Nightcliff and St Mary’s will clash in the ntfl premier grand final at Darwin’s TIO Stadium, with the match set to kick off at 6: 45 pm ET on Saturday. Both sides enter the decider with strong central Victorian representation across their squads.
The Central Victorian Takeover Fueling Darwin’s Biggest Football Night
Whichever way the grand final goes, a cohort of players with links to central Victorian clubs will be celebrating a flag. Both Nightcliff and St Mary’s are well represented by players either from central Victoria or who have signed with central Victorian clubs for the coming season.
Nightcliff is captained by Brodie Filo, a decorated local football figure who was part of Eaglehawk’s 2007 premiership and won the 2015 BFNL Michelsen Medal. Filo’s senior career has passed 500 games; his first senior appearance came in 2007 when he played alongside his father, Derrick, in round one of the Bendigo league season for Eaglehawk against Kangaroo Flat.
Filo’s Nightcliff teammates include Lachlan Tardrew, another BFNL Michelsen Medal winner and premiership player who dominated the Bendigo league for Sandhurst over the past two years and is set to continue his career in the WAFL with Peel Thunder. Former Kangaroo Flat midfielder and 2019 BFNL under-18 George Symons Medal winner Mitch Trewhella has already claimed Nightcliff’s best and fairest this season and now has the opportunity to win his first senior flag.
The Nightcliff forward line features newly appointed Sandhurst co-coach Fergus Greene and Castlemaine recruit Zack Derksen. The Tigers’ side also includes former Kangaroo Flat player Jono Lanyon and Carisbrook premiership player Lewis Rinaldi.
Key Ntfl Matchups And Player Notes
St Mary’s is captained by Dylan Landt, who has signed with Castlemaine and earlier this week won the NTFL Nichols Medal for the third time with 22 votes. Landt joins Nightcliff’s Filo as the only two players to have won the Nichols Medal three times. Nicholls finished six votes clear of runner-up Quinton Narkle, who is the marquee signing for Broadford’s first season in the Bendigo league this year.
Nightcliff’s Trewhella was among three players who tied for third with 15 votes; he has finished runner-up in the Goulburn Valley league’s Morrison Medal in the past two years. St Mary’s grand final line-up also includes Colbinabbin recruits Josh Smithson and Domonic Grant, while Leitchville-Gunbower’s Max Hagan is listed as an emergency.
Nightcliff and St Mary’s last met in the qualifying final three weeks ago, with Nightcliff defeating St Mary’s by 23 points in that previous meeting. The rematch in the premier decider will decide which central Victorian-linked cohort lifts the flag.
Kickoff And Local Lead-In
Saturday’s ntfl premier grand final starts at 6: 45 pm ET at TIO Stadium. Meanwhile, the local practice match circuit heats up with a host of teams from across the Bendigo, Heathcote District and Loddon Valley leagues in action on Saturday, including Kangaroo Flat versus White Hills at Kangaroo Flat.
