The very first NRL NT Schools 9s Gala Day was nothing short of a triumph for the MacKillop Saints, with boys and girls sides flying the flag proudly across two days of hard-fought, action-packed rugby league at Swampdogs Field.
Festivities kicked off with the Middle School Girls competition, where the Saints fielded two squads in the 9/8 and 8/7 divisions respectively.
Wearing the now-iconic ochre strip, the Year 8/7 Girls set the tone early against Taminmin College. Year 7 livewire Ja’mea Artango exploded onto the scene with a dazzling double try tally in the opening half. True to family reputation, she showed the same flair as her older sister Miharna from the senior girls outfit.
But rugby league can be a cruel game. After losing the experienced Tilly Cogill to injury, the younger Saints found themselves in an uphill scrap. With further casualties to Destiny Sumner, Esme McMullan and Aliyah Nichols, the campaign quickly became a test of grit. Yet, the squad’s spirit never wavered. Every fit player strapped up, ran out, and gave their all.
Newcomers Kairee Pledger and Amelia Jones not only impressed in the junior ranks but even crossed for tries in the senior team later in the day, highlighting the depth of talent in the Saints’ system.
For the senior girls, skipper Ellie Pulman led from the front while Grace Laker was immense on both sides of the ball, earning Player of the Tournament honours. The team fought tooth and nail in every contest, even snaring a well-deserved victory before the day was done.
Wednesday belonged to the boys. The heavily favoured Year 8/7 Saints Navy team opened their account in bizarre fashion, lined up against the wrong opposition! A scheduling mix-up saw them clash with Taminmin’s Year 9 team. Remarkably, the younger Saints led at halftime before the match was reset and played out correctly.
From there, the Navy team was flawless. They went through undefeated, dismantling Haileybury and thumping similarly a favoured Nightcliff outfit 7 tries to 0 in a statement win.
Captain Harry Liddle was voted Player of the Tournament by his peers, but this was a team effort. Josh Roberts mesmerised defenders with footwork that left them clutching at air en route to multiple tries across the tournament, while debutant Eric Burarrwanga produced one of the moments of the carnival, a breathtaking full field kick-return try.
The Year 7/8 Saints Ochre side began in similar fashion with a thunderous win over Haileybury 1, sparked by recruit Xavier Glassie, who crashed over to score early on against his former school. Not to be outdone, front-row partner Tyler Moore flattened defenders with a similar rampaging charge off a kickoff on his way to the try line in an effort that will live long in the memory of Saints supporters who witnessed it.
Though controversy and injuries hampered their later matches, Ochre fought bravely before running out of steam against Nightcliff in their final match of the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Saints 9s squad quietly went about their business, joining Navy in finishing their day undefeated. With scalps over Palmerston, Taminmin and Dripstone, they showed the strength in depth running through MacKillop rugby league. Tyler Heikkinen bagged an eye-catching six tries across the tournament, while Alex O’Keefe-Murray added to his tally and looks destined for higher honours when the Taminmin Tri-Series rolls around next term.
The Saints were quick to tip their caps to the organisers. Special thanks went to NRL NT convenor Darren Mannaway, who ran the carnival with trademark precision, and to assistant coaches Mrs Marshall and Mr Tyler, who worked tirelessly across both days.
Director of Rugby, Mr Sharp, also extended congratulations to Nightcliff Middle, Haileybury-Rendall School and Dripstone Middle.
“It’s exciting to see them back in the action,” Sharp said. “The more teams playing around Darwin, the better the competition gets, and that means more games for our Saints.”
With that, the inaugural Gala Day ended with Saints jerseys grass-stained but spirits soaring, proof once again that MacKillop Rugby League is building something special.
