NRL NT 2025: How every club is shaping up heading into the season
The NRL NT returns this weekend with each club eager to make an impression from the opening round to set the tone for the season ahead. See how each club is shaping up for 2025.
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The NRL NT is back and it promises to be another huge season with each of the six clubs boasting squads they hope can make an impression in 2025.
Darwin Brothers were the premiership winners last year when the natural talent of their form side was realised against the Northern Sharks.
It made for a very successful season for the club with its women also beating Palmerston in their third-straight grand final win, while the under-18s also triumphed.
But with some off-season moves across the competition and some sides gearing up to take the crown, this is shaping up to be one of the league’s most competitive seasons.
Sharks will get their chance for vengeance in Round 1, while Litchfield, Nightcliff, Palmerston and Souths have hopes of getting better.
The NT News has taken a look at how each of the NRL NT clubs is shaping up ahead of the season.
Darwin Brothers | Northern Sharks | Nightcliff Dragons | Litchfield Bears | Palmerston Raiders | South Darwin Rabbitohs
DARWIN BROTHERS
The Darwin Brothers had the fairy-tale finish to their 2024 season with both their men and women claiming NRL NT glory.
For the men it came off a near-perfect opening half to beat the Sharks 32-16, while the women dominated 40-4 against Palmerston.
Both sides are back in 2025 to defend their crowns, something the men haven’t had to do since the 2021 season.
The young players that won the 2020 title formed the majority of the core group that won last year’s title and it’s that consistency they want to harness to go back-to-back.
Now second year captain Jonas Niki said it was an unbelievable experience to have won while leading the group.
“The way our young group were able to buy in and do what we did, I can’t put it into words,” he said.
“It was just love for the game, the club and for each other, we put in the one per centers and showed up time and time again, it was just unbelievable to see as a first year captain.
“Obviously last year was a big success for us, but that’s now in the past and our focus is towards this year and the new group we have.”
Isaac Seden-Kurnoth, Caleb Niki, Trent Kurnoth, Aaron Pollard and Jarrod Northam form a strong leadership group alongside Jonas Niki for the year ahead.
Darcy Holmes and Elijah Coombes have enjoyed strong recent seasons, while Dallas Caulton and Nate Jarrett-Wright, who both played in the under-18s title win, are breaking their way in.
And those spots will be up for grabs with a few older heads hanging up the boots and coach Leon Cleal hoping to tap into the club’s youthful talent.
“It’s about who’s going to be taking their (retiring players’) spot, how they buy in and how we can get better this year,” Jonas Niki said.
“Our under-18s have been strong the past six years and them, alongside a handful of boys who played B-Grade last year, will be keen to make an impact on the A-Grade side.
“When we won last time we had a handful leave and we had to restart, but we’ve managed to keep the core group of 10 or 12 guys around and that’s been the big difference.
“Our camaraderie and our brotherhood has become so much tighter, we’re a close unit, the numbers have been consistent and we’re keen for Round 1.
“Leon’s back, he missed out on grand final day last year, and he’s very keen, he’s the only coach I’ve had in seniors and I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else, he knows how to get around the boys and buys in as much as we do.”
There’s little doubt the women will be in for the fight again too with the likes of Bianca Scymgour, Ellie Niki and Tyla Kingdon among those making a return.
They’re the powerhouse side in the competition and it will take some doing to end their reign, particularly after a Jacinda Summers-inspired win in the grand final.
NORTHERN SHARKS
Northern Sharks have been the benchmark side of recent years having been in the past four grand finals, with two titles to their name in that time.
That success has been born from a strong, but more importantly, consistent squad that’s bought into an effective defensive style.
The Sharks were in the grand final again last season, after a shaky start that meant they had to go through finals from fourth.
However, they didn’t quite get across the line and with title-winning captain Jacob Collie now in a coaching role, the hope is to go one better.
Tommy Gunn and Adam Hall are among a group of experienced campaigners including Simaika Salaa, Jayden Sneddon, Bradley Sneddon, Samuel Pearson and Cameron Versteegh.
“It’s been a pretty easy transition into coaching, we have a lot of guys who have been around for a long time now and we all know how to work with each other,” Collie said.
“We’ve got a whole squad of people who have been around for years, then a few returning and some new faces coming down to help us build some depth through the year.
“Juniors is one area we want to build on, we’ve had some great individuals come through but they also go on elsewhere which is great for them and the club, but we need to build on those groups.
“Those juniors coming through the ranks right up to 18s, that’s something we as a club want to get better at getting growth from and as a coach, setting the precedent for them is the important part.”
