CAFL representative stars to take on NTFL premiers St Mary’s

The best players from across the Central Australian Football League will take on the NTFL premiers on their home ground at Traeger Park in an exciting representative fixture.

The CAFL representative side will host the NTFL’s most successful club and current premiers St Mary’s in what promises to be a thrilling face-off in July.

The historic match-up will see the Saints, who won their 34th premiership in March, head south to take on the best Central Australian players at Traeger Park on July 20.

It follows a successful representative match last year when the CAFL narrowly lost to Waratah at TIO Stadium by just five points in a showcase of Alice Springs’ younger talent.

Federal’s Abe Ankers, who also plays for the Tahs in the NTFL, was part of the representative side and was named best on ground after the match.

Dylan Alice playing for the CAFL representative side in the 2023 AFL curtain raiser. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

AFLNT Regional Academy coach and former North Melbourne player Matt Campbell said his side’s performance in that 2023 game had proven how important the match was for players.

“Being able to pull on the CAFL guernsey will always be a great honour for players,” he said.

“Last year we saw the success and pride locally for all players selected, it’s a massive opportunity for local players to showcase not only their talent, but also the talent across the CAFL.”

Earlier this year, the St Mary’s Men’s Premier League side won their 34th NTFL Premier League Flag, beating modern day rivals Nightcliff Tigers in a tight NTFL grand final.

St Mary’s president Carol Stanislaus said despite being in the off season, the club was looking forward to being a part of the historic match.

“We’ve got a long-standing history with the Central Australian competition, with many of our players travelling from the red centre over the years to be a part of our squads,” she said.

“We look forward to getting some younger talent in the side to have the opportunity to play against the CAFL representative team, and we’ll still have some familiar St Mary’s names in our side.”

St Mary's triumphed in the 2023-24 NTFL grand final against the Nightcliff Tigers. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

AFLNT general manager Sam Gibson said the representative fixture was a great way to showcase and celebrate clubs, leagues and players across the NT.

“The CAFL has a rich history so being able to bring this game to the Red Centre is really important to AFLNT,” he said.

“Having St Mary’s coming to Alice Springs is fantastic and we thank them for their commitment to the game.”

There will be other featured games on the day including a women’s match, providing local talent more opportunities to showcase their ability.

The event is supported by Yeperenye Shopping Centre with tickets and game day information to be released on the AFLNT website.