Eagles blitz leads to tie
THE top-of-the-table NTFL clash between Nightcliff and Wanderers well and truly lived up to its hype last night, with the two sides playing out a thrilling draw at Darwin Mazda Nightcliff Oval.
Nightcliff was in control for much of the game and took a 10-point lead into three-quarter-time, before Wanderers came storming home in the final term, slamming on four unanswered goals to take a 14point lead with just five minutes to go.
However, the see-sawing contest saw the Tigers claw back to finish 11.13 (79) to Wanderers 12.7 (79), courtesy of late majors to Kyle Emery and Trent Melville.
Nightcliff coach Chris Baksh admitted he thought the match was over following Wanderers’ four-goal blitz to start the final quarter.
“It was a tight finish – we probably stole the two points off them really, they had the game won,” he said.
“They had control of the game but the boys showed effort and heart to come back late.”
Emery and Cameron Ilett posed a constant threat for Nightcliff up forward, finishing with six goals between them, while Jackson Bowen dominated the ruck.
Jayden Kickett showed his class down back while fellow defender Joel Budarick kept the dangerous Brett Eddy quiet for the majority of the night.
For Wanderers, veteran Simon Bates (three goals) was lively as a small forward, while Beau O’Connell, Braedon
McLean and Shaun Mannagh were dynamic in the middle of the ground, providing plenty of run and dash.
Brodie Newman was excellent in defence and former AFL-listed gun Shane Thorne looked dangerous around goal, finishing with two majors.
Nightcliff looked to have the game on its terms when it took a 15-point lead into the halftime break.
However, Wanderers proved to be the stronger side in the second half.
Rain turned the contest into a sloppy spectacle in the third term, with an incident involving O’Connell laying a high tackle on a Nightcliff opponent heightening emotions on the three-quarter-time siren.
But the skirmish seemed to spring the Eagles into action, entering the final stanza full of run to blow the Tigers off the park in a 10-minute burst.
The result sees both sides remain first (Nightcliff) and second (Wanderers) on the NTFL ladder.