Northern Territory Football League Season 2013/14

JDC!

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BY - JACKSON CLARK
TWITTER - https://twitter.com/JClark182

FIRST SEMI-FINAL (KNOCKOUT) – Waratah vs. Nightcliff

It was a final series that started with plenty of hope for Nightcliff but now the club is up against the ropes. The Tigers have lost a host of its key players through a combination of suspension, injury and unavailability. Its ruck brigade has taken the biggest hit with both Troy Kelm (suspension) and Seb Guilhaus (hamstring injury) unable to play. Troy Coates, Aaron Cornelius, Koko Niki and Nathan Brown are others that will come out of the side and having six forced changes in a final is never a good sign. But beware of writing the Tigers off. Its supporters will remember a couple of years ago when they were predicted to go out in straight sets after copping a hiding from Tiwi Bombers in the Second Semi-Final. They responded the following week with a big win over Wanderers and almost went on to win the premiership. Its success-starved supporters will be hoping for something similar this week.

Waratah will be full of confidence after a big win in the elimination final against Southern Districts. No one could lay a hand on its small forwards in Davin Hall and Jake Farrell while Paddy Heenan and Tim Mosquito did as they pleased further up the ground. Waylen Manson’s inclusion strengthens the forward line with his height and the unorthodox forward is always a tricky match up for defenders. Nightcliff’s defenders leaked too many goals last week and they will not want to make the same mistake tomorrow. The Warriors have a definite speed advantage and the Tigers’ inclusions of Linc Withers and Brant Chambers certainly fail to help that issue. It will be interesting to see whether Damian Hale resists the temptation to throw Todd Grima forward at some stage during the match. Dzufer is more of a hit-up forward whereas Grima, a gun forward in his own right, can play deeper and haul in a big grab. Matt Rowe is an underrated inclusion for Nightcliff as the solidly-built forward-midfielder can be a real game-breaker when he is at his best. I think ultimately it will come down to the midfield battle and which team’s on-ballers can get on top.


SECOND SEMI-FINAL (WINNER ADVANCES TO GRAND FINAL) – St Marys vs. Wanderers

This is one of the most anticipated matches of the year. The two best teams in the competition this year will go head to head in what should be a high-class encounter. St Marys enter the match with the favourites tag after beating Wanderers three times already this season. The first two matches were quality with St Marys finishing just on top on both occasions. The last time they met the Saints faced a depleted Eagles and it was a one-sided affair. St Marys are by no means invincible and the side would have worked hard over the past fortnight in order to prepare for this match. Captain Peter Macfarlane, who surprisingly has not played against Wanderers this season, mentioned a fear of losing as the driving force behind the Saints’ winning streak. But tomorrow will not have anything to do with a winning streak. It will all be about qualifying for the pinnacle of Australian football, the grand final.

There is absolutely no doubt that Wanderers have got a very talented side on paper. The Eagles boast five ex-AFL players including the in-form Nathan Djerrkura, who has been named in the guts. Marlon Motlop was allowed to run riot last week and his four goals were instrumental in the win. His brother Thomas booted six and is starting to hit form at the right time of the season. Eddie Sansbury is out with work commitments and he is a massive loss. Sansbury’s class and experience was invaluable last week and his size would have allowed him to be an option to play on one of Saints’ dangerous forwards. The Eagles will need to find someone to curtail the influence of Justin Van Unen who has booted six and seven goals respectively in his two appearances against Wanderers this season. Interestingly, the Saints may have an unlikely supporter in Daniel Motlop as the suspended Eagle will not be able to play in the grand final should his side get the victory here.

FIXTURE:

St Marys vs. Wanderers - Saturday 3:15 at TIO Stadium
Nightcliff vs. Waratah – Saturday 5:30 at TIO Stadium

NT News Tipster’s Panel:

St Marys (19), Wanderers (1)
Waratah (12), Nightcliff (8)

My Tips:

St Marys
Waratah (11 points)

Sportingbet.com NTFL Premiership Odds:

St Marys - $1.25
Wanderers - $6.00
Nightcliff - $13.00
Waratah - $15.00

For update scores, discussion and more news regarding football in the Northern Territory visit https://www.facebook.com/ntfootball
 

JDC!

