PINT women defeat Nightcliff with a defensive masterclass
The Queenants will remain on their throne atop the WPL ladder after downing a misfiring Tigers outfit in their Round 16 clash. Check out the latest NTFL action.
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The Queenants have marched on to their 13th win of the season with an emphatic display against the Nightcliff Tigers at the weekend.
Out at Marrara, PINT put together a defensive clinic, constricting the Tigers across all facets, claiming a 7.5 (47) to 2.4 (16) victory.
From the offset it was clear that neither side was willing to be overly risky with the ball, making for a very turgent and slow opening term that saw the score locked at eight a piece.
PINT hounded the backline of Nightcliff with their relentless pressure, forcing the yellow and black into quick decisions that frequently turned over possession.
Nightcliff made a solid effort, restricting PINT to just a goal, however, they would go scoreless themselves in the same period.
PINT’s Steph Lawrence and Jasmyn Hewett started to get on a roll in the third, although the Tigers backline managed to keep their side in the contest with their dogged defence.
The final quarter was a points bonanza in comparison to the other three, as Nightcliff clawed back some points at 16, but were victims of their own ill-discipline, gifting PINT a number of 50s and open scoring chances.
With the win, PINT are sitting pretty on 54 points with Tiwi and Palmerston their final two matches before finals.
And with the loss, Nightcliff will remain in fourth on 36 points, but will really be looking for back-to-back wins in their remaining two games.
In the other matches, Districts fought off a resilient Bombers in a 7.5 (47) to 4.11 (35) affair, while Buffaloes recorded a 73 point win over Wanderers, and St Mary’s held off the Tah’s in a 8.9 (57) to 2.2 (14) scoreline.
ROUND 14
It wasn’t pretty but the Nightcliff Tigers women have added to their top four following a determined victory over the Tiwi Bombers.
A clash of polar-opposite game-plans and ladder position, the Tigers finished with a flattering scoreline in a 11.12 (78) to 3.1 (19) win.
An opening five minutes that saw neither side able to break the other’s defensive line, it was Nightcliff’s Cassie McWilliam who kicked the first goal in an athletic play in which she made a 360 while being tackled and kicking the ball from a tough angle.
McWilliams doubled her tally with another goal a few minutes later, then teammate Ashanti Bush took the lead to 19-1 with her first, with a couple of minutes remaining in the opening term.
A 50m penalty saw Tiwi’s Shanie Lami Lami kick the first goal of the game for her side right on the buzzer, leaving the Tigers with a two-goal lead headed to the break.
Nightcliff kept the Bombers scoreless in the second quarter and were struggling in front, kicking two of six scoring shots.
The Bombers fought back in the third, Maria Rioli made plays in the middle, while Bush was posing questions up front.
But it was the defence of Tiwi that was working the hardest, scrambling on loose possessions and making courageous one-on-one tackles, stifling the cats from blowing out the scoreline.
And in the end, their efforts paid off, limiting Nightcliff to 78 points, a huge improvement from their Round 4 loss, which saw the cats claim a 140-9 win.
As for the Tigers, Maighan Fogas was their best once again, with Natasha Tile helping her in through the middle and Hannah Garland did a solid job filling in for vc Sophie Hatzismalis.
“We’ve come a long way as a group since the start of the season and the win today demonstrated that because we had to grit our teeth and really fight to get momentum against the Bombers who were very good,” Tile said.
“We played a bit more frantically than we would’ve liked, but when we slowed the pace down and refocused, we were able to get points on the board.
“We have a bye coming up, so it was definitely good to get this sort of game in after two easier games the past fortnight.
“We have PINT next, and we only lost to them by one point in Round 2, so we know that they are beatable, and we will work on a plan and some strategies during our week off to prepare."
SCORE
Tiwi: 1.1 1.1 2.1 3.1 (19)
Tigers: 3.1 5.5 9.8 11.12 (78)
GOALS
Tiwi:
Shanie Lami Lami 2
Laelia Dunn
Tigers:
Cassie McWilliam 4
Ashanti Bush 3
Christy Landwehr 2
Natasha Tile
Mickayla Ward
BEST
Tiwi:
Shanie Lami Lami
Laelia Dunn
Maria Rioli
Freda Puruntatameri
Jelena Tipungwuti
Tigers:
Mickayla Ward
Natasha Tile
Cassie McWilliam
Maighan Fogas
Gypsy Schirmer
ROUND 9
The Tiwi women brought their losing run to an end with a dominant Round 9 victory against the struggling Wanderers.