For the Sharks, this year will be about finding that extra gear having come home strong in the final few rounds and finals, but not quite putting away the prize.
And those returning names will play a big part with Collie insisting the mentality is not just about getting to the grand final, but winning it all.
“It’s been a pretty crazy few years, we’ve been in four grand finals in a row, which is not something we were expecting after a few slow seasons, it’s very impressive,” Collie said.
“We came close last year, but we were happy we had got to the grand final, that was the win for us, but this year we need the mentality that if we’re there then nothing but winning matters.
“Defence is big for us, but that’s about everyone being out there playing for each other, it’s about effort and when everyone is turning up for the bloke beside them it shows in our defence.”
NIGHTCLIFF DRAGONS
Nightcliff Dragons announced themselves a resurgent force when they won the minor premiership coming off a couple of dour years.
The powerhouse club had missed out on finals in the couple of years prior while their women, historically the best team in the comp, did not make the field.
But matters appear to have taken a shift for the better in the past year or so and the Dragons are on the way back up feeding off some structure and exciting junior players.
Last year was a return to finals for the club and while they went out in straight sets they now have a base to build from.
Sam Irwin is a popular coach and in his second year at the club is able to bring more of his style to the fore.
There’s also some talented leaders in captain Brenton Motlop and now-three time Frank Johnson-winner Robbie Butcher to guide a young up and coming group.
Stylianos Vrontos is a known strike weapon, while young Aidan Buckley has already put his hand up as a leader coming up from 18s alongside Tristan Ferreira and Ilalio Lutaua.
“We’re feeling good this year, we’ve managed to build a good team and have a lot of blokes returning and some exciting under-18s coming through,” Irwin said.
“We just have to finish stronger this year, we got off to a good start and a good run through the middle last season, but this year will have more focus on the end and getting our stars on the field.
“We need to get better at the grind; last year we threw the ball around a lot, which is fun to watch but didn’t work out for us in the end so the focus will be on the grind and getting to our sets.”
Motlop said his side was looking to change its way more toward structure rather than relying on moments of brilliance to save it from slow starts.
“Last year we were a bit slow to get going and had slow starts in games, but when we’re on we’re definitely hard to beat,” Motlop said.
“There were games where we were behind but turned it on late to steal a few wins, but we want to find some consistency and structure to lean on rather than relying on our flair to get us wins.
“The 2024 season was about getting the club to where it should be, we’re a proud club and a powerhouse so it was a bit different to see Dragons down for those couple of years.
“So our goal last year was to get back to finals, but as the season progressed we had a red hot chance and unfortunately fell short, so this year we want to do better again and take it out.”
LITCHFIELD BEARS
Litchfield coach Reg Rose has said it’s a grand final or bust for a Bears outfit he believes has all the talent to take out the competition.
The club has been a constant presence near the top of the table in recent years, but after what it deems as a disappointing season, has targeted 2025 as one for the taking.
Rose is in his second year as head coach at the Bears and has been preparing his squad through a lengthy but productive pre-season.
Trent Wedding returns as captain while Jake Flanagan, David Jacobson and Nathan Dixon are ones to keep an eye out for again with their ability to break the play and dictate the game.
Ethan Muller and Brock Priestly will both make their return to the competition, with Patrick Manktelow and his brother Mitch Manktelow making the step up.
“We’re building pretty nicely and I would say for us this year if we don’t make a grand final then this season will have been a failure,” Rose said.
“The calibre of players that we have coming back and the fact we haven’t lost too many is exciting; you always start the season confident but the way training has been I know this group is keen.
“We weren’t consistent enough last year and had become predictable in how we play footy at times with other teams working us out.
“We’ve put a lot of work into playing what’s in front of us, trying to play off the back of quick play allowing us to take the opportunities presented and not just relying on our senior players.
“There’s a lot of really good leadership in the club and that’s the key, those older heads in their final year alongside the energy and excitement that our younger players naturally bring.”
Wedding said the disappointment of last year being knocked out in the semi-final had inspired a lot of the group to stick around for another go.
“We started preseason pretty early so we will be coming in fit and a lot of the boys in the core group are still around ready to go,” Wedding said.
“Last year was disappointing for us, we had a team to win it and then we fell on that first week of finals, which we were gutted about.
“We want more and plenty of the boys have stuck around because we know we can get it and we want to go that extra step.
“The gap is getting smaller to win one so if we miss the opportunity this year who knows when the next chance will be for us.”
