Bombers welcome Buffaloes for first game at Nguiu
NO-ONE need remind the Tiwi Bomber boys what their match against Darwin on Saturday will mean. The significance of it is it will be the NTFL club's first true home game when they do battle with the Buffaloes at Nguiu on Bathurst Island.
The match will be played on the redeveloped Tiwi Oval (formerly Stanley Tipiloura Oval) which has been transformed into a State league level playing arena.
But if the Bombers want their homecoming to be a memorable one, in football terms at least, they will need to reverse recent form after copping a record hiding from their last match in Darwin, and to do it without gun forward Ephrem Tipungwuti, who is injured.
That they're playing this year's wooden-spooners, which has won just one game this season, shouldn't be a factor because the Bombers escaped to win by 1 point after coming back from 36 last time these two sides met.
The Tiwis are well-placed to secure second spot on the league ladder with 48 points, six ahead of Southern Districts in third and with just three rounds to play. The Bombers suffered their worst loss in their short history last round when a rampant Waratah piled on 30.15 to their measly 8.10.
Coach Brenton Toy earlier today took a full complement of players through their paces on the new-look ground. He said he was confident of knocking the Buffaloes off.
"We had the bulk of our squad on the track at training today and they were keen as," he said. "We lost pretty badly (to Waratah) but we should be right; we had the Buffs' measure (last time). I just want to get a win and we're looking towards that."
Toy said the teams should cope well despite the playing surface being a little hard under-foot.
Five more added to NTFC squad
IN other news from the Top End, five more Indigenous footballers (out of seven) have been added to the Northern Territory Football Club squad.
Jamie Scrymgour, Charlie McAdam, Robert Hale, Thomas Motlop and Marty Smith join the squad as the Thunder makes the necessary adjustments ahead of its AFL Queensland debut in April.
NTFC high performance manager Murray Davis said the new inclusions will add considerably to the squad.
"We feel the players added bring a whole range of things to the NTFC squad," he said. "Jamie Scrymgour (and Waratah's Iain Macpherson) have shown consistent form over the past four rounds (in the NTFL) and will add some real strength to our squad.
"Charlie McAdam returns to the Territory after representing South Australia at under-18 level and playing with North Adelaide in the SANFL. Charlie also undertook pre-season training with AFL club Port Power. Thomas Motlop and Robert Hale we see as being players who can develop into quality State league players within our program.
"Marty Smith (and Jackson Emblem) bring State league experience into the side. Smith is a premiership player with highly successful WAFL club Subiaco and has played 44 league games for 52 goals and at 23 has shown glimpses of his prowess around goals with Nightcliff."
As of next week (Feb.16), the Territory squad's training will be on Monday and Wednesday nights. The Northern Territory Football Club will compete in the AFL Queensland State League's (Division 1) 2009 competition.
DARREN MONCRIEFF
Darren@AboriginalFootball.com.au
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Last Modified on 12/02/2009 23:14