Saints leave Buffs on their knees>>
PREMIERSHIP skipper Peter MacFarlane ( pictured) turned back the clock yesterday to haul St Mary’s back from the brink after they faced an 0-2 start at quarter-time.
The Saints, who ran out 14point winners, gave up seven goals to Darwin in the opening term on a pristine TIO Stadium deck and twice fell 40 points behind a quarter later.
Long-time NTFL followers were scurrying for the record books to find out the last time St Mary’s started the season with consecutive defeats.
They need not have bother- ed, with MacFarlane – so good this time last year when the Saints were also missing a horde of NT Thunder stars – kickstarting the revival.
The veteran key forward began plucking contested marks and finding room inside 50, and slotted three quick goals among the Green Machine’s quick five to slice the halftime deficit to just 11.
It didn’t help the Buffaloes’ cause that the man who kept MacFarlane in check early, Jordan Wilson-King, suffered a knee injury.
Darwin were unable to replicate their first-quarter heroics with the breeze in the third term and took just a 12-point buffer into three-quarter time.
MacFarlane had six majors by then and the likes of Michael Manteit, good even when Saints were not, Raphael Clarke and Karl Lohde were firing alongside him.
That margin was never going to be enough to keep out St Mary’s, who received a spark from Wadeye speedster Francis Kinthari.
Kinthari took the baton from MacFarlane, slotting three goals in the fourth term to swell his tally to six – and hit the post on a gettable chance in the same period.
The fifth of those delivered Rick Nolan’s Saints their first lead of the day almost 12 minutes into the quarter.
They never gave it back and probably should have won by more.
“I thought we were in a bit of strife. We just got flogged in the middle ... then they got a roll on when we had the breeze,” Nolan said.
“We got it back, thank God, and were within reality of winning it at halftime.
“There were some worrying signs as well – you don’t want a first quarter like that – but we got the four points from being in trouble.”
The Buffs were already out on their feet once St Mary’s finally passed them.
They have given up threequarter time advantages in the first two rounds, something captain Phillip Wills said needed to be addressed.
“Mick (Williams), the coach, keeps talking about our fitness and we do fade out. You could see that,” Wills said.
“We push hard when we’re attacking, but not so much on turnovers.
“They had numerous fouron-ones on the overlap and that killed us.”