Darwin Brothers celebrate Aaron Pollard’s 100th game milestone
Darwin Brothers were at their passionate best to bring home a win for one of their greats, in a round with more than one upset. Read the latest action from the NRL NT.
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Darwin Brothers gave one of their greats a milestone match to remember in a NRL NT round filled with upsets in both the men’s and women’s draw.
Former Brothers captain Aaron Pollard, who led the team to their 2020 premiership, brought up 100 A-grade games with club against old rivals Nightcliff Dragons in Round 14.
And while the Dragons were gutsy in defence they didn’t have an answer for a passionate Brothers unit which brought up a 72-0 win to honour their milestone man at TRL Stadium.
It was actually the Dragons who had the momentum early with Adrian Corrie putting his side in prime position with a big kick downfield.
From there captain Zak Mott and Joshua Austin were busy on the carry and when Corrie kicked cross field to the waiting Lawrence Aygie the early try looked certain.
Only the ball spilled over the line and Brothers’ full back Caleb Niki was quick to scoop it up and sprint the length of the field to put his side on the board instead.
Niki, as he has been all season, remained a threat throughout the encounter scoring his second of four tries not long after a bulldozing carry from Jarrod Northam.
Drew Tobin and Daniel Warren were also big carriers taking on Nightcliff’s defence at every opportunity to give their backs every opportunity to cut through.
Jason Davern and Christian Meo were benefactors of their carries, while captain Isaac Seden-Kurnoth unusually playing in the centre showed his strength scoring off a 40m run.
Nightcliff looked over the line again at the end of the half with Brenton Motlop and Sitiveni Loko playing important roles, but the ball was found to be spilled.
Brothers hit the second half running with Tobin and Jonas Niki linking up well allowing Xavier Grant to score on the wing, and soon after Tobin had one of his own.
Caleb Niki was everywhere punching holes in Dragons’ defence while the milestone man Pollard was running plenty of great lines to take the ball up.
And it wasn’t long until he scored with Meo delaying a pass close to the line to draw in defenders and give Pollard the room to run in a hugely popular try, with the whole team piling on top of him.
It was all out attack from then on with Warren and Northam both scoring impressive tries, before Caleb Niki closed the game out with his final try, which Pollard converted.
“I didn’t really think about it as my milestone, it’s another game, but what I really appreciate is how the boys played for me and how the club acknowledged me,” Pollard said.
“I just come out here and do my part, but for the club to show up for me just shows what Brothers is all about, they acknowledge all their players even if it’s your first game.
“I’ve played here since juniors and it goes quick, I’ve got a lot of family and friends here, I would play another 100 games here if I could, it’s an emotional rollercoaster.
“When they got around me it felt like slow motion, just shows the love and respect we have for one another, we all put our hands up for each other and I hope I’ve played a role in their lives as well.
“In the end we had a job to do and that was to win and push for finals on a high note and we just want to enjoy it.
“We know our set pieces and we’re training to get somewhere but I think overall when we’re enjoying it we play our best footy.”
Meanwhile, there were surprising results in both the Litchfield vs Palmerston match-ups with the Bears’ women storming home to a 22-4 win over the Raiders.
2021 Gaynor Maggs medalist Rhiannon Fecht was particularly pivotal scoring twice while Taylah Rogers and Kiyanah Toy each crossed the white paint as well.
However, it was the Palmerston men who had the better fortune in the men’s, winning a tight 30-22 game against the second placed Bears.
Litchfield led early showing plenty of passion for their own milestone man Dillan Vanderburg, but Palmerston had come to play with Blake Fletcher pulling the strings.
Their captain Shane Smith played a pivotal role both in attack, scoring the try which took the lead, and in defence, with plenty of big tackles including one which took Nathan Dixon out of the game.
The Bears were forced to go down to 11 men in the second half when both captain Trent Wedding and latter vice-captain David Jacobson were sent off for dissent.
