Best of the best! The 12 NTFA games that we will remember from 2025

Updated 2 days ago by Josh Partridge, Ben Hann, Ryan Bentley

Umpire controversy, massive comebacks in finals and even a draw made it tough to rank the best 12 games we saw this year.

Any division one game not featuring Rocherlea had the potential to be a thriller given how evenly-matched the eight teams below the Tigers were.

Division two produced a handy selection of great games during the home-and-away season, and then turned it on for finals - every game being memorable in its own right.

Premier league got a little competitive towards end of the season, as South Launceston's young team found its footing towards the pointy end.

This list only includes games that we saw this season. There were almost certainly other great games throughout the year that we didn't get the chance to see, so let us know in the comments what your favourite NTFA game of the year was.

12. NTFA premier league, round 15 - Launceston v South Launceston

South Launceston were ahead at every quarter break, but Launceston's last-term dominance ensured there wouldn't be a rare premier league upset.

The Blues kicked seven majors in a free-flowing, 10-goal last quarter staving off several South Launceston attacks in what was believed to be the first senior men's twilight game at Windsor Park.

11. NTFA division one, round 12 - St Pats v Hillwood

St Pats loved a close finish this season and this was no exception.

They were down by as many as 19 points during the final term, but Saints forward Dylan Riley had the ball on a string for the last 10 minutes willing his team back to level-pegging.

If not for a bad bounce, St Pats could have had the win.

It looked like the ball was dribbling for a game-winning behind after the siren but it deviated late, hitting the point post and resulting in no score.

10. NTFAW premier league, second semi-final - South Launceston v Deloraine

A spot in the NTFA women's premier league grand final was on the line, South Launceston were trailing by 13 points and had only kicked a solitary goal across the first three quarters.

The minor premiers needed someone to stand up, and teenager Rahni Milne was that player, kicking the first 13 points of the term herself before taking a pivotal mark that led to the match-winning goal.

They say diamonds are made under pressure, and this was a diamond-like performance by Milne.

9. NTFAW division one, round 14 - Hillwood v St Pats

The equation was pretty simple heading into this game, the winner plays finals.

For St Pats the stakes were just a little higher as they were playing for their first ever post-season appearance.

The game reflected this tension. The margin never went outside a kick and the match-winning goal, kicked by Olive Bellchambers, came in the fourth quarter.

To top it all off, there was a mad goal-line scramble that the Saints professionally shepherded over the line to secure the all-important one-point win.

8. NTFA division one, round 15 - St Pats v Bracknell

One of the most entertaining of division one's seemingly endless nail-biting games, St Pats did what so many others couldn't and beat Bracknell in a close finish.

A wet and wild affair, the Saints were missing many of their best players as both sides enjoyed long runs of momentum.

Ultimately, it was teenager Nathan Kingsley that stood up in place of the likes of Jobi Harper, Jake Kilby, Dylan Riley and Jake King as he guided the Saints home.

Plenty of scuffles, including one that involved nearly every player, goal celebrations and finals implications made this a contest that had plenty on the line, and you couldn't have asked for more.

7. NTFA under 18 grand final - South Launceston v Launceston 

For almost two-and-a-half quarters, all signs were pointing to this being an underwhelming grand final with South Launceston leading by five goals and the Blues yet to kick a major score.

But then a Ryder Johnston dribbler from the boundary to give Launceston their first goal of the game kick-started a remarkable turnaround.

He kicked another two goals as the Blues kicked seven of the last eight to pull off a comeback for the ages.

6. NTFA division two grand final - East Coast v Perth

There was a bit of pressure on this game, as all the other grand finals loomed as one-sided affairs.

And it delivered, the Swans producing a 24-point comeback and Nicholas Child ending his career on a high, bagging four goals, including a brilliant dribbler from the boundary that sealed the deal.

Both sides lived up to the occasion and no one knew which way the game would go for much of the afternoon.

5. NTFA division two first semi-final - Evandale v Campbell Town

The final score does not read like a belter, but perhaps the fourth quarter scoreline is a better explainer.

Campbell Town 11.7 (73) to Evandale 0.1 (1). That's right, the Robins were down 31 points at the final break and then piled on 11 goals with a slight breeze at their back.

It was mental and gave Campbell Town a finals win in their first year back in the NTFA.

4. NTFA premier league, round 13 - Longford v South Launceston 

A game where both sides thought they'd won certainly earns its place on this list.

Longford kicked four goals on the trot to take the lead in the dying minutes, but a free-kick was called while they were celebrating and South Launceston made the Tigers pay in extraordinary circumstances.

Young gun Chaice Oliver took a strong mark and found Brendan Taylor, who played on and kicked a goal with seconds to spare.

3. NTFA division one, round 16 - Lilydale v Bracknell

A high-quality encounter that got the finish it deserved, Cooper Warren's match-winning goal on the siren made it an unforgettable afternoon at Lilydale.

It had been a back-and-forth affair, both teams riding waves of momentum at different times and then the fourth quarter was simply manic.

The lead changed hands five times in that term capped off by a brilliant coast-to-coast transition that ended in Warren's buzzer-beater.

2. NTFA divsion one, round 10 - Bridgenorth v Bracknell

This contest is a genuine contender for game of the season. Bridgenorth, who had played well for most of the season at this point but who had found little luck, were on the verge of pulling off one of the most stirring comebacks of the season.

With the wind at their backs, the Parrots were led by Matthew Zanetto's 200-game milestone as they surged into the lead, which they held all the way until the final siren.

But in almost emblematic fashion for Bridgenorth's season, the Redlegs somehow stole the win when Parrot Billy Jack launched the ball out of the field, conceding a free-kick and 50-metre penalty as a result.

It meant the visitors' Josh Woolley would kick the match-winning goal from inside the goal-square well after the final siren had sounded.

A mixture of confusion, frustration and disappointment coloured the home supporters' visceral reaction as a sheepish walked away with the most unlikely four points.

1. NTFA v SFL community rep series game

Nothing like some parochial one-upmanship! The NTFA proved better (barely) than the SFL on a famous day at Campbell Town after some individual heroics led to a remarkable win for the Lochie Dornauf-coached side.

Evandale's Jordan Talbot kicked the winning goal before George Town's Matthew McKinnon produced two Leo Barry-like game-saving intercept marks deep in defence.

Isaac Thompson delivered on his big-game reputation with a best on ground medal to show for his efforts.

The game was a brilliant showcase of high-quality country football as the region's best community league players battled it out in an enthralling contest.