Darwin Brothers men and women triumph in NRL NT grand finals
The Darwin Brothers had a historic grand final day with both their men and women claiming NRL NT glory, however the occasion was somewhat dampened by a mass onfield brawl.
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The Darwin Brothers put together one of their best halves of footy to beat the Northern Sharks and reclaim the NRL NT title after four years.
Up against a Sharks outfit in their fourth consecutive grand final, the Brethren put together a near perfect opening half, defending and carrying hard to post 20 unanswered points by half time.
And though the Brothers were made to work for it in the second half they held on to seal the 32-16 win, and take home their first title since 2020.
The Brethren have been the form side in 2024 with their well-known flair able to shine off the back of newfound strength and aggression in the forwards and defence.
The young side showed off their talents almost instantly with Trent Kurnoth battering through, Caleb Niki crucial on the carry and club great Leon Rotumah bringing game sense and direction.
Isaac Seden-Kurnoth, the eventual best on ground winner, launched a torpedo skyward, which the Sharks fatally let bounce into the hands of Hayden Riggs to dot down the opener.
Several phases later it was Antonio James who showed off his own freakish ability weaving through a usually strong Sharks defence to notch the second.
And when Seden-Kurnoth added another assist to his name to send Jarrod Northam crashing through for the third the Brothers were in unexpected clear ground.
Sharks tried to get things going with their usual ball runners such as Adam Hall and Jacob McCarthy getting metres, while Bradley Sneddon got involved in his 100th game for the side.
However, the Brothers’ defence, chiefly the likes of Drew Tobin and Darcy Holmes, held fast and even when Izaiah Waters seemed over he was deemed held up.
Captain Jonas Niki kept the pressure up charging down a kick from the reliable Simaika Salaa and as a result Aaron Pollard was able to gather and score another try for the Brethren ahead of half time.
However, it wasn’t to be one way traffic on the other side of the half with Hall invigorating his troops with several strong carries, while Bailey Zaro and Samuel Pearson got involved on the fringes.
It was when Brothers had a try denied that they launched their first successful counter of the night resulting in a try for Hall.
Then Jacob Collie made a big break supported by Jacob McCarthy, which both resulted in a sin bin for Kurnoth and a try for Salaa, which within moments put the side back in the contest.
A Nick Yarran effort racing through the middle swung momentum back towards Brothers and finally it was time for the league’s leading try scorer Seden-Kurnoth to score on of his own.
The Sharks didn’t let up late in the piece with their fitness getting them over the line again through Elliott Brice.
But time got the better of them, as did one last effort for the Brothers who celebrated in front of their own fans when Pollard went over for his second on the final siren.
Jonas Niki said the win had come down to effort, and to see so many smiles from the large number of supporters and families made it all worthwhile.
“First time leading the club into a grand is something I’ll take with me forever, we get our own bit of history now,” he said.
“The looks on the youngest kid’s face to the oldest supporter, everyone’s here watching us and to see the smiles on their faces, that’s what it’s all about.
“It came down to effort, and that breeds moments like the try saving tackle from Riggs, kick chase pressure or the charge down to set up Pollard’s try, we just kept up that effort.
“I coached a lot of this team in the under-18s and to see them develop into the young men and players they are now makes my heart full.
“Hopefully now this is the start of something new, we get to start our own dynasty with this young group and the guys coming through the under-18s winning side too.”
Brothers dominate though mass brawl dampens occasion
The Darwin Brothers completed their three-peat with a dominant display against Palmerston, but a prolonged melee that resulted in six players being sent off dampened the occasion.
There was plenty of emotion with the sides playing their fifth consecutive grand final against each other, and that spilled over in a second half brawl.
The Brothers were chasing a seventh straight try in a match they ultimately won 40-4, when a tackle turned into a set of melees across the ground with punches thrown.
Three players received send offs from both sides with nearly 15 minutes still to play including Palmerston captain and Gaynor Maggs winner Lucy Aigea.
The feud turned uglier post-match when police were called and used pepper spray near the entrance of TRL Stadium as another fight broke out.
It came after the Brothers raced to an almost untouchable lead in a bid to back up their premiership victories from the past two seasons and take home a rare three-peat.