The Bombers flew away to a resounding 21.16 (142) to 0.4 (4) victory to snap their six match losing streak on their return to Wurrumiyanga Oval.
It only took 20 seconds for Tiwi to get the scoring underway with Mara Murphy kicking it through the middle from close to complete her side’s first attacking phase.
The goals flowed from there with the ever present Maria Rioli getting four from there the day, while Joanna Tipungwuti and Jericka Mungatopi were also busy on the scoring front.
Unfortunately for the Muk Muk’s, some wayward kicks and one off the post kept them to four behinds in the match, while the Bombers continued their charge to a ton.
Despite the odd dog getting in the way, the Bombers continued their assault throughout with the 18-year-old Rioli everywhere and in everything during the contest.
Mungatopi was constantly impressive in front of goal, while Tipungwuti’s dominance in the forward 50 made it extremely difficult for Wanderers to stem the flow of scoring.
The match was much of the same until the final siren, with the Bombers continuing their attack on goal and notching their biggest score on the season to date
“We put a big focus on goal kicking at training,” Rioli said.
“That was a good win for us, at home with family and friends was really cool.
“It was our second (win of the season) and we played well.
“I think I also played pretty good which is nice.”
Meanwhile, Waratah proved they will be a side to keep an eye on as the season goes on beating Nightcliff in a somewhat surprising, if only for the margin, 8.5 (53) to 4.3 (27) win.
Grace Eden and Jenna Singh Lippo notched two each, against a Nightcliff outfit which has often been hard to score against this season.
A second quarter surge of seven goals saw PINT keep their unbeaten run beating Palmerston 11.7 (73) to 4.4 (28) with Kate Atkins the main scorer with three goals to her name.
But the young Magpies are a side on the up and they proved that in the back half where they scored four goals, proving themselves against the best side in the competition.
And St Mary’s have retained their spot in the upper echelons of the ladder beating a late surging Buffaloes outfit 6.8 (44) to 4.0 (24).
SCORE
Bombers: 8.2 11.6 17.10 21.16 (142)
Wanderers: 0.0 0.3 0.3 0.4 (4)
GOALS
Bombers:
Maria Rioli 4
Jericka Mungatopi 3
Jelena Tipungwuti 2
Joanna Tipungwuti 2
Ellerslie Hardwick
May Kantilla
Noreen Mungatopi
Mara Murphy
Bridgida Puautjimi
Caroline Puruntatameri
Ephrianna Tipungwuti
Tarlina Tipungwuti
Jazmin Tweddle O’Donnell
ROUND 8
The Waratah women showed they’re still in the mix when they capitalised on a misfiring Darwin Buffaloes outfit to win in convincing fashion at Gardens Oval.
With 25 scoring shots to the Buffs one, the Tahs cruised to an easy, but by now means comfortable 9.16 (70) to 1.0 (6) Round 8 victory per the score on PlayHQ.
Despite neither team putting out a full strength 22, it was the red and white side that capitalised on a depleted Buffalo stock.
Both side’s came into the contest with four wins each, and it looked for all money that the ensuing four quarters would be a tightly contested, defence heavy affair.
Unfortunately for the Double Blue, they never came to the fore and were ground down in dominant fashion by a superior Waratah’s unit.
“It was a bit of an odd game,” Tah’s back Jamilla Cranny said.
“It was pretty hectic in the middle, there was heaps of pressure and they did come at us in the back half but I felt like our backs were really strong across the middle of the ground stopping it early.
“There was lots of teamwork, getting it out the back early, timely sheperds and just constantly working it forwards, we ran over with pressure which was really good.”
Putting the win down to her side’s unity and commitment to staying accountable, the third-gamer highlighted a new “buddy-system” the squad recently put into practice.
“I think we’re pretty strong in our values and who we want to be,” Cranny said.
“We trialed a bit of a buddy-system and that I think worked really well.
“We paired up and have been given the responsibility to check in on them, raise them up, lift them up.