It was the break Palmerston needed as they got a couple more tries through Jarrad Lane and Will Beers, and while Bears stuck in they ran out of time to make up the deficit.
Elsewhere, Northern Sharks stayed top with a big 84-7 win over South Darwin and their women won the same encounter 22-14.
Brothers gunning for big NRL NT performance for milestone man
Darwin Brothers will celebrate a major milestone for one of their current greats when they take on historic rivals Nightcliff in Round 14 of the 2023 NRL NT season.
Former Brothers captain Aaron Pollard, who led the side to the 2020 premiership, will bring up 100 games for the club in what should be an exciting encounter.
And while there will be celebrations, Brothers will be focusing on ball control after a couple of tight wins over their major contenders, Litchfield (22-16) and Palmerston (18-16).
The three side are all finals bound, alongside the high-flying Northern Sharks, and while coach Leon Cleal was pleased to beat them he said he would have preferred they were more comfortable.
“It’s good to get a win, but they haven’t been the sort of wins we’ve been comfortable with so we’ve been focused on rectifying some errors,” Cleal said.
“We actually held both Litchfield and Palmerston out in the last 10 or 15 minutes which we didn’t manage in a couple of games earlier in the year, which is a positive.
“But our ball security hasn’t been where we need it to be especially after positive sets so if we’ve scored we’re really struggling to return the next set in a positive way.”
Pollard missed much of the 2021 and 2022 seasons due to injury, but has become a mainstay of the side once more in 2023.
And it’s his experience which Cleal leans on heavily knowing him to be a trusted leader on and off the field.
The match also marks the return of Daniel Warren to the side, while captain Isaac Seden-Kurnoth is back again after missing a couple of games this season.
And as always the side will be expecting big things from full back Caleb Niki, who is among the best players of the season.
“Aaron’s really focused for this weekend and a lot of the boys who are playing have played with him for a lot of those games over the past three or four years,” Cleal said.
“It’s great to have him back on the field, he’s got a lot of experience and the players look up to him particularly because he’s coached a lot of them in under 18s.
“He’s a real thinker of the game, I have conversations with him nearly every game, and as a club our values are history, family and respect and that’s Aaron to a tee.”
Meanwhile, Nightcliff have struggled in season 2023 winning just twice from the previous 13 rounds and have been struggling for numbers particularly late in the season.
Their captain Zak Mott has been a standout and deservedly scored two tries in the Chico Motlop Shield win over South Darwin.
“Nightcliff and Brothers are the two rival clubs of Darwin and always have been so I don’t expect an easy game,” Cleal said.
“I’m sure Nightcliff will have a few things up their sleeves and will have players coming back for this game, and if I were them I would be proud of what they’ve achieved with limited numbers.
“There’s a spirit around their side and if they add some numbers to that and we lack ball control then it might be a lot harder than some are expecting.
“We’ve really got to worry about ourselves, because we’ve fallen into that trap before and no matter what the scoreline says we’ve just got to control our game.”
Meanwhile, Litchfield Bears will take on Palmerston Raiders in another important pre-finals encounter while Sharks will come up against South Darwin.
The big talking points from NRL NT Round 13
Litchfield emerging as a women’s powerhouse and Sharks in touching distance of the minor premiership are among the big talking points of NRL NT Round 13.
In the men’s competition Sharks, Brothers and Palmerston came out on top, while Litchfield and Brothers won in the women’s competition.
Here are all the major talking points from Round 13.
Litchfield a potential women’s powerhouse
While Brothers and Palmerston have dominated the women’s game over the past three seasons, another potential powerhouse seems to be emerging from Litchfield.
The Bears have been building in the women’s arena over the past few years and this season have once again improved on their previous results.
And it’s little wonder when they have the two most recent Gaynor Maggs medal winners, Rhiannon Fecht and Kiyanah Toy, in form.
And for a side which at one stage in 2022 won a game with just 10 players it’s the depth they’re building beyond their core group which is most impressive.