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Jan 14, 2005
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NTFL FINALS WEEK TWO - WRAP UP:

BY - JACKSON CLARK
TWITTER - @JClark182

St Marys have fought off an intense Wanderers outfit to earn a spot in the NTFL grand final in a fortnight.

The Saints overcame a three quarter time deficit to win 14.9 (93) to 8.11 (59) on Saturday at TIO Stadium.

It was arguably one of the games of the season and the result was essentially a win-win for both sides.

Despite the loss, the Eagles looked very impressive in the first three quarters and will be confident of going one better should they get through the preliminary final.

Late withdrawals from Nathan Djerrkura and Braedon McLean hurt the Eagles but despite this they looked the better side early in the piece.

The side failed to convert important chances in front of goal with Chris Dunne in particular missing two early shots that would have kick started his team.

In contrast, the Saints made the most of its limited forward fifty entries and goals to Peter Macfarlane and Darren Ewing gave them a lead at quarter time.

The second and third quarters were played at a high intensity and neither side could break away.

A calm and collected Rick Nolan addressed his troops at three quarter time and it was a different looking St Marys in the final term.

Wanderers had ran out of legs allowing the Saints to completely dominate the final term and win the match by 34 points.

Kane Leersen is reaping the benefits of a pre-season with Geelong’s VFL side as he was full of run throughout the match.

Raphael Clarke was another at his brilliant best and he copped a cut above his eye for his efforts. The Eagles had a number of good players throughout the four quarters.

Neil Vea Vea played perhaps his best game for the season while Zelio Casimiro mopped up the back half all day against his old side.

Interestingly, St Marys entered the match with only one legitimate ruckman and Wanderers’ Bobby McCallum was instrumental at times.


Waratah has sent Nightcliff out of the finals in straight sets after a come from behind win in the knock out semi-final.

The Warriors overcame a slow start to steady the ship and record a comfortable 16.11 (107) to 10.17 (77) win to advance further in the finals.

The Tigers showed up ready to play and dominated the opening ten minutes of the match. Toby Stribling and Trevor Baust were running riot as their side kicked the first four goals of the match.

Waratah hit back midway through the quarter and evened up the contest by the first change.

Waylen Manson looked dangerous deep in the forward line and Nightcliff defenders had to work overtime to curtail his influence.

Despite conceding late goals in the first quarter, the Tigers were not going to let this match slip easily and maintained a lead at the half time break.

Waratah started to get on top in the third quarter with big bodied midfielder Michael Handby picking up a stack of the football.

Early goals to start the last quarter was the nail in Nightcliff’s coffin as the Warriors ran out winners by 30 points.

Manson booted five goals while Davin Hall chimed in with three. Jake Farrell provided plenty of run from the wing while Jack McEwin’s long and direct style of football was a feature.

Although it is a clear improvement on last season, it must have been a frustrating finals campaign for Nightcliff supporters.

It is hard to fault the side’s competitiveness but after losing so many players through injury, suspension and unavailability, it was always going to be hard for the Tigers to go far.
 

stuyd1

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Jul 9, 2011
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NTFL FINALS WEEK TWO - WRAP UP:

BY - JACKSON CLARK
TWITTER - @JClark182

St Marys have fought off an intense Wanderers outfit to earn a spot in the NTFL grand final in a fortnight.

The Saints overcame a three quarter time deficit to win 14.9 (93) to 8.11 (59) on Saturday at TIO Stadium.

It was arguably one of the games of the season and the result was essentially a win-win for both sides.

Despite the loss, the Eagles looked very impressive in the first three quarters and will be confident of going one better should they get through the preliminary final.

