brothers kept their outside hopes of a top two finish going with a 52-6 win over South Darwin.
Litchfield women get confidence boosting win
The Litchfield women showed plenty of class with an important win over major rivals Northern Sharks in Round 13 of the NRL NT.
The two sides sit third and fourth and are likely to face off in the first week of finals, but with a 26-10 win it will be the Bears who take the confidence into the knock out rounds.
The Bears had the go-forward early with 2021 Gaynor Maggs medal winner Rhiannon Fecht showing off her speed with sniping runs.
Litchfield quickly found themselves in a strong position and some quick passes between captain Shari Togo and Meg Clohesy had Emma Forsyth sliding over for the opener.
Sharks made some ground of their own in response with their captain Ayesha Kay directing the play, and were soon knocking on the door themselves.
A Kiyanah Toy tackle halted Sharks first dig, but Kay redirected play passing to Taka Voysey who put boot to ball exposing a defensive gap on the right wing for Arizona Holder-Veit to run into.
Bears controlled the ball from the restart, and big carries from Lavinia Norris and Emi-lee Minerds laid the foundation for Togo to place the ball over the line through a tackle.
They had another try soon after with Clohesy sending off a long ball to Forsyth, who was able to beat the Sharks’ wing and sprint the remaining 30m to score.
However, the Sharks defence were able to avoid any further damage at the close of the half holding out Fecht who burst around the edge in the closing minute.
It was Sharks who came out on the front foot in the second half with Jamie Clissold and Tamara Madzika both proving dangerous running options.
Bears were further shook up when Norris went down after taking a knock to the head in a tackle attempt causing a temporary pause to the game.
From the restart it was Sharks again showing real intent with Grace Bailey carrying well setting up Sylvia Watson-Compton to show and go right down the middle for her side’s second.
But Litchfield came back with a roar thereafter with their forwards carrying the ball up the field until they were back in touching distance.
Again it was Fecht, ducking out from dummy half, who found the try-scoring move running cross field to find Genna Stiles who scored following a busy period of play.
And they didn’t stop there with Togo sending the ball wide, again finding Fecht who this time found Skye Cash who was able to burst over for the final try.
“We worked really hard leading into this game so we knew we had to put what we did in training straight into this game,” Togo said.
“We knew Sharks would come at us, we’re pretty even with them when it comes to wins and losses this season so get one on top of them is a pretty good feeling.
“It came down to our ball control, completing our sets and just wanting it that little bit more, we really wanted to win this one.”
Meanwhile, the Darwin Brothers women continued their winning ways, beating South Darwin 62-6 with Jacinda Summers scoring a hat trick.
Sharks to take on Litchfield in crucial fight for minor premiership
A red-hot Northern Sharks know they can’t let their guard down against Litchfield Bears in a match which very well could decide the 2023 NRL NT minor premiership.
The Sharks are currently on an eight match winning streak, scoring at least 30 points in each, including 94-2, 90-6 and 76-0 thrashings of different opposition.
Only Litchfield and Brothers have beaten the frontrunners so far this season, in their respective first face-offs, however Sharks got their revenge against both in the return fixtures.
But it isn’t just this season Sharks have been the benchmark with the club winning the 2021 premiership, before going undefeated up to the 2022 grand final, which they lost to Raiders.
Captain Mitch Burke said the sharp uptick in results in recent years came down to how much the players enjoyed playing with and for each other.
“It’s been a good vibe for the past couple of years, but we’re really flying at the moment, everyone’s just clicking and we’re hitting our straps at the right time,” Burke said.
“There’s a lot of experienced guys at the club and a lot of boys are starting to get fitter so it’s been good.
“Everyone’s got good camaraderie at the club and enjoys each other’s company so it’s easy playing footy together.”
Sharks are currently tied with Litchfield on the ladder each sitting on 20 competition points, but Sharks have a significant margin advantage.
It sets up an important encounter in Round 13 with the winner the likely favourites to win the minor premiership, which will be decided after just two more rounds.
The Sharks’ halves pairing of Burke and Brent Crisp has kept the side running smoothly all season, and they’ve got plenty of options outside them.
Bailey Zaro and Samuel Pearson are both elite finishers, while Brody Bordina and Clint Chettle bring plenty of difference to the back line, and that’s not to mention the forward power in the squad.
Bears aren’t short of talent themselves with captain Trent Wedding returning rested after a week off while last year’s rising star Nathan Dixon has been in fine form all year.
Then there’s the forwards Brody Race and Dillan Vanderburg which Burke knows his side need to lock down if Sharks have any chance of keeping their winning run afloat.