Kiara Rogers debuted for the Bears senior side in Round 13 for a solid season in the under-17s where she has scored seven tries so far.
The under-17s group, which is their next generation, are currently on top of the table with eight wins from 12 games.
Palmerston and Brothers have been the strongest sides of late because of their depth, it’s down to Litchfield to keep closing the gap.
Now, in the context of finals Brothers are the clear favourites to take out the crown as they remain undefeated since the 2021 grand final.
However, only a last minute try against the Raiders kept that clean record alive, and in another testament to Litchfield they were only two points off Palmerston last time out.
Sharks are another side which isn’t far away, and were truly competitive mid-season with Shae Muhleisen dominating, which gives the comp four strong or quickly developing women’s sides.
Sharks in the box seat
There’s only two more games left before finals, and at this stage it would be a safe bet to say the Northern Sharks will take out the minor premiership.
It will be the Sharks’ second minor premiership in as many years after they enjoyed an undefeated regular season in 2022.
It hasn’t quite been the same clean record for Sharks this time around with the club losing back-to-back matches, to Litchfield and Brothers, in Rounds 3 and 4.
They have not lost since then and with score lines of 74-0, 62-0, 90-6 and 94-2 it’s safe to say they’re the current favourites for the main prize.
Admittedly only one of those scores, the 76-0, came against another side heading to finals, that being the reigning premiers Palmerston.
In Round 13 however, they beat Litchfield 14-0 to go two points clear on the ladder and while they got the scores it was the Sharks defence which impressed the most.
The Bears were over the line on at least three or four occasions, but the Sharks’ defence fronted up and held up their top of the table foes time and again.
Good defence wins games and the most Sharks have conceded in the past four games is six points to South Darwin.
However, despite having the minor premiership all but wrapped up there will be no celebrations from Sharks until they complete the job.
After all they went undefeated for the entire 2022 only for a send off in the grand final to end their charge.
Brothers peaking at the right time
It’s been an up and down season as far as form is concerned for the Darwin Brothers, but they’re finding form at the perfect time.
They started the season brilliantly with one of the best performances of any side when they beat Sharks 30-6 in Round 4.
Then injuries and player commitments hit the side through the middle run of games and Brothers slipped down the table.
But with finals on the near horizon they’re back in form and seem to be timing their form at the perfect time winning their past four matches.
Caleb Niki has been and remains the best player from the season whether in his defensive role as full back or on the counter attack.
Keeping him fit is paramount to the side’s success, but that’s not to say he’s the only performer in the outfit.
The lift in form has coincided with captain Isaac Seden-Kurnoth making a return and he will be hoping to stick around as long as the side remain in the comp.
The big pre-finals test comes in Round 15 against front runners Northern Sharks, and it’s that match which could show how far Brothers are likely to go in finals.
But the way the Brethren play with their unmatched pace and unexpected flair they’re a side which can catch anyone off guard.
Litchfield building well
Litchfield may not have made a dent on the scoreboard against Sharks, but they were never out of the contest.
Despite many promising attacking moves they were unable to score in their 14-0 loss against the now-league leaders.
And that was more owing to the ruthless defence of their opponents than their inability to score, with at least three tries held up while another was called back.
Litchfield’s issue at the moment is in set completion and being unable to take full advantage when they’re on the front foot.
Incomplete sets is not an isolated issue to this match with it coming out in their most recent loss to Brothers as well.
And it will become a focus point of the side, along with avoiding getting drawn into the niggle of their opposition.
Their next match against Palmerston will be a real tester for the side, with the Raiders showing form in the lead up to finals.
But to beat Sharks, or any other contender, Litchfield need to complete their sets and need to be more urgent both in attack and defence.
With their young core including Trent Wedding, Nathan Dixon, Corey Gregory and Matthew Woolmington as well as big forwards Brody Race and Dillan Vanderburg this is a side who have all the pieces.
They just need to get it together when it matters.
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