The undermanned Big River Hawks Under 18s boys went down to Nightcliff in Darwin on Saturday after a strong first half.
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After all Katherine sides forfeited the first two games of 2020 due to player absences, the boys team again struggled to have enough players to fill all positions.
A bus breakdown and more player absences impacted on the girls and women's games.
It was still a strong performance by the boys team with strong tackling a hallmark of their performance.
The sapping heat would have also played a part in Nightcliff shooting well clear of the Hawks at the final siren at TIO's No. 2 oval.
Nightcliff really won the game in the third quarter by kicking clear of the Hawks with three goals to one.
Final scores: Big River Hawks 3.5 (23) lost to Nightcliff 8.16 (64).
The Hawks are back to Darwin again next week to take on Waratah on Sunday at Gardens Oval.
The girls are scheduled to play Southern Districts in an earlier game.
The women's premier league team is scheduled to play in a night game against Palmerston Magpies on Saturday night.
The next home game, and the last for the Hawks, is on February 11 which is the second last round of the year.
Given the number of forfeits, the Hawks will not be playing finals this year.