Late withdrawals from Nathan Djerrkura and Braedon McLean hurt the Eagles but despite this they looked the better side early in the piece.

The side failed to convert important chances in front of goal with Chris Dunne in particular missing two early shots that would have kick started his team.

In contrast, the Saints made the most of its limited forward fifty entries and goals to Peter Macfarlane and Darren Ewing gave them a lead at quarter time.

The second and third quarters were played at a high intensity and neither side could break away.

A calm and collected Rick Nolan addressed his troops at three quarter time and it was a different looking St Marys in the final term.

Wanderers had ran out of legs allowing the Saints to completely dominate the final term and win the match by 34 points.

Kane Leersen is reaping the benefits of a pre-season with Geelong’s VFL side as he was full of run throughout the match.

Raphael Clarke was another at his brilliant best and he copped a cut above his eye for his efforts. The Eagles had a number of good players throughout the four quarters.

Neil Vea Vea played perhaps his best game for the season while Zelio Casimiro mopped up the back half all day against his old side.

Interestingly, St Marys entered the match with only one legitimate ruckman and Wanderers’ Bobby McCallum was instrumental at times.


Waratah has sent Nightcliff out of the finals in straight sets after a come from behind win in the knock out semi-final.

The Warriors overcame a slow start to steady the ship and record a comfortable 16.11 (107) to 10.17 (77) win to advance further in the finals.

The Tigers showed up ready to play and dominated the opening ten minutes of the match. Toby Stribling and Trevor Baust were running riot as their side kicked the first four goals of the match.

Waratah hit back midway through the quarter and evened up the contest by the first change.

Waylen Manson looked dangerous deep in the forward line and Nightcliff defenders had to work overtime to curtail his influence.

Despite conceding late goals in the first quarter, the Tigers were not going to let this match slip easily and maintained a lead at the half time break.

Waratah started to get on top in the third quarter with big bodied midfielder Michael Handby picking up a stack of the football.

Early goals to start the last quarter was the nail in Nightcliff’s coffin as the Warriors ran out winners by 30 points.

Manson booted five goals while Davin Hall chimed in with three. Jake Farrell provided plenty of run from the wing while Jack McEwin’s long and direct style of football was a feature.

Although it is a clear improvement on last season, it must have been a frustrating finals campaign for Nightcliff supporters.

It is hard to fault the side’s competitiveness but after losing so many players through injury, suspension and unavailability, it was always going to be hard for the Tigers to go far.
 

JDC!

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JDC,
thanks for the report. This Manson guy, has big rapts on him to make the elite level. How good is he at the moment ?

He'll go on that AFL reality TV show "The Recruit" this year.

He has amazing potential, really high leaps, strong hands and a beautiful kick. He's a nice bloke but he seems the kind of guy that is always going to struggle with the demands of AFL.
 

JDC!

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NTFL PRELIMINARY FINAL PREVIEW: WANDERERS VS. WARATAH

BY - JACKSON CLARK


Saturday night’s preliminary final match between Wanderers and Waratah is set to be a beauty. Both sides have fielded very close to full-strength teams in a match where a grand final spot is up for grabs. The Eagles welcome back Nathan Djerrkura from a slight hamstring complaint while Eddie Sansbury has also made himself available. Both of these players possess key attributes of finals football – strength, speed and skill – and will slot into the midfield nicely. Silky-skilled rebounding defender Braedon McLean is another valuable addition.

Waratah have added a couple of handy players too with star utility Luke Harder at the top of the list. Harder was the best player on the ground during the Foundation Cup match between these two sides earlier in the year. His body strength is phenomenal, which brings versatility to his game as a genuine forward option. Tim Mosquito’s skill and reading of the play is another valuable asset for the Warriors after he missed last week due to the birth of his child.

