AFL Northern Territory (AFLNT) advises that the National Extreme Weather Policy has been enacted at TIO Stadium this evening due to lightning in the area.
Two games were impacted; the Under 18 Boys Preliminary Final on TIO Stadium and the Under 16 Hickman Semi Final on TIO Oval 2.
The Under 18 Boys Preliminary Final between Nightcliff and St Mary’s was only one minute into the game when the match managers in conjunction with the officiating umpires, deemed the conditions too unsafe for players and spectators. This game will now be played at 6:30pm tomorrow, Saturday 9 March on TIO Oval 2.
The Under 16 Hickman Semi Final between Nightcliff and Palmerston was into the third quarter when the same decision to suspend the game was made. Palmerston led 5.5.35 to Nightcliff 0.1.1, and as such Palmerston has been declared the winner.
Fans who came to TIO Stadium this evening and were unable to watch the game were offered pass outs that allow free return entry tomorrow.
Rule 3.2.2 of the AFLNT Rules & Regulations, which govern all our community competitions, states how matches that have not commenced or that are incomplete will be decided.
In short, a game stopped or yet to start from its scheduled time has 30 minutes to restart/commence. If this is unable to happen for the start of the game or it’s before half time of a game, then this game is deemed a wash-out. In the case of the Under 18 Boys Preliminary Final, this is what has happened.
Any match that is stopped after half time and cannot recommence within the 30-minute window is deemed complete, and the scores will stand as is (from the point the game was stopped). This is the case for the Under 16 Hickman Semi Final.
AFLNT match managers were in contact with coaches and officials of the impacted teams and thanks them for their full support.
AFLNT considers the safety of all player, officials, staff and patrons as its number one priority when making decisions relating to the weather.
