The Camels kept their undefeated run intact but only by a point.

Round 5 results:

Beswick Bears 9.13 (67) lost to Katherine Camels 10.8 (68).

Camels by 1 pt!! A surprisingly close contest between the 1st and 5th placed teams. Camels undefeated and Beswick with only one win on the board, it was expected to be a sure thing for Camels. Beswick had other ideas however, and led most of the game. But Camels stayed in touch and demonstrated why they are the team to beat this year, remaining composed to level the scores deep into the 4th quarter before scoring the winning point in the dying minutes.

Eastside Blues 21.22 (148) d Tindal Magpies 2.2 (14).

A dominating victory and gives Eastside a far superior percentage on the ladder – likely to come in handy in their pursuit of 1st placed Camels. Tindal will look to post a win in their Round 6 clash vs Beswick, in a quest to level points with the 5th placed side.  

Kalano Bombers 13.5 (83) lost to Katherine South Crocs 13.13 (91).

Anticipated game of the round between 3rd and 4th place, with teams sitting on equal points on the ladder, separated only by Kalano’s superior percentage.

Bit of a rollercoaster game with teams taking turns winning the quarters. Crocs kicked ahead in the first quarter but Kalano came back to lead by 3 at half time. Crocs again controlled the 3rd quarter, kicking 4.6 to Kalano’s 1.2 to lead by 19 going into the final quarter. It was enough to keep Kalano at bay during a 4th quarter surge that reduced the final margin to 8 pts.

Crocs now move into third place on the ladder and come up against 2nd placed Eastside when matches resume in two weeks.

Fortnightly results:

Four teams gave themselves the opportunity to secure points this round, unfortunately Lajamanu Swans and Minyerri Tigers forfeiting their two games each.

Their opponents were not deprived of game time though, with other scheduled games and the opportunity to test out their skills in scratch matches against each other.

Lajamanu Swans (forfeit) v Waliburru Thunder

Waliburru Thunder 3.3 (21) lost to Gurindji Eagles 9.3 (57)

Gurindji by a convincing 36 pts, jump from 5th to 3rd on the ladder.

Gurindji Eagles will be happy to have registered two wins after losses to Minyerri Tigers and Jilkminggan Blues last round.

Jilkminggan Blues v Lajamanu Swans (forfeit)

Gurindji Eagles 7.6 (48) d Beswick Hawks 1.0 (6)

The Eagles barely gave the Hawks sniff, keeping them to one scoring shot for the game. Hawks contested around the ground, but skill errors resulted in frequent turnover and gave Eagles plenty of possession.

The Eagles radar was locked on for the first half, kicking 4 goals straight before straying with their first behind. They’ll be relying on this level of consistency when they come up against Lajamanu and Jilkminggan in two weeks.

Minyerri Tigers (forfeit) v Jilkminggan Blues

Beswick Hawks v Minyerri Tigers (forfeit)

Hawks, Thunder and Blues all benefited from some extra match practice, playing each other in some spirited scratch matches.

Blues proved the dominant team, but time will tell when Round 3 arrives on June 17.