This Friday night in Round 9 TIO NTFL action the Palmerston Magpies will host the Darwin Buffaloes in the Men’s Premier League, with the two teams playing for the Jerry Frank Memorial Shield.
The game, which will take place at Palmerston Oval at 7pm, will be attended by Cancer Council NT representatives who will be handing out sunscreen and able to talk to people one on one about their work. There will also be the opportunity for people to donate to the organisation.
Dubbed as the ”original Palmerston wizard”, Frank passed away on 31 July following a battle with cancer.
Originally from Cairns, he took the NTFL by storm when he arrived in the mid 1990s and began his stint with the Darwin Buffaloes. That was followed by eight successful seasons with Palmerston, which resulted in two premierships. A seven-time NT representative player, Frank amassed 225 NTFL games by the time he retired.
In addition to the establishment of the Jerry Frank Memorial Shield, players will wear black armbands as a sign of respect and there will be a minute’s silence prior to Friday night’s game. The best player on the field will also be awarded the Jerry Frank Courage Award, as decided by the two head coaches.
Jerry’s son, Ezekiel Frank, is still an active member of the Palmerston Magpies (as a fly-in player) and is expected play on Friday night.
