Darwin Brothers bring the razzle dazzle in big win over Northern Sharks in Round 4
Darwin Brothers showed off all the flair they’re famous for as they pulled off a dominant win over Northern Sharks in a thrilling Round 4. Read the latest from the NRL NT season here.
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Darwin Brothers showed off all the flair and razzle dazzle they’re famous for in a dominant NRL NT win over Northern Sharks, while their women’s side kept their unbeaten run alive.
Sharks have been the benchmark side of the NRL NT over the past couple of seasons, and were expected to make an impression after dropping off against Litchfield in Round 3.
However, the Brethren, who have enjoyed a strong start to the season, ran over the top of Sharks to post a 34-6 win and climb to second on the 2023 table after four rounds.
It didn’t seem like it would go that way at first with Brothers forced to defend attack after attack from Sharks.
Mitch Burke directed the play from the halves, while Clint Chettle and Bailey Zaro offered themselves for big carries.
And when Brothers tried to make use of their aerial game Sharks’ fullback Cooper Segeyaro was all too happy to snap up the high ball.
Finally, after almost 23 minutes, the 2021 premiers had their reward with big Cameron Versteegh shrugging off a tackle on his way to scoring, but he came off injured after.
Brothers were quick to respond through some powerful carries and a delayed pass from Jonas Niki found Anthony Alley who put Brothers on the board.
The Brethren quickly consolidated their lead off the back of some massive runs from Xavier Grant, talismanic fullback Caleb Niki and Thomas Laban to send Jekope Kauvere through for their second.
And while Sharks tried to work back into the game they could do little to hold back the tide as a Lachie Wright high tackle on Isaac Seden-Kurnoth saw two more points in Brothers’ favour.
It was a similar story in the second half as Brothers took every opportunity that came their way, while defending out of their skins when Sharks went on the hunt.
And as opportunities came, so too did the miraculous scores Brothers are known for.
Drew Tobin took his chance into open space, and just when it looked like he would be caught he went to pass, only to be the receiver himself as it bounced off the defending Burke to let him score.
Meanwhile, Sharks’ night went from bad to worse when they lost Carlos Swasbrook-Murray to an Achilles injury.
Caleb Niki was again in the action for the try of the match linking up with Xavier Cubillo who charged down the right wing before passing off to Grant, who kicked inboard.
There it found itself back in front of Niki who was forced to kick it forward, and then again off his knee, where it finally sat up for him to secure the try.
Jarrod Northam was also among the try scorers after a great passage of passes, and skipper Seden-Kurnoth slipped through tackles late to get a score for himself.
“Coach Leon (Cleal) says week in week out that we have something special building and I’m just happy to be a part of it,” Caleb Niki said.
“The game just came down to fitness, we’re a smaller side but more fleet-footed, so that game could have gone either way so it came down to who wanted it more.
“For that try I was just backing up for that next play, but Xavier put that kick in and it just landed in front of me.
“It was too late for me to pick up, I didn’t want to risk it so I kicked it forward, didn’t like the bounce and so kicked it again and then it just sat up for me.
“That’s sort of our brand, which I’ve seen coming through Brothers juniors to now, there’s always been that flair and razzle dazzle.
“It comes down to completing our sets, and not really working for points but trusting the points will come if we stick to our structure and our playing style.”
Meanwhile, Litchfield remain unbeaten after beating Nightcliff 50-4, and Palmerston managed two wins in a row with a 32-16 win over a fighting South Darwin.
The Darwin Brothers women, despite missing eight of their best players also maintained their undefeated run fending off a lively Sharks outfit 18-12.
Janna Ransome scored twice for the Brethren, with Layla Russel and Liana Niki also among the scorers, while Tamara Madzika put two tries on the board for Sharks.
And the Palmerston women pulled off a dominant 72-0 win over South Darwin, while Litchfield beat Nightcliff, playing their first match of the year, 58-4.
Darwin Brothers bracing for Sharks challenge in NRL NT Round 4
Darwin Brothers are chugging along nicely in the 2023 NRL NT competition but know they need a full 80-minute performance when they take on Northern Sharks in Round 4.
The Brethren’s brand of speedy footy has resulted in two wins from three matches so far in 2023, with their only blip coming in the opener against the still undefeated Litchfield.
During that game they gave away a healthy lead to fall 20-16 in a second half coach Leon Cleal will be ensuring that doesn’t happen again this season.
Since then they’ve beaten reigning premiers Palmerston 24-20 and smashed South Darwin 62-0 to hold a healthy third on the ladder.
“We’ve played very well for five of the six halves, with the second half of the first game being the exception,” Cleal said.
“We just got ahead of ourselves and started to believe a bit of our own talk instead of wanting to do the hard work.
“It’s something we’ve been speaking about since about seizing moments, and when momentum changes we’ve got to swing it back.
“The second match against Raiders played out better, we were leading, but when they took the lead giving us a situation in which we would have lost in previous years we came back.
“And against Souths I was over the moon with how we played, we were very direct and just controlled the field position.”
A healthy mix of young players fighting for spots in the backs, alongside the return of some older heads including Drew Tobin and Aaron Pollard has played a massive role in that success.
Captain Isaac Sedan-Kurnoth has come into his own in 2023, leading his side around from the halves, while Caleb Niki has been one of the form players of the competitions.
“Isaac is getting up there in games at such a young age, and he’s starting to get a bit of that Leon Rotumah aura,” Cleal said.
“In that when he’s playing well and when he’s talking the whole team goes well and the whole team goes well, he’s a leader not by words, but my actions.
“Caleb Niki has been in an outstanding form this year, he’s found a good voice and he’s fitter than he’s been for a long while and not carrying any injuries.”
But with Sharks their next foe, Brothers know they will need to lift another level to get their third win of the season.
Sharks have been the form side of the comp for the past two seasons and will be out for blood after dropping their match against Litchfield 16-14 last week.
Samuel Pearson is one player Brothers need to keep contained with the wing second on the try scoring charts, only behind Niki, while the side’s big forward will also be a worry.
“You have to be very disciplined against the Sharks, they’re a big side and they use momentum well in the game,” Cleal said.
“If you become undisciplined against them the game will get away from you very quickly, because they don’t miss opportunities when they come along.
“For us to be good against the Sharks we have to be very good defensively with limited to no errors, if we can’t do that we’ll be on the back foot.
“Last year for 65-70 our matches against them were a tight, close contest, and for me our objective this week is to make it an 80-minute contest and make sure we’re in it at the end.”
Elsewhere, the Litchfield Bears will take on Nightcliff Dragons, while Palmerston Raiders will be hunting their second win of the season against South Darwin Rabbitohs.
And the dominant Darwin Brothers women will be put to the test against their Sharks foes, with eight of their best players out after being selected for the NT representative side.
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