2018/19 Finals Week Two fixtures

24 February 2019 08:26pm

The Men’s and Women’s Premier League fixtures, as well as the Under 18 Boys and Girls, Under 15 Girls and Under 12 fixtures have all been released for Finals Week Two of the 2018/19 TIO NTFL season.

After earning the week off, Nightcliff will come up against a red-hot Tiwi Bombers outfit in the first Men's Premier League Semi Final at 4:30pm on Saturday.

Yesterday the Bombers used their run to overpower last season’s premiers, Southern Districts. They did a similar thing to the Tigers the last time they met, a big fourth quarter resulting in a one-point win. Before that though, Nightcliff had won the previous two encounters this season.

And those who remember the last time these two met during the NTFL finals will either have fond memories of the 2011/12 Grand Final when the Bombers stormed home to snatch victory by 14 points, or they’ll be hoping for a reversal of fortunes this coming Saturday.

The second Men’s Premier League Semi Final will follow at 7pm between Southern Districts and Waratah. There’s plenty of symmetry between the two, with Tahs’ head coach Ryan Ayres honing his craft with the Crocs in previous seasons.

But the friendships will be checked at the gate as both teams fight to keep their season’s alive. As far as recent history, they only met a few weeks ago in the night game at TIO Stadium with the Crocs running out 36-point winners. The other time they met this season the Crocs were on a six-game winning streak before they went down to the Tahs at home by 22-points.

The first Women’s Premier League Semi Final will see Palmerston play Southern Districts on TIO Stadium at 12:30pm this Saturday. Yesterday Waratah may have inflicted Palmerston’s first loss in seven weeks, but the Magpies will draw confidence knowing they have defeated the Crocs on both occasions this season.

But Southern Districts is a much-improved team in 2018/19 and has been enjoying a purple patch. They were also very impressive in their 60-point win against St Mary’s in the Elimination Final on Saturday.

The winner of the game will claim a spot in the 2018/19 TIO NTFL Women’s Premier League Grand Final, where they will meet the winner of the 2:30pm Waratah vs Darwin Buffettes Semi Final.

The Tahs recovered from a slow start to record a convincing 27-point win over Palmerston yesterday, while the Buffettes battled strong winds to eventually overcome PINT by 15-points.

Waratah and Darwin last met in Round 18 with the Tahs leading at every break to record their second win against the Buffs for the season. The last time Darwin defeated Waratah in the Women’s Premier League was more than a year ago, but memories of their 2016/17 Grand Final victory are never too far.

In positive news, both Women’s Premier League Semi Finals along with the Under 15 and 18 Girls’ Semi Finals will be played on TIO Stadium, allowing the four teams in each division to get a feel for things before the grand finals a week later.

In the Under 18 Girls, the Crocs recorded their first-ever win against the Darwin Buffettes in Finals Week One and progress to this weekend as the highest qualifier where they will play Palmerston at TIO Stadium at 6:30pm on Friday night.

The Buffettes, who have won every Under 18 Girls premiership since the division started in the 2015/16 season, can still keep their chances alive if they overcome Waratah in the 11am Semi Final at TIO Stadium on Saturday.

The Under 18 Boys fixture for Finals Week Two can also be revealed.

After enjoying a week’s rest, the reigning premiers, Wanderers will play Nightcliff at 8pm on Friday night at TIO Stadium. The Tigers enjoyed a comprehensive win against the Saints in week one of the finals and have beaten Wanderers twice this season, but many of the young Eagles that impressed in the Men’s Premier League are expected to return to the 18s lineup. The winner will progress straight to the Grand Final in a fortnight.

The Under 18 Saints boys will fight to keep their finals hopes alive when they face the Darwin Buffaloes on Saturday morning on TIO Oval 2. This season they’ve already recorded two wins against Darwin, but the Buffs will go into the game with some momentum, having won their last three games.

In the Under 15 Girls, first up will be Wanderers taking on last season’s premiers, Palmerston. The teams have only played once this season, back in Round 6, but the young Eagles proved more dangerous in the battle of the birds, winning by 36 points.

The second Under 15 Girls Semi Final will be played immediately after, between St Mary’s and Waratah. The Saints continued their unbeaten run this season with a strong win against Wanderers on Friday night, while the Tahs had a tight one-point win in its Elimination Final on Saturday.

To start Finals Week Two proceedings though, are the youngest players in the NTFL. The Under 12 Atkinson and Deslandes teams return to their usual Friday evening slot at TIO Stadium and TIO Oval 2.

The winners of each game will progress to next week’s grand finals.

The remaining Week Two Finals fixtures for the Men’s Division 1 and 2, Under 16 Hickman and Leverence and Under 14 Gundersen and Lewfatt will be released on Monday.

Men’s Premier League

Saturday 2 March 2019

4:30pm – TIO Stadium – Nightcliff vs Tiwi Bombers

7:00pm – TIO Stadium – Southern Districts vs Waratah

Women’s Premier League

Saturday 2 March 2019

12:30pm – TIO Stadium – Palmerston vs Southern Districts

2:30pm – TIO Stadium – Waratah vs Darwin Buffettes

Under 18 Girls

Friday 1 March 2019
6:30pm – TIO Stadium – Southern Districts vs Palmerston

Saturday 2 March 2019
11:00am – TIO Stadium – Darwin Buffettes vs Waratah

Under 18 Boys