SSNT Australian Football 12’s Championships - Round 5

SSNT Australian Football 12’s Championships

Match Review

Round Five V NSW

NT 11.8.74 def NSW 2.3.15

NSW came out all fired up to create the upset and leave three of the 12’s teams tied for third on two wins. By half way through the quarter the NT boys had started to stamp their authority on the game and continued in that vain through to the final siren.

As a result this group of boys have equaled our previously best result at the championships of three wins and finishing third. Taking nothing away from the SA game effort but a couple of extra points or bounces of the ball falling our way on that day would have seen us finish second for the tournament.

Shane McAuliffe and Laurie Donation still managed to dominate their opponents, both boys earned the respect of their peers and officials for their efforts over the week. Michael Coombes was strong once again and showed his class throughout the match. Daniel Simpson played all five games at fullback and was without doubt the outstanding fullback of the 12’s competition.

Kyle Emery started scratchy but kicked into gear and provided some good attack on the footy and some good run and carry. Nakia Cockatoo was probably the only player within the centre square area that did not appear to have run out of puff. He won plenty of footy across the half back line and then again when moved on to the ball.

Brandon Parfitt continued his Mr. Consistent approach to the week with another quality four quarter performance. Daly Shannon and Liam Moseley continued to keep working hard and ensured there was hard attack on the footy whenever it was in their area. A very pleasing aspect for the pair of them was their ability to play to position and ensure that NSW struggled to get the footy past half way.

Keidan Holt kicked a lazy 4 goals for the day, once again he went onto the ball halfway through the third quarter and into the final term and relieved a bit of pressure for the boys who played on ball for most of the week.

Jake Turner-Long first comment when he arrived at the ground on Saturday morning was that he was feeling great which was great for him as he was able to finish off the week on a high note with plenty of touches across both half forward and half back.

Cameron Piening was asked to get more physical for the last game and he showed that it can be a part of his game with a couple of good contested marks and hard ball gets.

The pleasing thing about the final round was also that there were plenty of others that put their hand up and contributed. Daniel Rioli nailed a couple of good goals, Shanley Malbunka worked hard in the forward line and provided plenty of opportunities. Jack Munkara produced a couple of moments that nearly earned him his first goal for the week. Ben Long did some good stuff across half forward and provided some good shepherds to release team mates to advantage. Jordan Jeffrey was a good player in each game, his confidence built across the week and read the play well on most occasions which enabled him to provide a couple of last line clearances. Zane Carter worked hard to win the footy and do the hard stuff, it was a credit to him that he didn’t give up at any stage, his highlight coming in round one with his two goals. Lachlan McKenzie had some good moments and showed his ability, he too grew in confidence over the week.

Keenan Waterbury got in amongst it on a few occasions and certainly built in confidence as the week unfolded. Ezekiel Frank also contributed throughout the game and he to looked comfortable out on the ground throughout the week. Shaun Daniels provided some highlights on occasions and did some good work off the last line of defence.

Goal Scorers: Keidan Holt-Tubbs (4), Laurie Donation (3), Daniel Rioli (2), Brandan Parfitt (1), Shane McAuliffe (1)

Leading Goal Kickers to date;

12 - Keidan Holt-Tubbs
5 - Laurie Donation
3 - Zac Bailey
3 - Shanley Malbunka
3 - Daniel Rioli
2 - Liam Moseley
2 - Zane Carter
1 - Cameron Piening
1 - Michael Coombes
1 - Kyle Emery
1 - Ben Long
1 - Brandan Parfitt


The 15's managed to win their two finals matches against ACT and WA 2 to finish 6th, which is the best result for a NT 15's since we have been attending the tournament