NTFL 2023-24: Watch Waratah vs Tiwi Bombers Round 13 livestream

A dominant third quarter helped the Waratahs power their way past a willing Tiwi side and hoist the Maurice Rioli Cup high. Watch the full match REPLAY.

Waratah survived the challenge of a resurgent Tiwi Bombers to move up the NTFL table, and snap their foes winning streak.

The Tahs came into the encounter knowing their shot at the finals double chance was on the line, but against a Tiwi side with three straight wins they had a challenge in store.

It came down to a decisive third quarter in wet conditions where they scored five unanswered goals that Waratah finally won 16.19 (115) to 8.4 (52).

WATCH THE FULL MATCH REPLAY IN THE PLAYER ABOVE

Tiwi skipper Brendan Kantilla, fresh from his suspension break, showed his skills immediately with an immense pickup to turn momentum, followed by the match’s first goal down the other end.

The Bombers had their tails up from there, but Waratah responded using the likes of the newly returned Eddie Morris and Lachlan Cassidy to clear the ball.

Though wayward shots from Brodie Carroll and Abe Ankers meant it came down to the league’s leading goal kicking Jayden Magro to boot the first for his side.

Jack O’Sullivan was crucial in defence for the red and whites, disrupting the Bombers’ efforts, alongside Dylan Collis and Will Clark.

Waratah's Eddie Morris enjoyed a big return against the Tiwi Bombers in Round 13 of the 2023-24 NTFL season. Picture: Celina Whan / AFLNT Media

But Tiwi kept at, particularly with Karlson Kantilla holding his own in the ruck against Arnold Kirby, while Thaddeus Puautjimi was a constant source of excitement, whether stepping or scoring.

Waratah were just stronger coming out of the midfield, with Ankers clearing, and the second, or sometimes third, efforts of the forwards allowed them to put the pressure on.

Slippy ball played a big part, particularly as the rain came down in the second quarter, though Tiwi held on and threw themselves into every contest.

Brayden Rioli showed his speed and willingness to get involved when he came darting through to set up a Roy Kantilla score from far out.

It was a mini resurgence for the side and they kept coming, and even though Timmy Kerinaiua showed his defensive prowess, they came away with the scores to narrow the margin.

However, a freakish effort from Dwayne Kerinaiua, slicing the ball into goal from an angle, while Magro kept the scores coming kept Tahs ahead.

And as the rain ceased Waratah kept the scores coming playing a more restrained and controlled game come the second half to strangle Tiwi out of the contest.

Morris remained a highlight, adding to his own goal tally, while Scott Carlin made a real impact across the ground, building on an already strong season.

Tiwi still had their moments of magic late, but Waratah had built their lead out far enough to put themselves second on the table ahead of their bye round.

“It’s pretty exciting to get the win, I moved interstate a few months back so this was my first time back in a while,” Morris said.

“It’s been hard watching the games from afar, that’s for sure, but to finally be able to fly in and catch up with the group has been great, and we’re tracking really well at the moment.

“Tiwi are a quick side, you can’t give them space because they have the pace and skill to take the game on, so we had to concentrate on body work, winning the contest and spreading from there.

“We spoke at half time about stopping playing so fast, controlling the footy and making them defend, which is where we really started to put some scoreboard pressure on them.

“I’ll be back in another three or so weeks looking at the St Mary’s game because against them we will still be fighting for a top three spot.”

Score:

Waratah: 3.4 8.8 14.13 16.19 (115)

Bombers: 2.0 6.1 6.3 8.4 (52)

Goals:

Waratah:

Jayden Magro 5

Eddie Morris 3

Joel Hillis 2

Scott Carlin

Toby Hutt

Dwayne Kerinaiua

Brodie Carroll

Anthony Munkara

Arnold Kirby

Bombers:

Thaddeus Puautjimi 3

Brendan Kantilla 2

Roy Kantilla

Stanley Tipiloura

Jayden Alimankinni

Best:

Waratah:

Eddie Morris

Jayden Magro

Jack O’Sullivan

Scott Carlin

Arnold Kirby

Bombers:

Thaddeus Puautjimi

Brendan Kantilla

Michael Thompson

Brayden Rioli

Karlson Kantilla

Match preview

Tiwi Bombers are on quite a run, Waratah badly need a win ... it’s shaping up to be a huge 2024 version of the Maurice Rioli Cup.

And the NT News and KommunityTV will be there to stream every moment from 7pm on Saturday.

The match draws on the long history between Waratah and the Tiwi Islands, which dates back to the 1962-63 season when Bertram Kantilla won the Nichols Medal playing for Tahs.

The Tiwi connection flourished from there, particularly when the cup’s namesake became Waratah’s head coach in 1989.

Now the Tiwi Bombers make the trip to Gardens Oval with their tails up, having burst out of a multi-season slump this season.

They have three wins in a row now - against Wanderers, St Mary’s and Palmerston - for the first time in four seasons.

Former AFL player Sam Darley has been around the club in the past couple of seasons and has been impressed with their hard work.

Young guys such as Karlson Kantilla and Thaddeus Puautjimi have impressed week after week, while the likes of Kim Kantilla and Stanley Tipiloura have become leaders at the club.

“This match is huge for us, it’s named after someone who served a significant role for the Tiwi people and footy in general,” Darley said.

Sam Darley, Stanley Tipiloura, Scott Carlin, Arnold Kirby ahead of the Maurice Rioli Cup. Picture: Nathaniel Chambers

“But for us, this is a big match. We’ve won three in a row, and the chance to make that four against the reigning premiers will give our group a lot of confidence.

“This momentum started last year, even though we didn’t get the results, it came down to teaching the young guys behaviours and training habits to take us to the next level.

“And then it’s just the talent we have, it’s unbelievable, and to surround that with mature age guys who can play structured footy and a new coach has made a big difference.

“To have these young guys play for us is huge and to see them actually get rewards is exciting, that’s why I’m here, to see them grow and take the club to places it needs to be.”

Despite dropping their post-Christmas match against PINT, Waratah are never a side to underestimate.

Jayden Magro leads the goal kicking after 12 rounds, and is known to get going at Gardens Oval, while Arnold Kirby is always a rock in the ruck.

The midfield is where they have particularly impressed, with Scott Carlin, Brodie Carroll and Lachlan Cassidy among others all having strong seasons for the red and whites.

“This match has turned out to be a pretty big game for us, particularly after dropping the game to PINT,” Carlin said.

“They went really well against us and got over the top of us in the end, they went bang in the final quarter after we led, but we know where we went wrong and know how to improve.

“Tiwi are coming off three straight wins and will be hunting this one hard, it will come down to who wants it more, both teams need to win so it comes down to that.

“We’ve had a wide variety of performers this season, and we need that in such a close competition, only a game separates the top sides so wins mean everything at the moment.”

Full replays 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.