They fired out of the blocks forcing an early penalty and working the ball well across the ground to unleash Jacinda Summers for her first of three tries in her best on ground showing.
The usual performers came to the fore as well with Latoniya Norris producing her weaving runs while Ellie Niki was her effective self on the carry.
It was a Norris run down the line that set up a try for Bianca Stokes, before Courtney Tamati popped up in a strong bit of link up play to help Summers score her second.
For Palmerston, matters were made worse when their speedster Freda Wosomo was carried off injured, with their ball runners unable to make an impact.
Instead Brothers kept coming with Niki and Cassielia Wapau working in tandem to set up a score for Talia Corrie to complete a perfect half.
They came the second half with the same intensity as Ellie Niki blazed down the side line to further the lead, and it wasn’t too long after that Summers had her third off some exceptional footwork.
Then in the 42nd minute the game turned to chaos when punches were thrown in a tackle culminating in an all-out brawl between the sides.
After the spot fires were extinguished players from both sides were sent off, including Brothers’ try scorers Corrie and Stokes, and the league’s best and fairest winner Aigea.
Play resumed with the sides now more fit for a rugby 10s outing than a league match, and with emotions still high the veteran Leeanne Allia went over for that seventh try.
Norris took full advantage of the splintered field to add the knock-out punch, though she was sin binned for a professional foul on Kagui Gimini after she had made Palmerston’s best run of the day.
Sasha Blomley finished off that move for the Raiders ensuring her side who had been minor premiers didn’t go home empty handed.
But margin wise it was a score cancelled out in the final seconds when Tamati added the finisher, leaving a very pleased captain in Bianca Scrymgour.
“I have no words, I am so proud of these girls, I always we could win but to do it as we did I couldn’t be happier,” Scrymgour said.
“We knew it was going to be tough and physical and the emotions would take over, so we just needed to keep them at bay.
“We worked into it slowly knowing we couldn’t get too hot, too soon and that’s what we did, we kept going and kept running until it opened up.
“These girls work hard and they’ve been rewarded for that, no one can take away what we do in training, these young players are coming through and our future is bright.”
Meanwhile, NRL NT general manager Tony Crowe said the mid-game fight had put a dampener on the game.
“It goes completely against what we’re trying to do here and our house rules,” Crowe said.
“What sort of message do actions like that send to the little girls watching from up in the grand stand?”
NT Police have been contacted for comment, with the NRL NT tribunal to take place later in the week.
Glory on the line as NRL NT grand finals loom large
The Northern Sharks are into their fourth grand final in a row, but they won’t be taking this one for granted with their new look side set to take on an in form Darwin Brothers.
The Sharks were the benchmark side of the three previous seasons winning two titles and coming within a whisker of another.
But with a slew of personnel changes and a slight dip in form early in the year it appeared as if the side wouldn’t make it four in a row.
However, the outfit leaned on the experience and leadership of the likes of Adam Hall, bulldozer Jacob McCarthy and the returning Jacob Collie, and they grinded their way into the finals.
The Sharks’ defensive game built around their big men has also come to the fore and has first-year coach Nigel Doyle confident they can make an impact at the right time.
“The boys are pretty confident, they’ve come together at the right time of year and will be ready to go,” Doyle said.
“We had a bit of a premiership hangover at the start and we had a few personnel changes, but we’re all back at the right time and almost at full strength.
“Defence has been our key attribute, the Sharks have been good defenders for a few years now and they’ll defend for each other when it matters on the weekend.”
It was a sentiment backed up by winger Clint Chettle, who despite missing much of the season through an ACL injury has kept a keen eye on his squad.
“The boys are pretty geared up coming off the past year, they know what it takes to get it done and are excited to get into it,” Chettle said.
“A few people probably wrote us off considering the changes, but it just shows the depth of the club and how much the boys rock up for each other that we’re here.
“Defence is a pretty massive component for us, our theory is run hard, tackle hard so if we can try to shut them down as much as we can it makes our job a whole lot easier.”
Meanwhile, the Darwin Brothers are into their first grand final since their 2020 win, prior to the Sharks’ glory years, and are eager to claim a new title.
The Brethren were a young side then that rode the hype all the way to the title, but while different in places much of that same squad is still around to do it again.
