Ngukurr, Arnhem Crows win Big Rivers Football League 2023 grand finals

Ngukurr Bulldogs have ended a 16-year premiership drought, while the Arnhem Crows women also triumphed on BRFL grand final day. Read all the latest action.

Nathaniel Chambers and Grey Morris

5 min read

September 19, 2023 - 2:30PM

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Ngukurr snapped a 16-year premiership drought when the Big Rivers Football League Bulldogs beat Katherine South in Saturday’s grand final.

Ngukurr laid to rest five grand final losses since its 2007 triumph against the Arnhem Crows, beating the Crocodiles by 36 points in a performance that washed away years of disappointment.

Midfielder Cedric Robertson won the coveted Morris Medal as the best player on the ground, and the Bulldogs’ forward line of Thomas Wurramarra and Tom Thompson gave the Souths’ backline several headaches.

Premiership coach Amos Ashleigh praised his players and his community’s long suffering fans for their intent and ability to perform when it mattered most.

The Ngukurr Bulldogs have won the 2023 Big Rivers grand final. Picture: Tymunna Clements / AFLNT Media

“It’s been a long time for the community and a win like this supports the families who have had people pass away recently and brings everyone together,” Ashleigh said.

“We didn’t want to wait until next year to win another flag, we wanted to do it today and the players made it known from the first bounce and particularly in the second half we were ready to go.”

Souths were far from disgraced and had some ammunition of their own to throw at Ngukurr, particularly spearhead Parker Fawcett, who booted five goals, four of them in the first half.

Fawcett’s marking and ability to sum up scoring opportunities from almost nothing were on show when he took a brilliant one-handed mark and another one next to the point post converting both.

The 17-year-old will line up with St Mary’s in the NTFL Premier League this season where he will add bite and unpredictability to the Saints forward line.

Second year PINT coach Shannon Motlop would have been pleased with the form of giant ruckman Josh McCarthy, who dominated the ruck for the red and whites.

But mercurial midfielder Cedric Robertson was the player of the day, and now he has his eyes on playing in the NTFL after winning Territory football’s prestigious Morris Medal.

The 27-year-old picked up a number of important possessions to set-up several goals and kick three himself in Ngukurr’s drought breaking win over Katherine South in the premiership decider.

Described by former coach Paul Amarant as one of the best footballers in the NT several years ago, Robertson showed sensational hard running in between displaying unbelievable hand and foot skills.

Ngukurr Bulldogs player Cedric Robertson won the 2023 Morris Medal for a best on ground performance in the Big Rivers grand final. Picture: Grey Morris

Presented with his medal, Robertson was asked if a season in the NTFL was his next challenge.

“I’d love to play in the NTFL, I’m not linked with any club yet, but I’m keen to hear from them with a view to playing in Darwin when the season kicks off in a few weeks,” he replied.

“Anyone who rings me up, I’ll talk to them and see if we can organise things, the NTFL will be a step-up for me but it’s something I want to do.”

Robertson said Saturday’s performance was one of his best in a junior and senior career that began in the East Arnhem region where Australian football has always been king.

“This was a grand final we wanted to win and I knew I had to play a big game, everyone need to against Katherine South who played well to get to the grand final.

“It was one of my best games, I found the footy a lot and managed to do something with it.”

The 36-point win over Souths was only Ngukurr’s fourth flag in 11 attempts to take the silver cup back to their community.

Arnhem Crows won the 2023 Women's Big Rivers grand final. Picture: Tymunna Clements / AFLNT Media

In women’s football the Arnhem Crows won an entertaining premiership decider against close neighbours Ngukurr, building on narrow leads at the main break and three quarter-time to win by 16 points.

Crows midfielder Jenna Lippo won the best on ground medal after four quarters of hard running and clever foot passing that had the big crowd at Nitmiluk Oval appreciating her every move.

Senior Men Scorecard

NGUKURR 1.1 5.4 9.8 14.10 (94)

KATH SOUTH 3.2 5.2 8.3 9.8 (62)

GOALS

Ngukurr: Cedric Robertson 3 Kurtley Silver 2 Tom Thompson 2 Junior Jaragba 2 Dean Daniels 2 Nico Farrell Zachariah Wurramurra Lester Gumbula

South: Parker Fawcett 5 Adam Bostock 2 Josiah Farrer Thomas Jagger

BEST

Ngukurr: Cedric Robertson (Morris Medal) Jake Farrell Junior Jaragba Kurtley Silver Rhys Hall

South: Parker Fawcett Josh McCarthy Ronald Fejo Rory Daylight Patrick Doyle

All the winners at Big Rivers Football League’s night of nights

The Eastside Football Club has been rewarded for a consistent season in the Big Rivers league, collecting both top honours at the Doug Kelly medal night on Sunday.

William Robinson secured the highly respected Doug Kelly medal, while Eastside clubmate Billie Byers took home the women’s best and fairest for the second time.

Robinson hails from the Ovens and Murray Football League on the border of New South Wales and Victoria.

He played for the Corowa Rutherglen Football Club from the age of 18 where he took home the league’s Rising Star medal in 2016.

Billie Byers and William Robinson of the Eastside Football Club. Picture: AFLNT Media

He played six games for the Darwin Buffaloes in the 2022-23 NTFL competition before starting his Big Rivers campaign.

Robinson’s win came on the back of a consistent season, with his 16 votes three clear of the Arnhem Crows’ Nehemiah Farrell and a further two ahead of the season’s leading goal kicker Liam Holt-Fitz.

Meanwhile, Byers was recognised for her relentless hard-at-the-footy style of play and was named in her side’s best nine times this season.

She was also a key part of St Mary’s finals push, played in the 2023 NT rep side and has now secured her second best and fairest in the Katherine competition beating Lynelle Ahfat by three votes.

It was a fitting result for the medal night named in honour of Kelly who played with both Katherine and Eastside in the then named Katherine Districts Football League in the early 90s.

Kelly was Eastside’s Leading Goal Kicker three times and won the KDFL’s leading goal kicker award with 63 goals in 1992-93.

Despite its big wins on medal night, Eastside will not be competing in either grand finals, losing in both divisions by narrow margins in the prelim finals.

Instead the men’s grand final will be a rematch between last year’s grand finalists Ngukurr and Katherine, while the women’s final will see Ngukurr take on Arnhem at the Katherine Showgrounds.