Waratah has had an impressive finals campaign thus far and the major reason for this has been the form of its smaller, quicker players. Ngukurr pair Jake Farrell and Davin Hall have terrorised opposition defenders and caused damage on the scoreboard. The 19-year-old Farrell plays higher up the ground in a wing role but often drifts forward and rarely wastes opportunities in front of the big sticks. Another shining light has been Central Australian recruit Abraham Ankers with his ball-handling and disposal by hand and foot a feature.

The potential match-up of Mitchell Taylor and Waylen Manson would be worth the entry price alone and could play a big role in which side wins the match. Taylor has been in career best form this season with some tipping he could poll well in the Nichols Medal voting on Sunday night. On the other hand, Manson’s talent has been well-documented and he has the potential to grab a game by the scruff of the neck. There is no doubting he has the talent and ability to be playing at the highest level and if he produces something near his best he will cause headaches for the Eagles defence.

The Eagles would have taken last week’s result as a win and could draw many positives from the match. For the first three quarters they outplayed the competition’s benchmark in St Marys while missing a couple of quality players. Wanderers would have the belief of regrouping from the loss and launching another attack at the grand final in a week’s time. But the Eagles need to make sure that they avoid looking too far into the future and focus on the task at hand. You can bet that coach Paul Motlop and the leaders around the club in Aaron Motlop and Brad Vassal would have emphasised this point at training during the week.

Expect a fast start from Waratah after last week’s first quarter against Nightcliff. The Warriors were caught napping and had already conceded four goals within the first ten minutes. Luckily its opponents last week brought a couple of players into the side that were underdone and they were able to wear them down. Coach Brenton Toy is one of the shrewdest operators in the game and will look to ensure that his side does not make the same mistake twice.

TWITTER - @JClark182
 

scotty13

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Great to see the Tahs women win their 3rd straight flag :) Great effort girls!

Im assuming wanderers won last night? sportingpulse has gf as St Mary v Wanderers but no actual scores for the game last night.
 

JDC!

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Jan 14, 2005
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NTFL PREMIER LEAGUE PRELIMINARY FINAL WRAP-UP:

BY - JACKSON CLARK
TWITTER - @JClark182
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/ntfootball


Wanderers are into the premiership decider after a 42-point win over Waratah in Saturday’s preliminary final at TIO Stadium. The Eagles overcame a shaky start to eventually burn off the Warriors 11.11 (77) to 4.11 (35).

The match was played with typical finals intensity and the opening term started at a frenetic pace. The Warriors’ watertight defence was sensational early in the piece at not only halting Wanderers’ forward entries but propelling the ball back into attack. Justin Beugelaar and Daniel Stanley in particular won plenty of vital contests and kicked the ball to the advantage of their more attacking teammates. At quarter time it was one goal to nil in favour of the Warriors and it was clear that this match was never going to be a shoot-out.

The second quarter was played on Wanderers’ terms after a couple of early goals gave them the lead. Former AFL player Nathan Djerrkura tore Waratah to shreds picking up possessions at will, breaking away from the contests and finishing well by either hand or foot. There was cause for controversy midway through the term when Jake Farrell kicked what most in the crowd believed to be a goal. After a minute of discussion the umpires’ determined that the kicked shaved the goal post and paid a behind. This came at a crucial stage for Waratah and a goal here against the momentum could have brought them back into the game.

Waratah emerged from the half time break looking fresh and fired up but failed to convert its forward chances into goals. It is absolutely essential for sides to make the most of its chances in front of goal during finals games and the Warriors were unable to do this in the third. Perhaps even more frustrating was the relative ease Wanderers were allowed to score up the other end. Coach Brenton Toy delivered a fired up three quarter time speech to his charges in the hope of igniting some passion in the last quarter.

But any chance of an unlikely comeback was put to bed early on with a couple of early Wanderers goals. Marlon and Aaron Motlop combined beautifully on a number of occasions and were able to do damage on the scoreboard. Liam Patrick continued his good form with four goals while Sam Arthur chipped in with three.