Isaac Seden-Kurnoth has been one of the stars winning the NT News medal after topping the try scoring, while the 2023 Frank Johnson winner Caleb Niki has been elite in a new position.
But it’s been their work in the middle with the likes of Drew Tobin, Trent Kurnoth and Darcy Holes, as well as fullback Antonio James, which has been the difference this season.
Captain Jonas Niki said despite the nerves heading in the squad were hungry for another title, after building year on year since that 2020 triumph.
“There’s a lot of nerves, we’re a different side to what we were in 2020, but there’s still a handful of boys that played in that grand final,” Niki said.
“We never know what to expect with Sharkies, their track record speaks for itself going into their fourth grand final, but for us the energy and vibes are up.
“It’s just so good having a group of young guys, we bowed out in the prelim the past two years but we didn’t let that affect us, we just come back hungrier each year.”
Coach Leon Cleal said the extra week off after his side beat minor premiers Nightcliff in the major semi-final had allowed the squad to soak in the occasion.
He said the squad were focused on controlling the middle and the ruck to allow their strike players to do what they do best and show off their flair.
“We’ve got experience as well as those guys who were under 20 last time, it will be different for them who probably now realise how important it is to play in a grand final,” Cleal said.
“We’ve spoken about just enjoying it, it’s about them and what they do out here, and I’m excited for them getting this opportunity.
“I’ve been particularly proud of our forward pack this year, it’s something Brothers have never been known for but this year we wanted to be physical and dominant and they’ve taken that on board.
“We just need to control Sharks and the middle of the field, we’re a side that like to play quick footy and like to control the ruck to achieve that.”
New chapter in Brothers Raiders rivalry
Another chapter in the NRL NT’s biggest modern rivalry will be written when the Darwin Brothers and Palmerston Raiders women clash in their fifth grand final in a row.
For the past five years these sides have dominated the women’s competition and have spurred each other on to get better season after season.
The Brothers have won four of those clashes, with Palmerston’s only grand final triumph coming in 2022, however after winning the minor premiership this season they’re looking for title number two.
Palmerston captain Lucy Aigea was named the Gaynor Maggs medal winner after a massive season leading her side from the front and playing a crucial role in her side’s power game.
Outside her Kagui Gimini starred scoring the most tries through the season while Victoria Alley was the league’s leading point scoring.
But they will be relying on every member of their squad to be at their best to take on one of the most consistent outfits in Territory sport.
“It’s really exciting, we’re all pumped and have been training for this all year, so to be here with the girls is amazing,” Aigea said.
“It’s very different to previous years, we’ve put ourselves first and not anyone else and that’s got us to where we are, we’re looking out for each other and what’s best for our girls.
“We’ve had some standout players this season, but a win in the grand final won’t come down to any one player but everyone’s brilliance to bring us home.”
Palmerston lost to the Brothers in their most recent outing, the major semi-final, after leading for the majority of the fixture and it’s that and previous finals defeat that the Raiders will draw on.
“For us it will be about getting in the door early so we can hold them rather than chase the game, that’s the best option for how we play,” Aigea said.
“The rivalry has fired us up a lot, we’ve had a lot of disappointing losses throughout the years but we’re ready to go again and hopefully come away with the win.”
The Brothers have once again brought in a host of young talent up in a season that has tested their depth, but as has become the norm found their way into the grand final.
Matilda Seden and Mele Tupou have been among the players to make an impact coming into the side, while usual stars Latoniya Norris and Ellie Niki have been at their best when around.
Captain Bianca Scrymgour said it had been a big year of proving depth for the club, and getting so many young players into another final was special.
“We’ve had a lot of our young girls come through, so this season, and this grand final, has been about getting them to play their footy without letting the emotion get in the way,” she said.
“I get goose bumps when I think about these young girls coming through, it’s pretty special for me having coached a few, and to give them the opportunity to step up this season is tremendous.”
She also spoke of the rivalry with Raiders noting the competitive nature of the relationship between the two outfits, though their eyes were solely on making it three premierships in a row.
“We’re excited, but we know it won’t be an easy battle with Raiders being our main rivals for the past four years with big name players,” she said.
“Raiders have a really strong forward pack so if we can maintain them and maintain the middle then hopefully the scoreboard will speak for itself.”
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