The NT News rates the top 20 Territory football moments from the past decade. Did we get it right or wrong? Have your say
There have been many amazing Territory football stories from the past decade. The NT News looks back at 20 of the best. Did we get it right or wrong? HAVE YOUR SAY.
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THERE have been many amazing Territory football stories from the past decade.
The NT News looks back at 20 of the best.
1. BEST EVER NTFL GRAND FINAL
YOU run out of superlatives to describe how incredible the 2020-21 NTFL grand final between Nightcliff and St Mary’s was.
The Tigers led by 36 points in the second quarter, before Saints produced a brilliant comeback and led by 18 points late in the fourth quarter.
But there was yet another momentum shift, the Tigers equalising through a cool-headed John Butcher goal with just seconds remaining.
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Trent Melville was then the extra-time hero for Nightcliff, which secured a stunning three-peat of NTFL flags.
Tigers captain Phillip Wills later revealed to the NT News he played through most of the game with broken ribs and a torn groin muscle.
2. TERRITORY PRODUCTS WINNING AFL GRAND FINALS
WITH Cyril Rioli’s 2015 Norm Smith Medal at Hawthorn at the top of the list, other Territory-raised AFL grand final winners over the past decade have included Mathew Stokes (Geelong), Shaun Burgoyne (Hawthorn), Daniel Rioli (Richmond) and Willie Rioli (West Coast).
3. OUR AFL/AFLW DRAFTEES
ONLY in recent years have we seen Territory stars Joel Jeffrey, Mal Rosas, Ashanti Bush and Janet Baird (Suns), Steph Williams (Geelong), Maurice Rioli Jr (Richmond), Jordann Hickey (Melbourne), Danielle Ponter (Adelaide), Zac Bailey (Lions), Michaelia Roberts (Collingwood) and Tayla Thorn (Adelaide) drafted to professional clubs.
Now that the Suns have established the Territory as part of their Academy Zone, there will be plenty more elite NT youngsters representing the club in the coming years.
4. AFL AND AFLW IN THE NT
OUR young footballers can see their heroes in the flesh now that Melbourne Demons and Gold Coast have locked in agreements to bring home games to Alice Springs and Darwin, respectively.
5. TERRITORY CROWS
IN a massive boost for women’s footy in the NT, Ange Foley, Stevie-Lee Thompson, Sally Riley and Abbey Holmes helped the Crows to a thrilling 2017 AFLW grand final win over Brisbane.
All played their previous football in the NTFL Women’s Premier League.
St Mary’s star Danielle Ponter kicked three goals for the Crows in their big 2019 AFLW grand final win over Carlton, which was massive.
6. ILETT’S CAREER
SIX best-and-fairests with NT Thunder and eight NTFL flags with St Mary’s and Nightcliff, Cam Ilett made his VFL debut for Essendon last month at 36.
He is still playing top-shelf football and is an inspirational leader of men.
7. SAINTS’ DOMINANCE
FOUR flags in five seasons from 2012-13 to 2016-17, featuring superstars such as Xavier and Raph Clarke, Willie, Ben and Shannon Rioli, Cam and Jarred Ilett, Peter Macfarlane, Darren Ewing, Justin Wilson, John Anstess, Iggy Vallejo, Karl Lohde, Henry Labastida, Michael Coombes, Jack Geary, Kieren Parnell, Anthony Wilson, Luke Bath, Jack Long, Francis Kinthari and Nate Paredes.
8. TAHS’ DECADE
SIX flags from seven seasons for a star-studded Waratah women’s team that included Abbey Holmes, Colleen Gwynne, Lauren O’Shea, Lisa Roberts, Amy Chittick, Sue Nalder, Ange Foley, Amy Lorenzo, Madeline Gault, Lisa Miceli and Gemma Cusack.
9. THE GROWTH OF WOMEN’S FOOTY
WITH the great Tahs teams from above playing a key role, the growth of women’s footy in the Territory over the past decade has been huge.
For proof, you only have to look at Danielle Ponter’s 2019 AFLW grand final performance for the Crows, and the many Territory players drafted to clubs before and after that game.
10. AFLW EXPANSION
ESSENDON, Hawthorn, Port Adelaide and Sydney Swans will join the current 14 teams for the 2022-23 season.
This is massive news for elite young Territory footballers.
One group comes to mind straight away – the Buffettes teams which won under-18 flags together, those sides featuring Mattea Breed, Dom Carbone, Molly Althouse, Steph Williams (picked up by Geelong), Ashanti Bush (Suns) and Kiera Kurnoth.
It means those stars not picked up can still dream big.
11. NT THUNDER’S HOME TRIUMPH
NEARLY 6000 vocal fans cheered on a star-studded Thunder side to a thrilling one-point win over Aspley in the 2015 NEAFL grand final. That team featured outstanding Territory players Darren Ewing, Aaron Motlop, Thomas Motlop, Shannon Rioli, Cameron Ilett, Ryan Smith, Dom Barry, Richard Tambling, Daniel Weetra, Justin Beugelaar, Gibson Turner, Ryan Nyhuis, Ben Rioli, Liam Patrick, Neil Vea Vea, Jonathan Peris and Matthew Rosier.