Wanderers will face St Marys next week in what is the eighth time these two sides have met in a grand final since 1982.
 

stuyd1

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NTFL PREMIER LEAGUE PRELIMINARY FINAL WRAP-UP:

BY - JACKSON CLARK
TWITTER - @JClark182
FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/ntfootball


Wanderers are into the premiership decider after a 42-point win over Waratah in Saturday’s preliminary final at TIO Stadium. The Eagles overcame a shaky start to eventually burn off the Warriors 11.11 (77) to 4.11 (35).

The match was played with typical finals intensity and the opening term started at a frenetic pace. The Warriors’ watertight defence was sensational early in the piece at not only halting Wanderers’ forward entries but propelling the ball back into attack. Justin Beugelaar and Daniel Stanley in particular won plenty of vital contests and kicked the ball to the advantage of their more attacking teammates. At quarter time it was one goal to nil in favour of the Warriors and it was clear that this match was never going to be a shoot-out.

The second quarter was played on Wanderers’ terms after a couple of early goals gave them the lead. Former AFL player Nathan Djerrkura tore Waratah to shreds picking up possessions at will, breaking away from the contests and finishing well by either hand or foot. There was cause for controversy midway through the term when Jake Farrell kicked what most in the crowd believed to be a goal. After a minute of discussion the umpires’ determined that the kicked shaved the goal post and paid a behind. This came at a crucial stage for Waratah and a goal here against the momentum could have brought them back into the game.

Waratah emerged from the half time break looking fresh and fired up but failed to convert its forward chances into goals. It is absolutely essential for sides to make the most of its chances in front of goal during finals games and the Warriors were unable to do this in the third. Perhaps even more frustrating was the relative ease Wanderers were allowed to score up the other end. Coach Brenton Toy delivered a fired up three quarter time speech to his charges in the hope of igniting some passion in the last quarter.

But any chance of an unlikely comeback was put to bed early on with a couple of early Wanderers goals. Marlon and Aaron Motlop combined beautifully on a number of occasions and were able to do damage on the scoreboard. Liam Patrick continued his good form with four goals while Sam Arthur chipped in with three.

Wanderers will face St Marys next week in what is the eighth time these two sides have met in a grand final since 1982.

JDC,
what sort of crowd will be at the grand final,,,, 6000 or so?
 

JDC!

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NTFL GRAND FINAL PREVIEW - ST MARYS VS. WANDERERS

BY - JACKSON CLARK
(TWITTER @JClark182)

It is only fitting that the two best performed teams in the minor rounds will play-off for the premiership decider on Saturday at TIO Stadium.

This will be one of the most highly anticipated deciders in grand final history with both sides boasting immensely talented playing lists. It has the potential to be one of the great grand finals in recent memory with mouth-watering match ups all over the ground. Expect plenty of fireworks early on in the match as both sides will be looking to test each other out.

Wanderers finished the minor rounds with a 13-4 win-loss record but three of those losses came at the hand of St Marys. It is hard to rely on past encounters as a form guide as both playing lists have changed significantly throughout the course of the season. Wanderers’ side on paper has premiership written all over it and in most other years they would enter as hot favourites such is the talent on its list.

From the side that lost to St Marys a fortnight ago, the Eagles will add Daniel Motlop, Nathan Djerrkura, Eddie Sansbury and Braedon McLean. Motlop will play his first game back after a nine-week suspension for prohibited front on contact on St Marys’ Henry Labastida and an attempted strike on John Anstess. Motlop has reportedly trained the house down in his absence and is back down to his AFL playing weight, which is a scary proposition for the Saints defenders. His inclusion adds versatility to the Eagles forward line and gives more freedom to Shane Thorne, Thomas Motlop and the in-form Liam Patrick.

Nathan Djerrkura was phenomenal last week and has been on a number of occasions this season. He is one of the most complete midfielders playing in the NTFL and he will be one that the Saints need to try and stop. Eddie Sansbury gives added class to the side and his solid build allows him to be another defensive option.

