2025-26 NTFL live stream: Watch Darwin Buffaloes v Palmerston Magpies in Round 9
Darwin Buffaloes survived a dramatic Palmerston comeback attempt in a thrilling NTFL clash on Saturday night that went right down to the wire. Watch the REPLAY here.
The Darwin Buffaloes kept their ambitions alive after surviving a helter skelter closing half against a Palmerston outfit that more than came to the party in a Saturday night thriller.
The Double Blues were eager to put memories of their recent heavy defeat to St Mary’s in the rear view and claim their first win since Round 2.
But it didn’t come easy when Palmerston kicked into life after half time and almost flipped the game on its head despite trailing by 20 points before the long break.
It took some huge defensive efforts and an ability to strike true when needed for the Buffaloes to achieve the 10.6 (66) to 9.10 (64) win.
WATCH A FULL MATCH REPLAY ABOVE
The Buffaloes were dominant in the opening half, benefiting heavily from the return of their talismanic captain Jarrod Stokes.
Stokes, in tandem with his brother Bradley, was explosive on the carry and with early goals from Jesse Warner, Goy Lok and Lachlan Riley they had built a quarter time buffer of 20-2.
Nathan Denes had a huge impact from half back, while young Tashaun Wright was integral in plenty of attacking plays, as well as turning it on when he needed on the defensive end.
Palmerston, though, weren’t completely blown away despite the look of the scoreboard with Jayden Davey easily among the best on ground for his work off halfback.
Former Buffaloes player Baxter Mensch got plenty of the ball, while the likes of Declan Barnett stayed involved in the contest.
But it wasn’t until late in the third quarter that their impact on the ground resulted in points that could narrow the margin.
Heath Morgan-Morris was their multiple-goal scorer while Alijah Davey, Kyan Ellis and Perry Lewis-Smith were benefactors of ill-discipline from Buffs, the last resulting from a huge brawl.
Lewis-Smith’s goal closed the quarter with the sides locked on 46 points each forcing a response from the Buffaloes.
Wright stepped on then showing off his defensive work-ons had paid off with an intercept and then he struck true with a belter of a long-range goal.
Then came Palmerston again with Waylon Davey and Jayden Davey frequently in the mix while their skipper Shaun Wilson and Morgan-Morris got the goals that put the side ahead.
For a time it looked like they might have stolen the occasion but Jarrod Stokes, as he so often does, proved his explosiveness out of the contest and set up some brilliant opportunities.
A Warner goal from Stokes’ assist was enough to put the side ahead and from there it was just about defending to the death.
“It’s really good for us to get back on the winner’s list, we all feel we’ve really improved in the past couple of weeks since what happened against Saints,” Wright said.
“Coach Phil Wills came up to me before the game and told me to work on my defensive pressure so all game defence was my focus before offence and I think that really showed in the last quarter.
“I took that intercept line and for that goal, I didn’t even realise I had kicked it everything happened so fast. It felt good off the boot and then I started celebrating, it was great.
“There’s some really inspiring guys in this group such as Jarrod and Bradley Stokes who give us younger guys advice and inspire me to play the way I do.”
PREVIEW
After some early season struggles, both Palmerston and the Darwin Buffaloes will be hoping round 9 is the start of turning that form around.
Every moment of the match will be live streamed from 6.30pm on Saturday by The NT News and KommunityTV as part of our season-long NTFL coverage.
WHY TO WATCH
Palmerston have yet to claim a win in the 2025-26 season but they have still shown signs that they can mix it with the competition’s best on their day.
The Magpies are deep in a rebuilding phase, focused more on developing their juniors than bringing interstate talent in, and that should pay off in the years to come.
A recent showing against the Tiwi Bombers was one of their most impressive showings to date, taking it to one of the NTFL’s top outfits on their home track.
Waylon Davey is their main goal scoring weapon while the likes of Declan Barnett and Sam Donegan have been impressive when given opportunity.
The Buffaloes find themselves in a similar situation, falling down the ladder since their last win in Round 2, and this game is one they will have pencilled in as a chance for another victory.
The Double Blues last suited up three weeks ago when they were demolished by St Mary’s and will probably have been thankful for the extra break to sort any injuries last week.
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.
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Originally published as 2025-26 NTFL live stream: Watch Darwin Buffaloes v Palmerston Magpies in Round 9
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