2025-26 NTFL live stream: Watch Tiwi Bombers v Waratah in Round 9
Waratah’s second-half blitz delivered the Tiwi Bombers their first home defeat in almost three years in Saturday’s FREE NTFL clash. Watch the REPLAY here.
A 10-goal to one second-half was the catalyst for Waratah handing the Bombers their first home defeat since 2022 and give their own finals chances a huge boost in Saturday’s clash.
The Tahs have played some huge games in recent weeks, with a narrow win against Nightcliff and tight loss to Districts nailing in their spot as one of the competition’s form sides.
That was further confirmed in their dominant 15.16 (106) to 7.8 (50) defeat of the Bombers at Wurrumiyanga Oval, which came about despite trailing at half time.
WATCH A FULL MATCH REPLAY ABOVE
Joel Stevens continued his great form of recent weeks, getting into the action as much as possible, while Cody Szust had three goals to his name come the final siren.
The big turnaround came in the third quarter when Waratah were able to send through five unanswered goals, and that was further compounded come full time as the margin grew.
It marked the first Tiwi home loss in five games dating back to the Round 7 match of the 2022-23 season on November 12, 2022 against Southern Districts.
PREVIEW
The Tiwi Bombers will be playing for much more than just the four points when they return home for an NTFL clash following the devastation of Cyclone Fina.
However, Waratah have proven themselves a side difficult to defeat of late, with tight results against Nightcliff and Districts setting them right up there with the best in the competition.
Every moment of the match will be streamed live and free from 1.30pm on Saturday by The NT News and KommunityTV as part of our season-long NTFL coverage.
WHY TO WATCH
Cyclone Fina called off the entirety of Round 8 as it drifted between Darwin and the Tiwi Islands as a Category 3 system.
And while for many on the islands big storms are a way of life in the wet season, this was a different beast leaving plenty of clean-up come Sunday morning.
However, Tiwi assistant coach Simon Munkara, who lives on the island, said spirits were high with the community chipping in and now looking forward to seeing their boys play at home.
Plenty of Bombers players, such as inspirational captain Kim Kantilla, would have been on the island during the cyclone and they will want to give their all to lift the spirits of their community.
“We got up Sunday morning when it was all clear and went for a drive around community, there was a lot of trees down but the oval looks fantastic,” Munkara said.
“We haven’t played there since Round 5 so it’s in good condition and looks incredibly green, grass is a bit high though so they’ll need to mow that down for the weekend.
“The whole community is chipping in, helping each other and now they’re all looking forward for the game this weekend, and seeing our boys run out at home should lift spirits again.”
The break came at a good time for the Bombers after six straight games.
But despite that tough run, their young gun in Frances Tipungwuti and marquee recruit Willie Rioli have stood out inside 50, while Ashton Hams and Braedon McLean have anchored the defensive end.
On the flip side, Waratah are one of the form sides of the competition, with a their last outing a tight six-point loss to the undefeated Southern Districts.
The match followed an equally difficult victory over Nightcliff and sets the side up as a real finals favourite, particularly if they beat the Bombers on the island.
Scott Carlin and Cody Szust are the mainstays through the middle, while Robbie Turnbull and Jayden Magro have added plenty since returning to the side.
HOW TO WATCH
The NT News, KommunityTV and AFL Northern Territory have come together in a partnership to live stream both the men’s and women’s Premier League games for this TIO NTFL season.
On game day, the live stream for this match will appear at the top of this story in the lead up to the first bounce.
To find other games from this round click the links in the schedule box above.
Alternatively you can head to www.kommunitytv.com.au and use the video player at the top of the site to watch all the action live and scroll through the most recent replays.
Only News Corp Australia full digital subscribers will have exclusive access to watch the action.
More Coverage
Originally published as 2025-26 NTFL live stream: Watch Tiwi Bombers v Waratah in Round 9