“We decided that we needed to lift after a slow start last round and you obviously can’t put the whole team on the captain’s shoulders, so with everyone having someone that they’re responsible for, everyone gets lifted and is accountable.”
SCORE
Waratah: 4.5 7.8 9.12 9.16 (70)
Buffaloes: 0.0 0.0 1.0 1.0 (6)
ROUND 7
The Nightcliff women further cemented their premiership credentials in a convincing Round 7 victory over the Darwin Buffaloes.
The Tigers are really starting to find their groove as we near the midway point of the season, but by no means have shifted into top gear just yet.
Their fourth win in a row – not including the bye – has the yellow and black at third on the ladder, equal with Buffs and Tah’s, but ahead on percentage.
And while it wasn’t all smooth sailing with a huge chunk of the game a hot-potato of possession, the Tigers were ever relentless once again in defence, smothering and frustrating the Buffaloes attacking plays and efforts.
A fast and furious first quarter did the damage, leading the Tigers to a toughly fought 10.4 (64) to 4.4 (28) victory.
“That was a very, very physical match,” Tigers co-captain Sophie Hatzismalis said following the win.
“That performance in the first where we came out and were just full on in attack was exactly what we wanted to do.
“Really setting ourselves up in the quarter, I think that’s our style of footy this season, we are really focused on being super selfless.
“And you know, we just want to be the best team, the most cohesive team and we are putting that together at the moment.”
With their influx of fresh faces now acclimatised and settled into their new roles, the Tigers are in form both mentally and physically as a unit, a deadly combination.
“We are completely hyped at the moment,” Hatzismalis said.
“There is such a good vibe around the club and the team this year.
“We’ve obviously had a lot of new girls join the club and we also have a whole new coaching staff and coach.
“So to be where we are, it’s been amazing.
“There’s been an adjustment to play this new style of footy but we are loving it and putting our best foot forward.”
SCORE
Nightcliff: 4.2 5.2 7.2 10.4 (64)
Buffaloes: 0.2 1.2 2.4 4.4 (28)
ROUND 4
St. Mary’s showed no mercy at the weekend as they crushed Wanderers in their Round 4 WPL clash.
For the second week on the trot, the Wanderers WPL side has suffered a crushing 250-plus point defeat, leaving the Saints to take full advantage and boost their percentage.
In what was a very one-sided affair, there was some respite for the Muk Muks as the game was called five minutes early, to accommodate the livestream of the men’s game.
“The girl’s all worked as a unit out there today and we should be proud of that effort,” St Mary’s vice-captain Jemma Iacono said.
“We’ve got PINT on Friday night so it’s a really quick turnaround for us, so we wanted to pay our respects to Wanderers, we knew it wasn’t going to be an easy game for them, but we went out there to do your job and that’s what we did.”
With a top-of-the-table clash in the forefront of their game-plan, the five-goal star explained her side used the game as a pseudo-warm-up.
“We put a big focus on working on our team structures, what we can do well, and just building on what we’ve done in the pre-season and what we’ve been doing already through the first few rounds,” she said.
“So, ensuring that our structures our positioning and our rotations were all on point as a precursor to Friday night was important.”
Iacono was also very impressed with a number of individual performance’s from the game, particularly that of some youngsters.
“Today I think that Emma Stark had a fantastic game,” she said.
“She’s been really good so far up in the forwards and she was brilliant again today.
“She took some great grabs and made some even better kicks, she ended with a fair number tonight too which is great.
“Ex-Wanderers Lexie Cagney had a great game too and is making her mark and we’ve got some great Katherine girls that have come and that contingency is really strong.
“Basically, everyone played their roles well and it was a really positive performance from us headed into our clash with PINT.”
St Mary’s will look to rest and refresh as quickly as possible ahead of their litmus test against PINT Friday November, 3.
SCORE
St. Mary’s: 14.3 27.10 34.12 40.12 (252)
Wanderers: 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 (0)
GOALS
St. Mary’s:
Emma Stark 10
Jemma Iacono 5
Amelia Kahr 4
Grace Senior 4
Emily Forshaw 3
Paula Pavic 3
Billie Byers 2
Carleah Flinders 2
Marlee Gundersen 2
Lexie Cagney
Molly Hughes
Monet Hunter
Barbara Ilett
Jo Miller
ROUND 2
While it was definitely not the most high scoring of affairs, Tigers and PINT both dug deep, battling it out to the final hooter in their round two match up.
