NTFL 2022-23: Palmerston vs PINT Round 2 livestream

PINT brought the aggression while Palmerston looked to their big recruits in a storm struck thriller at TIO Stadium. WATCH THE REPLAY

An Eddie Betts inspired Palmerston and a first-year PINT fought out a thriller at TIO Stadium which typified everything Territory footy.

But just as the scores levelled at 8.13 (61) apiece deep in the fourth quarter the game was called off due to lightning protocol.

Despite playing just their second game in the Men’s Premier League PINT looked every bit a side with years of experience at the top level.

Their structure allowed many a strong, aggressive attack, while their backline defended with plenty of confidence.

WATCH ROUND 2 LIVESTREAMS

Co-captains Ben Smyth and Matt Ryan were busy putting their side on the front foot while Kyle Winter-Irving was a key link-up man.

Alex Harvey, Patrick Doyle and Brock Carver were also impressive throughout the match winning the ball and giving their side the big clearances.

The aggression from PINT unnerved Palmerston and through Christopher Nield they had two quick goals.

Traffic was all one way for the majority of the first half, even when Nield went off injured later in the opening period.

Kallym Groves tackles Alex Harvey as Palmerston took on PINT at TIO Stadium in round 2 of the NTFL 22-23 Comp. Picture Glenn Campbell

For their part Palmerston ruck Tristen Waack and mid-forwards Baxter Mensch and Josiah Farrer busied themselves across the field trying to take any positives they could from the match.

Palmerston’s sloppiness came to a head at the start of an eventful third quarter when John Harvey delivered a shove on PINT’s Andrew Ciavarella after consecutive free kicks.

In a bid to settle matters down AFL champion Eddie Betts moved into the midfield and the move helped Palmerston regain some composure.

It also paid off on the scoreboard as the move laid the foundation for Palmerston’s forwards to fire beginning with a snap goal from Farrer, after a 15m miss.

Betts further inspired the side with two goals of his own and more than one scoring assist as everything he touched suddenly turned to gold.

For the first time in the match Palmerston hit the front midway through the fourth quarter as PINT seemed to drop off the pace due to a reduced number of rotations.

Tyrell Metcalf seemed to kick a sealer from right in front, but the goal was called back for a free kick which he subsequently missed.

PINT in return knuckled down and refused to let their first chance of a win disappear and Ryan booted a captain’s goal to put his men back ahead.

But a point from Jonty Patrick levelled the scores once again, just as players were called off the ground because of a lightning warning leaving the game tied.

Tristan Waack takes the high ball for Palmerston vs PINT at TIO Stadium in round 2 of the NTFL 22-23 Comp. Picture Glenn Campbell

“It’s a bit of shame in the end after we came out really well in the first half,” Ryan said.

“The thing that hurt us the most is we didn’t have a bench in the last quarter so we just ran out of legs, they came back, and we were probably lucky to hold for a draw.

“We just came in with intent. We tackled hard, smashed into them and we won the footy and got the clearances going forward.

“We know we can compete with the teams at this level, we just need to get that consistency playing four quarter footy.”

Palmerston coach Josh Heath

“We didn’t start the way we wanted to which is pretty disappointing from our point of view,” Heath said.

“I’m really proud of how the lads responded after half time to grind our way back into the game, but it’s still a bit of an empty feeling finishing that way.

“We didn’t come to play in the first half and that’s kind of the sticking point for me. We need to get the job done early.

“I put a bit on them and the experienced players responded and the young players then stood up and followed suit.”

Score:

PINT: 3.3 5.9 7.13 8.13 (61)

Palmerston: 0.2 1.8 6.10 8.13 (61)

Goals:

PINT:

Christopher Nield 2

Matt Ryan 2

Brad Ryan

Ben Smyth

Alex Harvey

Andrew Ciavarella

Palmerston:

Eddie Betts 3

Josiah Farrer 2

Baxter Mensch

Clay Shadforth

Cam Pedersen

Best:

PINT:

Kyle Winter-Irving

Matt Ryan

Patrick Doyle

Brock Carver

Ethan Smith

Palmerston:

Baxter Mensch

Eddie Betts

Josiah Farrer

Tristen Waack

Eric Guthrie

LIVESTREAM PREVIEW

Palmerston Magpies will be looking to their big recruits once again as they take on first year side PINT in Round 2.

And the NT News will be there to live stream the game exclusively for you from 7pm Saturday.

Palmerston had a strong start to their year with a big 60-point win over Tiwi Bombers.

Key to their success was their big recruits including former AFL stars Cam Pedersen and Eddie Betts who both got in on the scoring.

But Baxter Mensch and Tristen Waack were the stars of the show alongside Nichols Medalist Eric Guthrie and all three will be expected to play key roles once again.

As for PINT they may have lost their opening match against Nightcliff, but there were plenty of positives to take from that game.

PINT will take on Palmerston Magpies in Round 2 of the 2022-23 NTFL season. Picture: Celina Whan / AFLNT Media

For one it was a sodden match in which they more than held their own against one of the league’s best sides in their first ever game at this level.

If they run up a similar or better score line against the Magpies they will have plenty of hopes of pushing through for the finals fight later in the year.

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The NT News and AFL Northern Territory have come together in a partnership to livestream Men’s Premier League games for this TIO NTFL season.