St Mary beat Palmerston and the Ablett factor in Friday night's big Round 8 game of the 2022/23 TIO NTFL season.
The reigning men's premier produced an airtight defence and a mobile forward line to beat the Magpies 12.12 (84) to 7.11 (53) in front of thousands of fans at TIO Stadium.
Former Geelong and Gold Coast superstar Gary Ablett Jr was the big drawcard pre-match, the dual Brownlow medallist and two-time premiership player with the Cats setting the fans alight every time he touched the football.
A strained calf suffered in the early minutes of the second quarter and Darwin's wet season humidity restricted 38-year-old Ablett in his comeback game after two years away from the heat of battle.
The "Little Master'' still produced big pieces of his class, including the blind turn, superb positioning, terrific vision when in possession, kicking with both feet, and clever tap-ons to teammates that were all-inclusive in the Ablett show.
But St Mary's produced the match goods, booting five goals to two in the decisive last quarter to win their third game in a row and displace Nightcliff in the top five.
All of their wins have come against sides ahead of them on the ladder in a major turnaround for the premiers.
Coach Anthony Vallejo said the 31-point win proved his side was back on track after losing three of their first four games. "We had a bit of a slow start with a lot of our players involved in finals footy down south and taking their time to get back up here after having a couple of weeks off,'' he added. "But the last month has been good with more numbers on the training track adding to our depth, so hopefully we can continue upwards from now on.''
The Darwin Buffaloes kicked eight goals to three in the middle stages of their clash with Nightcliff on Saturday night to gain the upper hand and retain fourth place on the ladder.
Another four-quarter performance from defenders Hayden Brown and Bradley Stokes, together with former AFL Lion and Blues Mitch Robinson through the midfield, and four goals from former Tiger Liam Holt-Fitz spearheaded the 11.9 (75) to 8.13 (61) win.
Buffaloes assistant Damien Zammit took charge of the side in the absence of senior coach Cameron Stokes, guiding the Double Blues to their fourth win in seven games.
The win confirmed the Buffaloes as a genuine finals contender with their ability to win the contested ball, use of the football when in possession, and wealth of goal-kicking forwards.
Wanderers ended a month of frustrating results by beating the Tiwi Bombers at the Tracy Village ground.
West Perth recruit Thomas Boyes and former AFL Cat and Port Adelaide utility Steven Motlop starred in the 39-point win over the Bombers. Wanderers dominated the second half after both sides booted five goals in a second-quarter shootout, the strength and pace of Boyes, Motlop, and Beau O'Connell big factors in a decisive seven-goal to three last half.
Second-year Eagles coach Aaron Motlop watched his cousin Steven kick six of the side's 16 goals in Wanderers' first win since beating long-time rival St Mary's a month ago.
"We went back to the training track to work on a few things and it was pleasing for the guys to nail their opportunities this time,'' Motlop said.
"The wins have been few and far between when we haven't actually played bad footy. We've just been really inconsistent with our performances from quarter to quarter, so it was good to get a win against a very good Tiwi side.''
Southern Districts jumped to the top of the ladder following a tough four-point win over Premier League rookies PINT. The Crocodiles have quietly developed a hard-running possession game that can break down an opposition defence and with a midfield capable of finding and retaining the football, the wins have come.
Were almost consumed by the Greenants in a frantic third term where PINT booted three goals to a single point to take a deserved seven-point lead into the last quarter.
But the combined efforts of ruckman Brock Carter superb over the four-quarter distance Jack Mentha and Matt Shannon steadied the Maneaters in a three-goal to one term that won them the game.
