Palmerston Raiders charged to their first win of the 2023 season, while Litchfield claimed top spot on the NRL NT table

Palmerston Raiders saw off Nightcliff to claim their first win of their title defence season, while there’s a new team on top of the table. See all the action from NRL NT Round 3 here.

Reigning premiers Palmerston Raiders have their first win of the 2023 NRL NT season after fending off Nightcliff, while there’s a new team on top of the ladder.

Raiders’ title defence began with consecutive losses losing to Sharks and Brothers across the first two rounds, but in round 3 against the Dragons they finally had a win, sealing a 32-14 victory.

The reigning premiers showed their intensity from the off, with their centre pairing of Matthew Johnson and Chuck Norris providing the necessary spark.

It was Norris who set the first scoring move into motion, delaying a pass to suck in defenders before passing off to Jacob Rainger, who was able to beat opposition fullback Trey Crowley to the corner.

And for a moment it looked like the premiers were in for a field day, however sloppy passing and some hearty tackles kept Nightcliff in the equation.

Jacob Rainger, who won the best on ground in the 2022 grand final, had a big showing in Palmerston’s round 3 win against Nightcliff. Picture: (A)manda Parkinson

Soon after Eklon Ronsen injected some creativity into Nightcliff’s attack with a kick downfield, which the experienced David Tabaui came charging through to gather.

For a moment it seemed Raiders’ defence had ruined the move as Rainger forced the ball out of Tabaui’s hands.

But the ball had gone backwards and as players looked around in confusion, Zach Motlap came charging through to scoop up the ball and level the scoring.

Moments later, Nightcliff’s pressure earned them a penalty which Crowley kicked through the posts, putting the Dragons ahead.

It was the wake-up call Raiders needed, and though some chances were butchered they did still pull ahead when Ross Larsen, off the bench bulldozed his way across the line.

Abel Shirley made a massive impression as well whether it was providing a launch pad or ping-ponging off opposition defenders on the way to both of his tries.

His runs provided Raiders with plenty of momentum, particularly in the second half where Johnson and Blake Fletcher were also among the Palmerston try scorers.

For Nightcliff’s part they tackled hard and their carriers, particularly Crowley, turned up whenever the side found themselves on the offensive.

Trey Crowley (centre) was Nightcliff’s standout performer against Palmerston. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

However, the odd slip of the ball, spat of ill-discipline or the solid Palmerston defence thwarted Dragon’s attacking opportunities.

That was until the dying minutes of the match where Zuta-Andre Tabaui recovered a kick and quickly passed off to Adrian Corrie, who ran off for a consolation try.

“It’s a great morale booster for us to get the win, it’s what we needed with so many new faces in the squad,” Rainger said.

“There’s been a lot of the years where we’ve started the best side and towards the end everyone caught up, so in a way it’s good to have had a couple losses for us to build on.

“It was a bit of a grind to begin with, but after half time we just focused on going up the middle and tiring them out, and once we did that the space opened up for us.

“Going forward we just need to build on our mistakes, we sort of dropped out of the game a bit with silly offloads and forward passes, simple stuff we can fix as the season goes on.”

Meanwhile, the Litchfield Bears are on top of the table after beating benchmark side Northern Sharks 16-14 at their home ground of Webber Park.

Much like in round 1 against the Darwin Brothers, the Bears were forced to claw back from a deficit with the score at one stage 14-6 in Sharks’ favour.

But tries to Tevita Kolomatangi, Dillan Vanderburg and Lachlan Jensen, with Nathan Dixon adding the extras saw the Bears overcome last year’s losing grand finallists.

And Brothers maintained their spot in the top three with an enterprising 12-try 62-0 win over South Darwin Rabbitohs.

Caleb Niki, Xavier Cubillo and skipper Isaac Seden-Kurnoth were among the Brethren’s try scorers.

Litchfield’s young brigade reason behind early NRL NT success

The Litchfield Bears are flying on the back of their young brigade, but know they have a challenge ahead when they take on benchmark side Northern Sharks.

The Bears are two from two so far in the 2023 NRL NT season, coming from behind to beat Darwin Brothers 20-16, and then seeing off South Darwin Rabbitohs 54-10 in the second round.

Litchfield’s best asset in 2023 has been their younger contingent who have taken control, whether in the halves or up front.

Skipper Trent Wedding (23), half Nathan Dixon (19) and Jake Crawley (19) all burst into the senior side at roughly the same time and are now reaping the rewards of their efforts.

And those young guns alongside their bulldozing forwards Dillan Vanderburg and Brody Race have put Litchfield in the top echelon of the table.

Litchfield young gun Nathan Dixon evades Dustin Briscoe. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Coach Jake Barnes credited his side’s results to the efforts they put in during the pre-season.

“We’ve kept a lot of the same fellas from last year and they’ve all put in a fair bit of work over the pre-season,” Barnes said.

“They’re enjoying their footy and I think it’s nice to have a few good results on the board early to keep that momentum and positive feeling around the club.

“The young guys have been super impressive, they’re really easy to coach and that’s the best thing about them.

“We changed our structure around this year and they’re always eager to learn and put in for their club and mates, so it’s just so good to see them getting rewards for their efforts.”

While the Bears may be playing at home in Round 3, the also-undefeated Northern Sharks pose a significant challenge with wins over Palmerston (22-4) and Nightcliff (58-10).

The Sharks have been the benchmark side of the comp since their resurgence in 2021 winning that grand final before narrowly losing the 2022 big dance.

Brody Race on the charge for the Litchfield Bears against South Darwin. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Mitch Burke and Brent Crisp run the show from the halves, in a side which is equally as strong in the backs as it is in the forwards.

But it’s a challenge which Barnes and his men are up for, wanting to get a some revenge after losing their home game to the Sharks in 2022.

“The boys are up for it, it’s something we’ve spoken about knowing we didn’t beat Sharks at all last year,” Barnes said.

“We’re looking forward to the challenge, the Sharks have been the benchmark side for the past two years, and we’re pretty keen to test ourselves against them.

“There’s no better way to know how you’re going than to go up against the best.

“They’re an ultra-attacking side, with two very good halves, some great ball skills and some big forwards so it’s about limiting their go forward and staying in control.

“They’re also a really good defensive side, so we know when we get the opportunity we’ve got to do what we can to capitalise.”

Meanwhile, the Brothers will take on the Rabbitohs at TRL Stadium, while reigning premiers Palmerston are chasing their first win of the season against Nightcliff.