2023/24 TIO NTFL Wrap: Women's Premier League - Round 11

The St Mary's express gained full steam on Bathurst Island while Waratah won its seventh game in a row and the Nightcliff Tigers came from behind to beat the Darwin Buffettes.

All part of Round 11 of the TIO NTFL Women's Premier League, a week out from the Christmas break that defines the midway point of the 2023/24 season.

The Peter Lake coached Southern Districts completed the round with a comprehensive 116-point win over Wanderers to give themselves an outside chance of playing finals football in late February.

St Mary's coach Ryan Smith was full of praise for his players following his side's comprehensive 103-point win over the unpredictable Tiwi Bombers.

The Saints' 15.16 (106) to 0.3 (3) win was enhanced by Tiwi born Peggy Martin's seven goals following her elevation to the senior side after impressive performances for the under-18 and Division 1 sides.

Martin also spent time in the Bulman region northeast of Katherine, where Australian football became her chosen sport.

Smith and the Saints brains trust decided her senior debut should be on the Tiwi Islands where her family would be on hand to watch her.

"I had players sick from the long ferry ride and to kick a winning score like that against a Tiwi side at home shows the quality of the playing squad and the mental strength they're starting to show,'' Smith said.

"It was a big Tiwi adventure for both teams because we had seven players with island blood in our side, including Peggy, Danielle Ponter, Nikita Long, Janet Baird, Latoya Tiplioura and Marietta Puautjimi, who were all in Saints colours.''

Nightcliff got back on the winners' list with an impressive 18-point win over the Darwin Buffettes in their twilight game at TIO Stadium.

The Buffettes began well with a three-goal to one first quarter, but only kicked another two goals for the rest of the match in an 8.4 (52) to 5.4 (34) loss to the fourth-placed Tigers.

Nightcliff forward Cassie McWilliam took her goal tally for the season to 25 with three more against the Buffettes, while Georgia Johnson was also a forward target with two majors.

Waratah beat Palmerston by 45 points at the Magpies home ground, booting five goals to nil in the second quarter to set up a seventh successive win since losing to reigning premier PINT in Round 3.

Erin Hunt, Jamilla Cranny and Ruby O'Dwyer were big possession getters in Tahs' 9.6 (60) to 2.3 (15) win against a Palmerston side red and whites coach Heidi Thompson rates very highly.

"They're very competitive, they've got a couple of good imports, but they've also got some unbelievable Territory talent in Tatyana Perry, Marika Carlton and Tsharni Graham,'' Thompson said.

"Those three in particular were hard to stop and our girls did a marvellous effort, especially on Marika, who was exceptionally good in the first quarter before we shut her out of the game with some hard one-on-one footy.''

While pleased with her side's winning run since late October, Thompson knows the post-Christmas period, where frontrunners PINT and St Mary's loom large in Rounds 12 and 16, will test her side's premiership credentials.

"They'll both be competitive games that will show exactly where we are at,'' Thompson said.

There were plenty of smiles at Norbuilt Oval on Saturday when Peter Lake's young Crocodiles consumed their youthful Wanderers opponents when recording their best win of the season.

The only negative was inaccuracy in front of goals, where some overanxious finishing produced a lopsided scoreboard of 15.26 (116) to nil.

Districts coach Lake was pleased with his side's endeavour and ability to use the football.

"We should have capitalised more, but the way the girls went about it was in line with the processes we're trying to follow and that's a good sign,'' he said.

"We had a few ins which were really handy, including Tarnica Golisano from Subiaco in the WAFLW and she brought two of her friends, Tess Lyons and Clare McCarthy, who also played very well.''

Rhania Hewitt and Emma Forsyth were also prominent through the middle of the ground in Districts' second win of the 2023-24 campaign.