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When it came down to scoring shots, Palmerston kept themselves in their match against a strong Nightcliff outfit for the best part of three quarters last round. Now the young side gets to play hosts to the Tiwi Bombers at Cazalys Arena, a matchup against a side eager to go on the attack whenever they can. Every moment of the match will be live streamed from 2pm on Saturday by The NT News and KommunityTV as part of our season-long coverage. Coach Mark Tyrrell noted the recent rule changes had allowed everyone to get better quicker but was determined his side would develop around the local youth of Palmerston. The Magpies have been on the bottom end of the table since their glory days at the start of the century, and while there have been brief sparks of hope finals have eluded them since. “The start to our season is probably going as we expected, we’ve added some new players and that takes time for them to learn our system,” Tyrrell said. “There were games we wanted to win that we didn’t so we’re going to have to target wins later in the year but not by spending a heap of money to fly guys in but developing the group we have. “We’re a club that essentially has a city to recruit from and while other clubs are recruiting to build their presence we know that’s not going to solve our problem. “If we do things right over the next five years we still have a town of 40,000 people to draw on as these kids grow up drawing them to what is a strong environment and culture. “It’s the long game but being down the bottom for a long time we want to build our way out the right way so we will be sustainable once there.” The return of twins Alwyn Davey Jr and Jayden Davey has been a plus for the club after their time on Essendon’s list. They’ve combined with cousin Waylon Davey, who at his best is a dangerous goal sneak, while their younger brother Alijah Davey isn’t far away from a return. Shaun Wilson has been an inspirational captain while the club juniors such as of Ryan Warfe have developed into club leaders. Then there’s returnees such as Baxter Mensch, after a stint at Darwin Buffaloes, and the trio of Declan Barnett, Spencer Fox and Nathan Dowsett that have proven their passion for the club. “The Daveys bring a level of skill we didn’t have, there’s potential for us to have four of them some weeks which considering the importance of the name would be great for us,” Tyrrell said. “We had some guys who had to leave early but Mensch has been amazing, he sat out a season so he could be a three pointer and his professionalism is through the roof. “Then we have some guys who are in their third or fourth season for the club after coming up just to have a kick and now have genuine skin in the game to see us progress.” The Tiwi Bombers loom as a proper danger side needing a win to keep pushing their way up the table, but the Magpies will be determined to defend their home deck. The Bombers always create fast, flowing situations with the likes of Kim Kantilla and Michael Thompson starring on the island last round. “It’s Palmerston people against the Tiwis, we don’t have any fly-ins but it’s an opportunity to play them at home,” Tyrrell said. “We’re going to try to defend really hard and see if we can catch them on the counter attack, we know every game will be tough now so it’s about turning them into an absolute scrap. “If we can achieve that and make the game low scoring we have a chance, we’ve seen we just don’t have the capacity to go four quarters but we’re developing a style that will keep us in games longer.” HOW TO WATCH The NT News, KommunityTV and AFL Northern Territory have come together in a partnership to live stream both the men’s and women’s Premier League games for this TIO NTFL season. On game day, the live stream for this match will appear at the top of this story in the lead up to the first bounce. To find other games from this round click the links in the schedule box above. Alternatively you can head to www.kommunitytv.com.au and use the video player at the top of the site to watch all the action live and scroll through the most recent replays. Only News Corp Australia full digital subscribers will have exclusive access to watch the action.