PALMERSTON RAIDERS
Palmerston has named former skipper Chuck Norris as coach as it makes a bid to return to the top of the NRL NT hierarchy.
The Raiders were premiership victors in 2022 but weren’t able to kick on from that effort, falling outside the top four last season.
But a reinvigorated coaching group led by senior players who have been around for a long time has targeted a comeback.
Norris is taking the helm in a season where he will also play his 300th match, while Brad Hansen, who is captain, and the returning Alex Johnson will be his assistants.
There’s some other returning names in Jack Walsh and Matthew Bennett eager to give the Raiders that edge once more, as well as recultivate their culture for the young group coming through.
“We’ve been working hard to get the numbers down and get the quality out of those numbers,” Norris said.
“We’ve got a group of senior players that have really stepped up this year to mentor the younger players and those new to the club on how we operate.
“For us it’s about regrouping and finding that passion and mongrel, it’s about being together and connected as a team and we’re on our way to achieving that.
“We know the comp will be a tough one, there will be a few teams that will lead the way early and our goal is to stick in that top four as our match fitness develops through the season.”
Tevita Kolomatangi will add another dimension to the squad, making the leap over from Litchfield, and is a dangerous forward primed to lead the Raiders’ pack.
Young Lachlan Lewis will also get his chance after stepping up as the under-18s leader last year and now primed for a full season in the A-Grade side.
Hansen said while his side did not have huge expectations, there’s a good vibe around the club ahead of the season.
“It’s great to have Chuck as coach, I played with him when he was the captain, the energy and commitment he brings to everything is what we want,” Hansen said.
“We’ve just got to get back to playing the Raiders’ way, get our one per centers right and everything else will take care of itself.
“We’ve got a good side this year with a few players that have come back and a few players that have come over from other clubs, it should be a strong year for the Raiders.”
The women’s group is expected to be strong once again, feeding off losses in recent grand finals and with strong leaders in their group such as Vic Alley.
Palmerston has been the main chaser of Brothers in the women’s space and with their foes beating them in three consecutive finals, will want some victories of their own.
SOUTH DARWIN RABBITOHS
It’s another revamp of sorts at South Darwin as they try to find the formula back into finals contention.
The Rabbitohs’ absence from finals footy has been well-documented in recent history but with each year comes renewed hope.
Daniel Roach has come on board as coach after a stint at Palmerston and hopes to play a role in building not just the A-Grade side, but the whole club.
Roach has connections at the South Darwin rugby union club, which recently won in both the A and B grades, and hopes to use those to boost the pedigree of the league team.
He will also join forces with established Souths players such as Kieren Crowe and Kanae Gimini, all driven to bring some form of success to Souths.
Big ins include Corey Gregory, who returns to the club after being with Litchfield, and Oliver Dawson from Trinity Grammar School in Sydney
“I’m really enjoying the challenge, new club, different blokes and a lot of young blokes coming through who are willing to learn,” Roach said.
“Our focus is to succeed, become better people and players and form a better club, I’m not worried about where they’ve been in the past few years, I’m worried about being successful this year.
“That includes the women and club as a whole; if we win a couple of games then that’s progress but our end goal, as it is for every coach, is to make finals and try to take the comp out.
“The juniors are coming through really well and that’s what we need, the 16s and 18s are looking impressive and I think they’re in for a big year.
“I felt a bit burned last year and I was ready to step away but when Souths approached me, I thought ‘let’s take this on, hopefully we can build them into a force for the future’.”
Crowe said the club was all there to back its new coach and keep developing its strong group of juniors.
“The main focus for us to buy in with our new coach, he’s brought a new energy and new vibe and that’s been really good for us,” Crowe said.
“We’re pretty excited with our juniors, particularly the 16s, coming through, they’re doing well at training and making us better for the competition for spots.
“Our goal is to just become better versions of ourselves on and off the field, if we get that right the results will come.
“It’s going to take time, we know we’re the underdogs but will keep turning up to gain every metre we can for each other and who knows we might string a few wins together.”
Seniors Round 1 Schedule:
Women’s:
Palmerston v South Darwin - TRL Stadium Field 2, Saturday 1pm
Litchfield v Nightcliff - TRL Stadium Field 2, Saturday 2.20pm
Brothers v Sharks - TRL Stadium Field 1, Saturday 6.40pm
Men’s:
Palmerston v South Darwin - TRL Stadium Field 1, Saturday 3.20pm
Litchfield v Nightcliff - TRL Stadium Field 1, Saturday 5pm
Brothers v Sharks - TRL Stadium Field 1, Saturday 8pm
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