NTFL 2023-24: Watch Nightcliff vs Southern Districts Round 8 live stream

Nightcliff’s defensive efforts saw them survive a real back and forth thriller full of massive momemtum swings against a Southern Districts side which never stopped coming.

Nightcliff Tigers held on in a real back and forth encounter against Southern Districts to secure one of the matches of the season.

Southern Districts have been in rampaging form of late winning their past four matches by an average margin of 92 points, but Nightcliff were more than up for the challenge.

The Tigers survived to win 15.2 (92) to 12.12 (84) against a side which had been in rampaging form of late.

Neither side could find real advantage coming out of midfield as the back and forth encounter lived up to its initial billing as the match to watch.

Mitchell Norton locked down Districts’ big man Jarrod Brander, who had scored 19 goals in the past three weeks, preventing him from having the impact he’s known for.

The first goal came down to a mistake from Districts when Mackenzie Slee failing to move out the way while not the designated ruck giving Stanley Cox the score.

It was a moment which inspired a run from the Tigers as speedsters Adrian Scott and Tristan Singh-Lippo fired off consecutive screamers to pile on the goals.

Districts weren’t out of the contest and with Jed Anderson and Beau Schwarze working hard in the midfield they were largely equal when it came to everything except the scoreboard.

Their efforts were only rewarded when Stanley Waistcoat, who had a busy night, fired one late in the opening quarter to put something to their name.

But it was a moment which swung the momentum in their favour with former Brisbane Lion Nakia Cockatoo and Michael Bowden, who limited Brodie Filo at times, coming into the game.

Wyatt Ryan was impressive in the ruck for Crocs, while Waistcoat continued to threaten every time he came close to the posts as they eventually took the lead.

Nightcliff's Cam Ilett has been a consistent performer in the 2023-24 NTFL season. Picture: Celina Whan / AFLNT Media

But with some of their main scorers locked down they were forced to go the hard way at goal, and that’s where they faltered.

The experience of Cam Ilett helped right the ship for the Tigers and soon they found themselves on the offensive again, with two quick-fire goals from Brett Kennedy part of a six-goal run.

Again though Districts came back in the see saw encounter whittling the margin again with three goals from the boot of Jonathon Ross.

It was in this period late in the fourth where they were back within a goal only to then butcher a few chances at scoring, not slowing down and instead kicking out on the full or behinds.

The Nightcliff defence held against the late pressure, not willing to give away two comeback losses in a row, and Singh-Lippo darting through the midfield inspired a late score to seal the game.

“We knew it was going to be a big game, they’re a quality unit, and though there’s plenty of challenges to come but the hype’s massive after that win,” Norton said.

“It comes down to our hard work, we just had to keep grinding, show our grit and determination, and around the ground we kept creating contest and finding a way to get the ball forward.

“The lads told me I’d be up against Brander, so I looked at his stats and knew I’d be in for a fight, it was great to keep him to so little, but the whole defensive unit helped me out.

“I played all my footy for Nurioopta in the Barossa Valley, and through connections got in contact with Ilett and Leigh (Crossman) to come up, I’m loving every moment.

“I just want to keep playing as good quality footy as I can, there’s some great young talent in this squad which has the potential to go all the way, we just need to keep grinding away.”

Score:

Nightcliff: 5.1 7.2 13.2 15.2 (92)

Districts: 1.5 6.5 8.8 12.12 (84)

Goals:

Nightcliff:

Brett Kennedy 3

Adrian Scott 2

Jackson Grundy 2

Kyle Emery 2

Cody Szust 2

Cooper Dahms

Peter Politis

Stanley Cox

Tristan Singh-Lippo

Districts:

Stanley Waistcoat 4

Jonathon Ross 3

Beau Schwarze 2

Jarrod Brander 2

Wyatt Ryan

Best:

Nightcliff:

Mitchell Norton

Cam Ilett

Cody Szust

Tristan Singh-Lippo

Cooper Dahms

Districts:

Jed Anderson

Beau Schwarze

Stanley Waistcoat

Samuel Smith

Roy George

Michael Bowden

PREVIEW

Southern Districts have been in rampaging form of late, but they know there’s no room for complacency when they face a strong Nightcliff outfit.

And the NT News and KommunityTV will be there to stream the entire thing from 6.30pm on Saturday.

Districts have blasted PINT, Palmerston, Wanderers and the Buffaloes in their past four matches.

Former GWS player Jarrod Brander has been in elite form in front of the posts and sits joint top of the league for goals with 26 to his name from six matches.

The service game of Beau Schwarze, Jed Anderson and Ronald Fejo has been instrumental in his success there, and the team has smashed through opposition after opposition as a result.

Southern Districts will take on the Nightcliff Tigers in Round 8.

Nightcliff presents a difficult challenge though, with the Tigers wanting a taste of revenge after giving up a 30-point lead to lose to the Buffaloes last outing.

Cooper Dahms has been among the side’s best in recent weeks, alongside two-time Nichols Medal winner Brodie Filo and Michael Randall.

A win here will keep Tigers in touching distance with the rest of the likely finals-bound sides.

A full replay of the match will be posted here following the end of the 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.