SPORT l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l l ntnews.com.au
Tiwi Bombers not pushing panic button after last-gasp loss
By GREY MORRIS
TIWI coach Leigh Crossman
saw several positives in his
side’s five-point loss to Wanderers on Saturday night.
The last-gasp 17.15 (117) to
18.4 (112) loss was the
Bombers’ third in seven
matches since winning their
first nine games.
Top five sides St Marys
and Southern Districts have
that might have
made us a little bit
complacent
also shot down the Bombers
this season.
But Crossman prefers to
NTFL SCOREBOARD
ROUND 16
S’DISTRICTS
WARATAHS
5.4
1.1
5.6
3.5
10.8
7.7
13.11
9.9
(89)
(63)
GOALS — Districts: D Cupido 9 B Ah Mat H Armour T Gleeson L
Angwin. Waratahs: I Macpherson 2 M Sawyer 2 J Wray J Smart J
Hatcher B Rayson M Frail.
BEST — Districts: B Hicks D Cupido A Craufurd D Headland J Dann.
Waratahs: T Mosquito B Rowley I Macpherson M Sawyer J Krnjic.
Umpires: Mark Noonan Sam Ferguson Brian Walters
WANDERERS
TIWI BOMBERS
3.3
4.1
8.9
10.5
12.13
12.4
17.15
18.4
(117)
(112)
PUB: NT NEWS
GOALS — Wanderers: D Motlop 4 A Bond 3 J Wilson 2 T Motlop 2 C
Dunne 2 C Wurramarrba D Kruse N Vea Vea A Motlop Tiwi: R
Pupangamirri 4 R Kantilla 4 R Tungatalum 3 W Pilakui 2 B
Palipauminni S Munkara C Tipuamantimirri A Wonaeamirri J
Munkara.
BEST — Wanderers: A Bond D Motlop C Dunne J Jackson A Motlop.
Tiwi: S Munkara R Pupangamirri S Tipuamantamerri J Munkara B
Palipuaminni.
Umpires: Simon Walker Aaron Hall Jay Farrell
ST MARYS
NIGHTCLIFF
7.0
3.2
13.5
5.4
15.11
6.7
19.16
7.10
look at the bigger picture,
saying several key players
would return in the next fortnight.
Big men Billy Barden and
Tim Bongetti will be important additions in the ruck and
defence.
And Chaney medallist
Paul Scanlon is expected
back for next week’s top of
the table clash against St
Marys on Bathurst Island.
Bustling spearhead Ephrem Tipungwuti is still a
week-to-week proposition
with hamstring and back related problems dogging him.
Crossman liked what he
saw from the reigning premier against an Eagles side
starting to dive headlong into
another finals campaign.
‘‘I reckon we improved
from about 60 per cent to
around 80 in terms of how we
are playing as a team,’’ he
said.
‘‘There were some really
good signs in a game we lost
by less than a kick and could
easily have won against a
side in the top five.
‘‘We made the most of our
opportunities going forward
and appear to be approaching our best footy.
‘‘I’m not concerned there’s
a bit of work still to do,
though it would be nice if we
can be playing our best footy
leading into the finals.
‘‘We’ve had second spot
sewn up for a long time now,
so that might have made us a
little bit complacent.
‘‘St Marys this week is a
really big one for us in front
of our own fans.
‘‘It’s virtually a final before
the finals and a good guide on
exactly where we are at.’’
Minor premiers
won’t drop ball
(130)
(52)
DATE: 4-FEB-2013
GOALS — St Marys: C Ilett 4 S Rioli 4 J Cooper 3 J Ligerwood 2 P
MacFarlane R Smith J Long J Musgrove W Rioli K Lohde. Nightcliff: J
Lockwood 2 M Reiffel 2 B Cowell L Fisher B Ngalkin.
BEST — St Marys: J Wilson S Rioli K Lohde J Cooper K Leerson.
Nightcliff: B Ngalkin Z Skinner D Dempsey M Reiffel J Lockwood.
Umpires: Andrew Giles Tim Kimber Jay Farrell
PALMERSTON
DARWIN
2.2
1.3
6.4
3.8
9.6
5.10
10.9
7.10
(69)
(52)
GOALS — Palmerston: T Perry 3 M Thompson 2 M Dennis 2 D Cook 2
C Guy. Darwin: D Ferriera 2 T Eldridge 2 L Constantine 2 A Lantjin.
BEST — Palmerston: M Dennis D Cook T Perry R Davey C Guy.
Darwin: P Wills L Constantine H Lawrence G Warren M Parmbuk.
Umpires: Mark Noonan Jay Gilden Ray Hocking
LADDER
PAGE: 34 COLOR: C M Y K
TEAM
ST MARYS
TIWI BOMBERS
S’DISTRICTS
WANDERERS
WARATAH
NIGHTCLIFF
PALMERSTON
DARWIN
P
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
W L
15 1
13 3
10 6
9 7
8 8
4 12
3 13
2 14
D
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
F
2056
2053
1776
1308
1339
1334
1083
1036
A
%
Pts
928 221.6 60
1531 134.1 52
1500 118.4 40
1477 88.6 36
1470 91.1 32
1627 82.0 16
1646 65.8 12
1723 60.2
8
NEXT WEEK
Round 17 — Saturday, February 9: Nightcliff v Darwin at TIO
Stadium, 2.15pm; Waratah v Palmerston at 5pm; Southern
Districts v Wanderers at 7.30pm. Sunday, February 10: Tiwi
Bombers v St Marys at Tiwi Oval, 2pm.