Standing in the way of the Eagles is the ultra-consistent St Marys side that is searching for premiership number 30. The Sains have won 37 consecutive matches and there is no doubt that they will do everything in their power to win this game. The side boasts plenty of experience and is strong in all areas of the field.

The three big forwards in Justin Van Unen, Darren Ewing and Peter Macfarlane are all match-winners on their day. Van Unen’s deadly combination of speed and strength makes him a difficult player to match up on but Mitchell Taylor may be the man for the job. Daniel Weetra usually gets the job on NT Thunder superstar Darren Ewing and expect this to be the case against tomorrow. Peter Macfarlane has had an amazing year capped off by his Nichols Medal triumph on Sunday night but the Saints skipper would trade it in for a premiership medal tomorrow. Macfarlane is one of the best contested marks to play the game up here and defender Alex Erlandson’s athleticism means that he is likely to get the big job. Small forward, and last season’s Chaney Medallist, William Rioli had a couple of uncharacteristic misses in front of goal a fortnight ago but expect his goal radar to straighten. The Saints’ small forwards will need to ensure that their defensive pressure is high to stop the rebound of a couple of classy Eagles in Zelio Casimiro and Braedon McLean.

Both teams have solid contested ball winning midfielders that thrive around the stoppages. Josh Cubillo and Brad Vassal are top line players and the same can be said about opposition midfielders Justin Wilson, Cameron Ilett and Karl Lohde. Wingman Shaq McKenzie has been a star all season and expect Wanderers young gun Keelan Fejo to try and limit his influence.

Wanderers supporters will be banking on similarities between the last time these two sides met in a grand final. The Saints went into the match as firm favourites but were simply overrun by a more youthful, determined Eagles. But as seen recently as just a fortnight ago, the Saints always manage to lift an extra cog when the game is in the balance.

PREDICTION:

St Marys (13 points)

CHANEY MEDALLIST:

Kane Leersen (St Marys)

NT News Tipsters:

St Marys (12), Wanderers (8)

NT News Chaney Medal Predictions:

Jake Hauritz (Cameron Ilett), Darryl Griffiths (Cameron Ilett), Amy Culpitt (Peter Macfarlane), Adam Giles (Daniel Motlop), Stephen Fletcher (Justin Wilson), Delia Lawrie (Peter Macfarlane), Di Borella (Karl Lohde), Matt Conlan (Nathan Djerrkua), Darryl Window (Mitchell Taylor), Lincoln Jenkin (Brad Vassal), Grey Morris (Nathan Djerrkura), Jess Webster (Justin Wilson), Dale Fletcher (Shane Thorne), Jackson Clark (Kane Leersen), Charlie King (Aaron Motlop), David Kennedy (Darren Ewing), Dominic McCormack (Nathan Djerrkura), Johnny McKay (Peter Macfarlane), Rachel Hancock (Chris Dunne), Julia Christensen (Darren Ewing).
 

seanoff

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Well Saints won a hard fought contest by 21 points. Saints really should have had it wrapped by half time as they kicked 2 7 in the 2nd qtr and missed some very getable shots.

Shannon Rioli, who wasn't great to be honest, kicked the point of the season after winning contest after contest from about 70m out to about 20m out and his kick shaved to outside of the post.

very decent crowd in attendance, at least 7500.

Daniel Motlop was lucky it is 2014, 20 years ago he would not have walked off the ground after a disgraceful act where he attempted to break Shaq McKenszie's wrist and shoulder. happens at about 21.04 of the video below, you can't see it on that vision but McKenzie gets up holding his arm. hopefully its on video he deserves to go for a longtime for that. He was very well held all game by Iggy Vallejo. and to be honest his display wasn't what you'd expect from a well performed AFL footballer. spent a very large portion of the game trying to play for free kicks in the worst possible way. The umpires were having none of it and he would have been better served trying to play football.