The Tigers went into the game searching for their first win of the season while PINT looked to continue their stellar start to the season, following their 101-point victory over the Buffaloes.
Despite the Tigers getting on the board first, it was PINT who led after the first, up 13-6 following a very scrappy and frantic quarter.
PINT kept Nightcliff scoreless in the second, adding to their own tally to take a 15-point lead into the half.
Then, flipping the script on its head, the Tigers completely shut down any and all attacking threats of PINT for the remaining quarters, keeping them scoreless in the third and only letting through a point in the fourth.
That point proved to be the difference, handing PINT a very unconvincing victory, and a reality check for the season ahead.
“I think what we can take away from that (the game) is last week, PINT won by 100 points, which really set the benchmark for the rest of the league,” Tigers’ co-captain Mickayla Ward said.
“We had to come out here and be ready for the fight, and I think we took it to them (PINT) today.
“Yeah we went down by one point, but we are really proud of our effort and our relentlessness at the footy.”
The former Western Bulldogs VFLW captain said watching PINT’s in Round 1 and putting together a solid plan in the middle of the park was instrumental in shutting down the attack.
“Coming into the game we knew a little bit about how they work in the midfield and we just had to try and combat that with our middy’s and get it forward for as many opportunities as we could,” Ward said.
“Unfortunately it wasn’t enough in the end but I’m pretty happy with our fierceness with the footy today.
“We went into the game with a lot of belief that we could get up, we didn’t in the end but we were bloody close and for us being a fairly new side with a bunch of ins and outs, it’s only round two.
“It is a long season and we’re still finding our feet. We’ve got more ins in the next couple of weeks and that’ll only help boost us as a team.”
SCORE
PINT: 2.1 3.3 3.3 3.4 (22)
Tigers: 1.0 1.0 2.2 3.3 (21)
GOALS
PINT:
Reni Hicks
Casey Morris
Anna Trail
Tigers:
Jacqueline Anyon-Smith
Cassie McWilliam
Mickayla Ward
ROUND 1
Kicking off their 2023 campaign in style, the Palmerston Magpies NTFL women’s premier side piled on the points in a ruthless round 1 showing.
Facing off against the Wanderers in the opening round of the season, the Pies raised the bat with an impressive 142-0 scoreline.
Despite the huge score and slotting 20 maximums, the Pies let themselves down in front of goal, kicking an unwanted 22 behinds.
“That was a great start to the season, and to hold them (Wanderers) to 0 was even better than scoring 142 points,” Pies co-captain Tatyana Perry said.
“We did a lot right but we also have to tidy up a number of areas, especially in front of goal.
“We kicked a lot of behinds and missed a fair few (scores) completely.”
A side full of fresh faces after an off-season of recruitment, the girls from Palmerston are hopeful that getting a few more games under their belt will help them gel even more.
“Because this was the first game in six months and we have a lot of new players from other teams and imports yet to arrive, I’m confident that the more time we get playing together will help us tidy up some of the areas we struggled with today,” Perry said.
The Pies will have a chance to rest and recoup this week as they have a bye but will take on the Tiwi Bombers in round 3.
Other results in the women’s comp included a statement win from reigning premiers PINT over the Darwin Buffettes.
The Greenants came out with an unmatched intensity, and despite plenty of changes in the off season showed they’re still the side to watch in 2023-24.
The side raced to an early lead and barely took a false step racing out the 16.12 (108) to 1.1 (7) winners against the 2021-22 premiers.
Steph Lawrence stuck her hand up for the season’s goal kicking medal scoring seven times, while Amy Chittick and Kylie Lynch got two goals each.
Jasmyn Hewett and Reni Hicks were absolutely everywhere in the midfield and restricted any time on the ball the Darwin Buffettes had.
Leashay Warburton was the lone goal scorer for the Buffs, a side which are sure to bounce back through the season.
Meanwhile, St Mary’s survived a late comeback from the Nightcliff women to win 6.7 (43) to 5.4 (34) with Jemma Iacono, Paula Pavic and Jo Miller among the Saints’ best.
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