NTFL 2022-23: Watch Tiwi Bombers vs Nightcliff Tigers Round 18 livestream

Nightcliff Tigers have recorded their seventh successive win in the NTFL premier league after smashing Tiwi at Gardens Oval. WATCH THE REPLAY.

Nightcliff will enter another Men’s Premier League finals campaign with unrivalled momentum, unveiling nine individual goal kickers in a 65-point smashing of Tiwi Bombers which could have been far, far uglier on the scoreboard.

For the second successive week, Jay Moody would slot four, with three of those coming in the final quarter, as a wayward Tiger machine eventually found its radar, eventually winning 13.18 (96) to 4.7 (31).

For Nightcliff, who banked its seventh straight win, Brodie Filo and Bailey Edwards were particularly prolific while Peter Politis booted two majors to go with his steady accumulation of the leather.

Earlier, it was a different story altogether, with the Bombers getting the jump on a Nightcliff unit that was slow out of the blocks.

As has been a theme all year, Harley Bennell and Dion Munkara helped orchestrate many forward assaults, as the Bombers played to their strengths and moved the pill with pace.

On song, there are few more natural looking footballers than the silky 31-year-old Munkara – resembling a young Michael Long of his 1990s pomp – weaving through heavy traffic a number of times to find a teammate.

Brodie Filo was terrific for Nightcliff Tigers in their win over the Tiwi Bombers. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Bennell also exhibited his consistent ability to move a ball in hot dispute into the hands of a player with space.

Caught on the back foot, after early salvos to Brayden Rioli and Adam Tipungwuti, Nightcliff held possession to halt Tiwi’s momentum.

Lacking the twin towers of Sam Overall and John Butcher, Nightcliff got on the board through debutant Finnis Trigwell, a 50m penalty making his set shot a certainty.

However, Tiwi’s lack of height was exposed in the ruck — Gary Puruntatameri opting not to contest a centre ball up on occasion – and in defence, whenever Jackson Bowen or Aidan Robinson were moved forward.

A great park mark was converted by Jack Hammond as Nightcliff took the lead for the first time, but it was an outlier as the Tiger forwards failed to capitalise on a series of forward 50 grabs in the first term.

The game would change after quarter time though as the Tigers turned the defensive screws; Tiwi struggled to get the ball into their forward half and were limited to just 1.4 over the next two quarters.

Lachlan Huppatz provided a goal of the day contender, cutting off Brendan Kantilla’s attempt to clear the area before nailing a six-pointer from the city end right hand pocket.

With Harry Butler providing an effective marking option, some defensive pressure from Hammond, stripping his opponent of the ball, also led to Edwards’ first.

Then Filo’s expert vision picked out an impressive Zak Rinaldi who produced the best set shot of the game.

A 36-point halftime buffer was reflective of Nightcliff’s lack of forward precision rather than an even contest.

Politis’ monster roost late in the game was the exclamation point on a strong afternoon for the emerging 19-year-old.

Post-match, Filo, who admitted he “got off the chain a bit” at Gardens Oval, said Nightcliff had hit form at the perfect time of the season and he was getting more support in the midfield.

“I think we were probably playing a little bit of selfish footy,” Filo said of their run of five successive losses.

“We hadn’t really gelled as a side yet.”

However, he said hard decisions would be made ahead of the finals, with Butcher, Overall, defender Simon Deery and Tigers champion Cam Ilett in the mix to return: “It’s going to be tough for selectors next week.”

Score:

Tiwi Bombers: 2.1 2.2 3.5 4.7 (31)

Nightcliff: 2.5 7.8 8.13 13.18 (96)

Goals:

Tiwi Bombers:

Adam Tipungwuti 2

Brayden Rioli

Brendan Kantilla

Nightcliff:

Jay Moody 4

Peter Politis 2

Finnis Trigwell

Lachlan Huppatz

Jack Hammond

Bailey Edwards

Zak Rinaldi

Ryan Mu

James Gow

Best:

Tiwi Bombers:

Harley Bennell

Dion Munkara

Gary Puruntatameri

Braydon Weily

Brendan Kantilla

Nightcliff:

Brodie Filo

Bailey Edwards

Luke Wines

Peter Politis

Zak Rinaldi

LIVESTREAM PREVIEW

Nightcliff Tigers are chasing a seventh successive win as they take on Tiwi Bombers in the final round of the NTFL home and away season.

And the NT News will be there to livestream every minute of the game exclusively for you from 1.30pm, Saturday.

The Tigers have been in elite form of late looking more and more like the side we’ve come to know over the past six years than what we saw in the early stages of the season.

Key to their success has been their defence led by Ryan Nyhuis and Nathan Brown, allowing their mids and forwards plenty of ball to work with.

Finals are their next big task with an elimination final likely, but a big win against Tiwi and a surprising loss for St Mary’s against Wanderers could see Nightcliff climb another rung on the ladder.

Meanwhile, this is the Bombers final match of the year and they will be hoping to go out in style.

The Nightcliff Tigers are up against the Tiwi Bombers in Round 18 of the 2022-23 NTFL season. Picture: Tymunna Clements / AFLNT Media

It has been another disappointing year for the Bombers, but they will want to go out with a bang at Gardens Oval.

If you are attempting to cast the livestream or replay to a television, the best result can be achieved by either using a laptop/computer or a mobile phone.

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.