Marlon and Aaron Motlop were very very good for Wanderers as was Alex Erlandson who beat Peter McFarlane pretty handily on the night.

JDC is an oracle of some note as his pick for the Chaney Medal was spot on, Leersen was everywhere. You have inside info Jackson?

Replay below.
 

JDC!

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Well Saints won a hard fought contest by 21 points. Saints really should have had it wrapped by half time as they kicked 2 7 in the 2nd qtr and missed some very getable shots.

Shannon Rioli, who wasn't great to be honest, kicked the point of the season after winning contest after contest from about 70m out to about 20m out and his kick shaved to outside of the post.

very decent crowd in attendance, at least 7500.

Daniel Motlop was lucky it is 2014, 20 years ago he would not have walked off the ground after a disgraceful act where he attempted to break Shaq McKenszie's wrist and shoulder. happens at about 21.04 of the video below, you can't see it on that vision but McKenzie gets up holding his arm. hopefully its on video he deserves to go for a longtime for that. He was very well held all game by Iggy Vallejo. and to be honest his display wasn't what you'd expect from a well performed AFL footballer. spent a very large portion of the game trying to play for free kicks in the worst possible way. The umpires were having none of it and he would have been better served trying to play football.

Marlon and Aaron Motlop were very very good for Wanderers as was Alex Erlandson who beat Peter McFarlane pretty handily on the night.

JDC is an oracle of some note as his pick for the Chaney Medal was spot on, Leersen was everywhere. You have inside info Jackson?

Replay below.


Haha I have had a bit of luck this season with my predictions. Tipped most of the junior/minor grade league best and fairest winners and also tipped the U18 best on ground. I was just surprised at why Leersen wasn't considered a big Chaney Medal chance. Proven finals performer, close to best on ground a fortnight ago and has been doing a pre-season with Geelong in the VFL.
 

stuyd1

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Haha I have had a bit of luck this season with my predictions. Tipped most of the junior/minor grade league best and fairest winners and also tipped the U18 best on ground. I was just surprised at why Leersen wasn't considered a big Chaney Medal chance. Proven finals performer, close to best on ground a fortnight ago and has been doing a pre-season with Geelong in the VFL.
JDC,
watched the game on live stream... typically hard high pressure grand final... good to watch.reports of 9000 crowd,, would that be around the mark.?
Van Uhen is a good player, but I thought Mitchell Taylor did a fairly good job.
 

JDC!

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NTFL GRAND FINAL WRAP-UP:

BY - JACKSON CLARK

St Marys has capped off a perfect season by winning its 30th NTFL Premiership on Saturday night at TIO Stadium. The Saints got off to a fast start and maintained its lead to defeat Wanderers by 21 points in front of a healthy crowd of 9446 spectators.

The reigning premier jumped out of the blocks and had already kicked four goals before the Eagles could register a score. As expected, it was a spiteful start to the match and a couple of late goals in the first term brought Wanderers back into it. The Saints controlled most of the play in the second quarter but could not capitalise on their chances in front of goal kicking an inaccurate 2.5 for the term. St Marys watertight defence was making it hard for Wanderers to get into scoring positions and at half time they led by 22 points.

The Eagles came out after quarter time full of enthusiasm and a couple of early goals ignited the blue and gold supporters. Sam Arthur and Liam Patrick gained some important touches and you could sense a slight momentum shift. But the clinical St Marys side played disciplined football and were able to stem the flow and prevent further scoreboard damage from Wanderers.

The Eagles needed a big final term to be any chance of claiming an unlikely victory but the Saints battled hard defensively and refused to give in. The premiership win was the perfect reward after a superb season from the St Marys juggernaut.

Kane Leersen ran hard all day and was a worthy winner of the Chaney Medal while Justin Wilson was solid around the midfield and let his presence be felt early in the contest. Iggy Vallejo saved his best game of the season for the most important time with a shutdown role on Daniel Motlop.