Sheedy tests out
big Bang theory
By DARYL TIMMS
IT IS being dubbed the
Sheedy Sheedy Bang Bang
experiment.
In an international first,
Greater Western Sydney
has awarded an international
scholarship
to
21-year-old Danish footballer Aksel Bang, who is
rated the best Aussie Rules
footballer in Europe.
Bang, who will soon start
six months national service
in Afghanistan, will travel
to Sydney during his scheduled break from the army
in April/May, but he will
train and pull on the Giants
guernsey later in the year.
A midfielder, Bang’s
signing by the Giants has
created news in Denmark
and across Europe where
more than 5000 registered
Aussie Rules footballers
play in 21 countries.
And some are saying it’s
only fair that Denmark
gives Australia a footballer
after we gave the Danes
their princess — Mary.
34
Bang took
up the game
only two years
ago after visiting Australia
and now plays
Aksel Bang
for the Aalborg Kangaroos and Danish
Vikings in the AFL Europe
competition.
He was named the leading player in last year’s
Euro Cup.
He will develop through
the Giants reserve team,
which plays in the North
East Football League. Sydney Swans also field a team
in that league.
Coach Kevin Sheedy said
he was delighted to bring a
player from Denmark after
the club had formed several
partnerships with teams in
Europe that have taken on
the Giants’ name.
‘‘We have an obligation to
invest in talented players
wherever they may be
around the world if we
want to truly develop our
game internationally,’’
Sheedy said.
NT NEWS. Monday, February 4, 2013.
St Marys’ hard nut Justin Wilson leaves the Tiger players chasing his tail at Nightcliff Oval yesterday
FOOTBALL
By IAN BUTTERWORTH
WITH two minor rounds remaining, St Marys stitched
up the minor premiership after its win over Nightcliff at
Tigerland yesterday.
Following the 19.16 (130) to
7.10 (52) victory, the Green
Team sits two games and a
huge chunk of percentage
ahead of the second-placed
Tiwi Bombers.
Saints skipper Peter MacFarlane said minor premier
status is some reward for effort, but he was quick to add
that they take nothing for
granted and will continue to
work towards their goal of
premiership glory.
‘‘We’ve worked extremely
hard through our pre-season
and then during the regular
season, and to get that first
week off in the finals will
definitely be beneficial for
us,’’ he said.
‘‘We pride ourselves on an
even team performance and
that is what we gave today —
there were no passengers
and Shannon Rioli, Karl
Lohde and Justin Wilson
worked their guts out all day.
‘‘We’ve got Tiwi and Districts to go, and to finish off
against those two will give us
a good workout.’’
In great conditions at
Nightcliff Oval St Marys got
off to the perfect start, booting seven straight goals in
the first term, with Shannon
Rioli (four goals) and Cameron Ilett (four) getting five
between them.
While Nightcliff spearhead
Julian Lockwood (two) had
the better of John Anstess
early in the game, it was
Saints who led by 22 points at
the first break.
Picture: MICHAEL FRANCHI
Wilson, Lohde, Rioli, Justin Cooper and Joshua Ligerwood were too quick, clean
and aggressive for their opponents, and the game as a
contest was pretty much over
at the long break.
To their credit, the Tigers
lifted in the third term. They
only managed one goal but
Marc Reiffel, Baydon Ngalkin, Dylan Dempsey and Zephaniah Skinner took the
game up to the Greens.
St Marys rose again in the
final term and had players
across all lines willing to finish what they had started.
Indigenous dearth in draft just a quirk
By WARWICK GREEN
ALL-STARS coach Mick
O’Loughlin has dismissed
concerns that AFL clubs are
increasingly unwilling to
draft indigenous players.
Only three indigenous footballers were selected in last
year’s national draft, with
talented but troubled WA
youngster Dayle Garlett no-
tably overlooked due to his
off-field behaviour.
Swans premiership forward O’Loughlin, who will
coach the Indigenous AllStars in a match against
Richmond in Alice Springs
on Friday night, said the issue would ‘‘no doubt’’ be discussed at the three-day prematch camp, but he believed
2012 to be an anomaly.
‘‘There was a big uproar
about why there weren’t
more indigenous players
drafted last year, but for me
it was just a quirk of the system,’’ O’Loughlin said.
‘‘These things ebb and
flow. One year there might
not be many ruckmen, another not enough mids. Or if
you have one draft where
there’s hardly any kids out of
Western Australia, does that
mean you need to hit the
panic button about footy in
that state?
‘‘There’s no panic stations
from where I sit. The indigenous pathway is there and
producing players.’’
About 60 indigenous
players will be in Alice
Springs tomorrow for the
camp and community visits.
www.ntnews.com.au