Nightcliff Tigers’ tough midfielder Dom Brew rapt to be at two-time reigning NTFL premiership winners

IT’S fair to say Nightcliff officials are grateful for how things have worked out with star recruit and tough inside midfielder Dom Brew.

Nightcliff’s best-and-fairest midfielder Dom Brew has come up with plenty of hard-ball gets for his team in the 2020-21 NTFL season. Picture: Glenn Campbell

IT’S fair to say Nightcliff officials are grateful for how things have worked out with star recruit and tough inside midfielder Dom Brew.

The 24-year-old star recruit from Werribee in the VFL has been a very shrewd acquisition at Tigerland, finishing in his side’s best a whopping 12 times during the 2020-21 NTFL regular season.

Brew says a bit of luck and proactive thinking from yellow-and-blacks coach Chris Baksh got him to the beachside club, before the NT News revealed his signing in September last year.

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And in great news for the Tigers faithful, this season could be the first of many for Brew at the club which is pushing for a third consecutive NTFL title this month.

“I’m mates with Brad Talbot from my time at Albury, and Brad called Bakshy because Brad knew I wanted to play footy up here. They’re also mates,” Brew, Nightcliff’s best-and-fairest winner for this season, told the NT News in his first in-depth interview for the 2020-21 campaign.

“Next thing I knew, Bakshy called me.

“I was only going to play eight games, and then it was only until January. Then it became a full season. Me and my partner got jobs up here and I love the NT.

“I’ll be back next season.”

Brew said he was never blessed with natural ability – just a strong work ethic and a desire to always win hard contests.

“I never made rep teams, but being coached by Jason Akermanis at North Albury – he really made me believe in myself and he got me to Melbourne to play VFL,” Brew said.

“When you grow up in the country you just learn to play tough – it’s what you do, especially in a tough competition like the Ovens & Murray.

“Now I’m loving playing for Nightcliff – it’s such a professional club, and I’ve got great blokes and players around me like Cam Ilett, Brodie Filo and Phil Wills.

“Cam is a legend of a player and bloke who’s immortalised up here.

“Then you’ve got the younger guys like Liam Holt-Fitz, Andy Moniz-Wakefield and Ryan Mu who are awesome players.”

Dom Brew has had an outstanding 2020-21 NTFL season at Nightcliff. Picture: Aaron Black/AFLNT Media

Brew will temporarily forget his friendships with a handful of Wanderers stars when Nightcliff faces the Eagles in the second semi-final at TIO Stadium on Saturday night.

“I’m mates with Dane McFarlane, Brodie Newman, Shaun Mannagh and Brydan Hodgson from the VFL, so it would be awesome for us to beat them,” Brew said.

“We’re very confident we can get the job done, but there’s been no talk of premiership three-peats.

“We’re just focusing on this week.”

Brew is also not thinking about the Nichols Medal, despite the fact he would be one of the favourites to win the award for the NTFL’s best player.

He has been a consistent hard-ball winner and picked up plenty of possessions this season.

“I never really poll well with umpire votes. If it happens it happens, but there are plenty of other good players out there,” Brew said.

The star onballer is also trying not to let his mind wander too much regarding his lifelong dream of playing in the AFL.

“It’s every footy player’s dream isn’t it?” Brew said.

“But I’m just focused on what’s happening now, and trying to be the best player I can be.”