12. DISTRICTS’ THRILLING DROUGHT-BREAKING WIN
THE postponed 2017-18 premiership decider – put back due to Cyclone Marcus – was well worth the wait.
Districts prevailed by one point in an absolute thriller over Darwin Buffaloes.
Champion Districts midfielder/forward Rory O’Brien compared that flag victory to the two he won in the WAFL.
And Buffaloes midfielder Jarrod Stokes was immense, winning the Chaney Medal in a beaten outfit.
In a special moment for the Buffaloes, Tai Martin-Page was on hand to watch the game – and he was swamped with well-wishes from his teammates.
He suffered a dislocated vertebra and spinal-cord damage in a collision during the round 12 clash against Wanderers earlier that season.
13. ANOTHER DROUGHT-BREAKING WIN FOR THE CROCS
DISTRICTS captain Lateesha Jeffrey described winning the 2019-20 NTFL grand final against a star-studded Waratah as climbing football’s version of Mt Everest.
“It did (feel like climbing Mt Everest winning the Women’s Premier League flag that season),” Jeffrey said.
“It was three years in the making. When I first went to the Crocs, we lost our first game by 150 points.
“But we gradually got better.”
14. HEWETT’S REMARKABLE SEASON AT PINT
PINT star Jasmyn Hewett completed a 2020-21 Women’s Premier League hat-trick of accolades, claiming the Brenda Williams Medal for best-on-ground in the Queenants’ grand final victory over Darwin Buffettes.
Hewett, playing with a broken hand, was still at her dominant best, coming up with plenty of hitouts and booting goals to see her side to its first ever WPL premiership title.
The Williams accolade came just a week after the tall ruck claimed the Colleen Gwynne Medal for best-and-fairest throughout the season, with the flag triumph making it a perfect treble.
15. HAWTHORN LEGEND RUNS OUT FOR TIWI
YOU could not have scripted a better fairytale ending.
Hawks legend Cyril Rioli made his footy comeback on Bathurst Island and kicked the winning goal in the dying seconds.
Rioli looked very much like the player who won four AFL premierships with Hawthorn as he inspired the Tiwi Bombers to a thrilling 11.13 (79) to 12.6 (78) NTFL comeback win against Palmerston on November 2, 2019.
16. RETURN OF REP WEEKEND
THE Territory’s first senior representative men’s and women’s sides in 16 years made it a memorable afternoon for football in the region, both triumphing over SANFL club Glenelg back in January.
This concept only seems like one which will grow and get an even bigger crowd next year, particularly with the Big Rivers v Redtails also providing an entertaining spectacle.
Despite a decorated football career, Territory football legend Cameron Ilett described representing the NT outfit as one of the best experiences that he’s ever had in the game.
17. JEFFREY’S STUNNING BAG OF GOALS
FORMER Wanderers star Joel Jeffrey’s amazing nine-goal haul for Gold Coast in a big 78-point win over Aspley in round 15 VFL action last month led to him making his AFL debut against Melbourne the following weekend.
18. STARS IN REGIONAL TERRITORY COMPETITIONS
NO more senior NT Thunder team means plenty of stars have played in regional Territory competitions the Big Rivers Football League, Barkly Football League and Central Australian Football League. Those big names have included Josiah and Will Farrer (Katherine South), Cameron Ilett (Rovers), Liam Holt-Fitz (Spitfires), Trent Melville and Joel Budarick (Katherine Camels), Paddy Heenan (Ngukurr) and Raph Clarke (Pioneer).
19. COVID BRINGING BIG NAMES NORTH
A POSITIVE to come from the ongoing pandemic was the players who went north and prospered last NTFL season, mainly from Covid-affected Victoria. It meant we saw some high-quality football every weekend. Those star players included Nichols Medal winner Dom Brew, Tom Boyd, Bailey Henderson (Nightcliff), Brydan Hodgson, Shaun Mannagh, Dane McFarlane, Brodie Newman (Wanderers), Brandyn Grenfell, Jack and Dylan Landt, Josh O’Brien (St Mary’s), Nick Lowden, Brodie Foster, Ryan Pendlebury (Buffaloes), Eric Guthrie (Palmerston) and Robbie Turnbull (Waratah).
20. MOTLOP’S RETIREMENT
HIS last NTFL game – a preliminary final loss to St Mary’s last season – was not the ideal way for Aaron Motlop to step away from a decorated playing career.
But what a career it was, and it’s one he can now look back on fondly before his first game as head coach of Wanderers in round 1 of the 2021-22 NTFL season.
Former NT Thunder captain Motlop’s magnificent career included two premierships and the 2010-11 Chaney Medal.
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