NRL NT 2024: Northern Sharks beat Darwin Brothers
Northern Sharks played their best match of the season to beat a Brothers side that was down to 11 at one stage, while Nightcliff confirmed their top two berth. Read the latest NRL NT action.
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The Northern Sharks brought the aggression in their most complete game of the season to stave off a Brothers outfit that were down to 11 late in the piece.
The reigning premiers struggled early in the season, but with the return of some key names and some defensive passages reminiscent of their 2023 dominance the Sharks won 24-14 to confirm a top four berth.
Brothers had been the favourites as the table leaders heading into the Round 15 contest, but errors including a pair of sin bins when the game was there to be won greatly cost them.
The Sharks were dangerous straight out of the gates bringing force and intensity in their running game led by captain Adam Hall and Thomas Laban, who would have had an early try, if not for a knock-on.
Simaika Salaa played a big role in punching holes in the Brethren’s defence, and Mohamed Salih saw plenty of the ball early on too.
It was his kicking game that eventually forced a drop from Hayden Riggs, allowing Bailey Zaro to create an overlap that soon resulted in a try for Elliot Brice.
The Brothers were lively too, befitting their run of recent form with Isaac Seden-Kurnoth turning on the gas, while Riggs and Dallas Caulton ran dangerous lines.
But it was Jonas Niki, who received the ball in broken play, who made the breakthrough evading three defenders and finding his brother Caleb Niki, who sprinted into the corner for the equaliser.
Penalties, however, gave the Sharks another go and with Jacob McCarthy running on to ball from close it was an inevitability he would score.
And the premiers got their third not long after with Hall and Laban combining again in an incisive run that eventuated in Zaro scoring.
The Sharks defence was just as solid often repelling or forcing errors from the side best suited to turning on the flair to get around it.
The Brothers didn’t end the half without another score though with back to back penalties going their way, allowing Jarrod Northam space of his own to crash over.
They carried the momentum into the second half with Connor Williams scoring fairly quickly, and only the smallest of knock-ons denied another for Antonio James.
But it was shortly after a Cameron Versteegh try in response, to keep the Sharks a nose ahead, when the Brothers’ comeback came to a grinding halt.
Trent Kurnoth delivered a dangerous shoulder-charge tackle and was sent to the bin, and was shortly followed by Kenneth O’Connor for striking in the ensuring scuffle.
The numbers disadvantage, continued penalties and an aggressive Sharks with their tails up was too much for the Brethren to claw back against, with the premiers capping it off with another Zaro score.
Sharks’ coach Nigel Doyle said it was the strongest game from his side all season, setting the team up nicely for the semi-finals in two weeks.
“It’s great to have some momentum heading into the semis, we had a strong side that we knew we could win with,” Doyle said.
“We were short on numbers for about a month, but that was probably the strongest side we had all year and we were confident.
“That’s what got us over the line out there, knowing we could win and having built ourselves up for this one.”
Meanwhile, the Nightcliff Dragons confirmed a finals double chance with a comeback 30-22 win against the Litchfield Bears.
A brace from David Tabuai and strong contributions from usual performers such as Robbie Butcher and Trey Crowley spoiled the party at Litchfield’s final home game of the season.
Dragons will play Brothers next week in the delayed Round 14 fixture to decide the minor premiership.
The Palmerston Raiders sent out their season in style beating bottom side South Darwin 80-6, in what was the last match for both sides sitting outside of finals contention.
There were 13 different try scorers from 15 tries, with Kaylem Greenwood and Linton Nahow both scoring a brace in the dominant victory.
Meanwhile, the Brothers’ women’s counterparts were dominant in their crushing 52-0 defeat of the Northern Sharks.
The reigning premiers were merciless in their hunt for a pre-finals boost with Kaitlyn McKay scoring twice to complete 11 tries for the outfit.
They go into the knockouts second on the table, one point behind their major rival, Palmerston, who did not play after South Darwin forfeited.
Litchfield push for top two among milestone celebrations
The Litchfield Bears will draw on inspiration from their 1994 first ever premiership winning team and a few huge player milestones in their Round 15 battle against Nightcliff.
The Bears are currently second in the premiership battle, behind Brothers, and need to fend off the Dragons here to confirm their place in the top two, meaning they will have a finals double chance.
And they have all the motive possible to get the job done against their difficult opposition, playing at home and with milestones to celebrate.
Standout back David Jacobson will play his 100th game in Bears’ colours, while James Beckett and Gatley Shield star Aaron Barnes will both make their 200th senior appearance.
The club’s first premiership will also be marked with the majority of the 1994 group coming down to group training before popping down to watch the new generation of Bears in the match.
Coach Reg Rose said the importance of the match was still at the forefront of his side’s minds, with every player keen to put on a show for the big occasion.
“It’s an important game for us as a group, despite the celebrations, we want to make sure we get the two points and play consistent footy heading into finals,” he said.
“We’re building, there’s been a lot of changes to the side with a lot of blokes out through work and that’s proven the depth in our squad.
“We’re celebrating the firs premiership, the majority of that group were down at training and it was good to hear what this club means to them and impart their knowledge for this new generation.
“Then there’s the milestones, all huge milestones, it takes a lot of dedication and time away from family and personal lives, so we’re really keen to make sure they get away with a win.”
But before they can celebrate too much, they need to beat Nightcliff, a side who led the way through the majority of the season.
Robbie Butcher and Trey Crowley have been two of the standouts in the Sam Irwin coached outfit, and for them this is also a chance to get into the top two.
Rose said his side had to bring the pressure and pointed to standouts such as Jake Flanagan, captain Trent Wedding and Jacobson as players sure to make an impact.
“They’re going to be unpredictable, they’ve got a lot of quality with blokes that have reputations that speak for themselves,” he said.
“They’re going to be there on the weekend and we’re going to need to be up in their faces and put lots of pressure on them from the inside.
“Then we need to make sure their biggest boys are well handled with plenty of wrestle and line speed from our defensive line.”
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