Nightcliff Dragons save a draw with Northern Sharks in Round 12 of the 2024 NRL NT season
A clutch sideline conversion saved a draw for Nightcliff against the premiers, while the Palmerston women got their most important win of the year. Read the latest NRL NT action.
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A Trey Crowley conversion from the sidelines saved a draw for the Nightcliff Dragons in a real back and forth tussle against the Northern Sharks.
The Dragons were trailing by six with just seconds left on the clock, but a couple of hit ups and eventually a try down the left wing for Peni Drauindalo gave the side a shot at the draw.
And despite the pressure of the scenario against the reigning premiers Crowley rose to the occasion and struck true from the sideline to make it 26-all, and lock in second spot for another week.
“I just didn’t want to let the boys down and some kicks you just know you have it,” Crowley said.
“I felt confident in my ability to get that, I’ve done it throughout the whole league and union season.
“Big shout out to (club legend) Stem Edwards, he came out to see us, and considering we have a few boys out this means the world to us.”
The Sharks led the occasion for the majority of the day, scoring 20 mostly-unanswered points in the opening half hour to put the frighteners on their opposition.
One up plays from their big man gave them the early dominance and it wasn’t long before Jacob McCarthy got his hands on the ball from five out to charge over for the opening try.
Nightcliff’s situation got bleaker when Emori Diqoniqere was binned for a huge hit on Sharks’ fullback Izaiah Waters, and soon after the error was compounded by a Samuel Pearson try.
Then some battering runs from Lachlan Naptapu, in the absence of Adam Hall, tenderised the Dragons’ defence even more setting up a try for Salaa before crashing through for one of his own.
Nightcliff had their glimmers of hope with player-coach Sam Irwin providing direction, while Crowley and Jace Byers made one or two moves that didn’t quite come off.
But once Diqoniqere returned to field the match shifted in their favour, and his strength in the tackle laid the foundation for a Jerome Motlop try, the first for the side.
Shortly after, Laitham Shirley chipped over the Sharks defensive line and handed the ball off to Crowley, who sprinted downfield for Dragons’ second, and all of a sudden the deficit was halved.
Irwin kept his side on the front foot in the second half finding Warwick Williams for a try, and not long later with some smart passing it was debutant Angus Cram who dived over to tie the ledger.
Sharks snapped the run late in the piece when they had some real time on the ball again, and it was Rowan Kennett, holding his legs against two defenders who crashed over the line.
The premiers besieged Nightcliff’s line for the best part of their remaining minutes, but compounded penalties and some smart offensive efforts against tired legs had the Dragons back for the equaliser.
“Defence has been our focus all season, just in how we push off the lines and making that tackle, it really paid off late in the game,” Crowley said.
“We’ve had a few boys step up from the Gately Shield for us, and it shows we’re not separate groups but one big family.”
Meanwhile, the Darwin Brothers have confirmed themselves as minor premier favourites after a big 50-20 win over the Palmerston Raiders.
Isaac Seden-Kurnoth was among the standouts again with a hat trick, while Anthony Alley added two tries of his own in a huge effort for the top side.
Litchfield held on to third with a 30-10 defeat of a South Darwin side that showed grit throughout the contest.
In the Women’s comp, Palmerston have taken the top spot after beating reigning premiers Brothers in a tight 16-14 face-off.
The Raiders muscled up well against the side that has beaten them in the past two grand finals, and it was Victoria Alley’s accuracy from the tee that proved pivotal with both sides scoring three tries.
Jacinda Summers was the livewire for the Brothers, scoring a brace as her side plugged away, however a send-off did cost the side when they needed points.
And the Litchfield women dominated South Darwin 70-10, with Teka Voysey, Emma Forsyth and Meighan Barker among the multiple try scorers.
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