“We’ve got to the same as every week, but we know this one can be dangerous as they’ve beaten us before,” he said.
“It’s going to be a good game which should sort out who’s first and second, but we’ve just got to play our game and see what happens.
“It’s usually the same with Litchfield, we’ve got to stop their forwards in the middle and they’ve got some dangerous blokes out wide who we need to keep contained.
“But it comes down to winning in the middle and taking it from and then obviously completing our sets and keeping on top of our defence.”
Meanwhile, the Palmerston Raiders will be playing with intent against Nightcliff and the Darwin Brothers will be pushing for a big score against Souths with an outside shot at making the top two.
All the big talking points from NRL NT Round 12
A thrilling women’s match, Litchfield’s last home game of the season and another Sharks thrashing were the big talking points from NRL NT Round 12.
In the men’s competition Litchfield, Sharks and Brothers all triumphed, while Brothers and Litchfield were the winners in the women’s comp.
Here are all the major talking points from Round 12.
Women’s comp is alive and well
Brothers vs Palmerston was a true spectacle of the women’s game and was a match in which either side would have been well-deserved winners.
And at 16-all in the final minute it required something special from two of the league’s best players Ellie Niki and try scorer Latoniya Norris to win the game for Brothers.
They were the favourites heading into the match having won every one of their games in 2023, including both matches against the Raiders.
However, Palmerston really brought their A-game for the encounter and absolutely dominated the opening 20 minutes constantly bashing over the gain line and scoring two unanswered tries.
Lucy Aigea was particularly lively on the go forward while Victoria Alley has proven an important addition to the side this year.
Brothers built their way back into the contest with Jacinda Summers twice crossing the white paint and a massive run from Bianca Stokes to level the scores.
The last minute try gave Brothers the win and kept their unbeaten run alive, but the competitive nature of the match has put the competition in an interesting place.
Add on to the fact Palmerston only beat Litchfield by two points the week before and finals could get very spicy.
Finals positions all but locked in
We’ve still got three rounds of the competition to go but as it stands the top four are secure, with Litchfield and Sharks now almost certain to get the finals double chance.
The only major tussle which could happen is who take the minor premiership, with the top two sides sitting on equal competition points.
That decider comes this weekend with Litchfield taking on Sharks in a match both sides rested players for.
Litchfield gave captain Trent Wedding the weekend off against Souths, while there were plenty of changes in the Sharks side which thrashed Dragons.
Sharks are the favourites with a 440 point difference from 12 games, while Litchfield have 278 points in their favour.
Otherwise Brothers narrowly saw off Palmerston to all but secure third on the table ahead of the side that won the title last year.
The Raiders will get their shot at redemption in the first week of finals, but with the Brethren beating both them and Bears back to back it will be an uphill battle.
Ten man Nightcliff
Just 10 players from the Nightcliff Dragons took the field against Sharks, so it was little wonder they shipped a 94-2 loss to the top of the table side.
Make no mistake, Sharks were always the favourites for this match and have proven time and time again why they’re the benchmark side in the comp.
But for Nightcliff it was a far cry from the team which took the field against South Darwin the week before in the Chico Motlop Shield match.
To their credit the ten players who ran out for the Dragons played bravely and constantly pushed to put themselves on the board, eventually getting their reward through a Trey Crowley conversion.
This has been the case for the rebuilding club for most of the season shipping big totals against sides they were competitive against just a couple of years ago.
Captain Zak Mott leads from the front each week, but the issue of depth remains particularly as we know based on the Chico Motlop the club does have players who can fill gaps.
For this Nightcliff side there are just three matches left, with all three coming against sides looking to make a point heading to finals.
Litchfield win final home match
It was a big day out for the Litchfield Bears who dominated across the grades in their final home games of the year.
A 70-0 win in A-grade, 46-8 in the women’s and 34-6 in the reserves, all against South Darwin, was enough to give the Webber Park faithful the send-off they were looking for.
A-Grade coach Jake Barnes was disappointed in the week prior after his men dropped a home match to Brothers, ruining their prior perfect record.
“We’ve got a very loyal supporter base who stick with us no matter what, through thick and thin, and after a couple of down years we wanted to push hard at home and play for them,” he said.
The side had made too many errors against the Brethren leading to uncompleted sets, an issue which has crept into the side’s game in recent weeks.
However, faced with the prospect of their final match of the season the Bears didn’t let up once completely dominating throughout the encounter.
Declan MacGillivray stood out with four tries while Bailey Priestly picked up a hat-trick with half Nathan Dixon providing the side with direction.
Now with finals on the way Litchfield need to sure up any remaining flaws and make sure to bring their A game against their big rivals.
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