Australian Football

Nightcliff

The Works and Housing Football Club (re-named Nightcliff in 1963) joined the Northern Territory Football League, which at that point operated a senior competition only, in the 1950/51 season. The ostensible original aim of the club was to provide an opportunity for fringe players from other clubs, particularly Buffaloes, to participate in organised football on a regular basis. In this context, on field success would doubtless have been viewed as an unlikely bonus. However, the Tigers’ early performances exceeded all expectations and they contested the finals in four of their first six seasons before clinching a first premiership in 1956/57. The grand final opposition for that debut flag was, somewhat ironically, provided by Buffaloes, and Works and Housing won by 27 points, 15.11 (101) to 12.2 (74).

Another grand final followed the next year but Wanderers scored a hard fought 9 point victory.

The Tigers’ second premiership came in 1960/61 when accuracy in front of goal consigned St Marys to a 14 point defeat, 10.8 (68) to 6.18 (54). In 1964/65 the grand final victims were Darwin (previously known as Buffaloes), Nightcliff winning somewhat more comfortably this time by 39 points, 11.13 (79) to 5.10 (40).

There then followed a fifty-four year premiership drought, a record for the NTFL. Despite qualifying for the finals in two thirds of the seasons since ‘64/65 the Tigers’ overall senior premiership tally remained at just three until the 2018/19 season. During that time the grand finals in 1965/66, 1973/74, 1978/79, 1985/86, 2001/2, 2003/4 and 2011/12 all resulted in losses. Finally, in 2018/19 the horror sequence was brought to a convincing and well deserved end as the Tigers comfortably overcame reigning premiers Southern Districts in a grand final that was a battle of two well-honed defences. Final scores were Nightcliff 8.13 (61) to 5.9 (39) with a good crowd of 8,000 spectators watching the action on a typically hot, humid Darwin night.

Arguably Nightcliff’s most famous playing export was Michael McLean who was an outstanding junior with the club and played 35 senior games before embarking on an auspicious VFL/AFL career with Footscray and Brisbane.

Meanwhile John ‘Bubba’ Tye who, with the exception of a brief stint with Norwood in 1974, spent his entire playing career in Darwin remains, in the view of many, the greatest Northern Territory footballer of them all.

Other key Tigers, both on and off the field, down the years have included Stewie Clark, Keith Smart, Frank Griffin, Ken Utting, Ian White, Tom Blackley, Mike Crawshaw, John Greenoff, Costa Karaolias, Paul Bliele, Eddie Motlop, and Cedric Suardi.[1]