For the Eagles, Liam Patrick looked dangerous whenever he was near the football and Marlon Motlop led from the front, especially in the first half when he was arguably the best player on the ground. Alex Erlandson was given the big job on Nichols Medallist Peter Macfarlane and performed admirably. '

TWITTER - @JClark182
 

scotty13

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Well done to St Mary's.

Something needs to change in the NTFL though. Having St Mary's win 30flags in 62years and playing in 46 Grand Finals is starting to become a joke.
Is it time for the NT to have two teams in the NEAFL?
Take St Mary's out of NTFL and promote them to the NEAFL (they will win a lot of games in the comp as the Thunder is basically St Mary's anyway) and maybe make the NT Thunder a more Alice Springs based side, with still a few games up in Darwin.

St Mary's are too good for NTFL, would almost beat a combined state side too. They need bigger challanges!
 

seanoff

Premiership Player
Mar 12, 2007
4,783
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Darwin
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GWS
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St Mary's
Well done to St Mary's.

Something needs to change in the NTFL though. Having St Mary's win 30flags in 62years and playing in 46 Grand Finals is starting to become a joke.
Is it time for the NT to have two teams in the NEAFL?
Take St Mary's out of NTFL and promote them to the NEAFL (they will win a lot of games in the comp as the Thunder is basically St Mary's anyway) and maybe make the NT Thunder a more Alice Springs based side, with still a few games up in Darwin.

St Mary's are too good for NTFL, would almost beat a combined state side too. They need bigger challanges!

1 Saints have money, but would need some $$$ support to play NEAFL as well as some recruiting to be even a chance of competing. Thunder are heavily subsidised by the AFL iirc. Saints would need similar support.

2 it wouldn't be popular with the other NTFL clubs i don't think as Saints would be dragging players away from them. or maybe it would.

3 i like the alice springs based side. better value than have the red tails in the NTFL, possibly cheaper. they would need a boatload of personnel.

4 taking saints out of the ntfl may not be good for the competition. it gives sides something to aim at. altho tahs may win something other than the 1st division.

5 there are too many NTFL sides, they have over stretched the competition. buffs have been barely operating, palmerston should be stronger. Tiwi and Alice are very very expensive experiments. Saints are too strong for a weakened comp.
 

ttu44

Draftee
Jun 22, 2011
10
0
AFL Club
Collingwood
Rumour has it jake roe duggan has signed with saint Mary's fc for 2014/15 season
 

stuyd1

Premiership Player
Jul 9, 2011
3,961
1,410
gold coast
AFL Club
Gold Coast
Whats going on at The Thunder. There huge defeats away from home are strange.I know playing at home is a fortress, but s**t, playing away shouldn't see them cop these heavy defeats.... Also, why do guys like Heenan, tungatlum, and Woienmarri want to leave the club mid season and go play for North Albury in the strong Ovens and Murray comp.?????
 

seanoff

Premiership Player
Mar 12, 2007
4,783
1,492
Darwin
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GWS
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St Mary's
i think this weeks huge defeat is understandable. they got home tuesday morning after darwin airport was closed due to volcano. so sat night was spent at sydney airport. then flew to cairns sunday, then sunday and monday in cairns then home tues, to fly out fri. and then they faced a full AFL listed side, that is a direct quote from Stephen Gilham. in an illustration of how far apart the AFL sides are, GWS's fitness staff didn't think they did enough playing thunder so they did running drills post game.

Sydney last week, well that side would have scared a good number of AFL sides. Aspley. Who knows?

They are certainly not as good as their home form seems to suggest, nor as bad as their away form seems to suggest. that sort of discrepancy is all mental. surely. altho they do get some ridiculously generous umpiring at home.

the three boys ????? Money mostly i would think. make some good coin playing for north albury, interesting coach there too. Not sure where they are living either, if they are all on the islands its a hard call to play them because they don't train with the side. that must have some effect.
 
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