NTFA Premier: Malkin injury spells sad end to Aboriginal Round

Malkin was up-ended in a boundary throw-in ruck contest which caused him to land hard on his upper back. While reportedly able to talk, concussion was feared, so he was instructed not to move and an ambulance was called.

The game was stopped for a period and later called off altogether with Rocherlea announced winners of the NTFA premier Aboriginal Round match 8.10 (58) to 2.3 (15).

Bracknell coach Corry Goodluck admitted the incident was just the latest part of what had been a nightmare day for the club.

"He's got a concussion and he's got a tingly feeling in his body, they're not 100 per cent sure yet about that because they didn't want to jump the gun, but I don't think it looks good at the moment," he said.

"Before the game, we found out this morning one of our players' dad had died and then, as we were warming up, our trainer - who has just become life member of our club - his mum died.

"So we've actually had two passings today in our club so I think it was one of those days made from hell really, where nothing's gone right for us."

Earlier in the day, there was a joyful atmosphere in Rocherlea ahead of the match with the sound of didgeridoos playing in the background and the iconic Aboriginal flag painted inside the centre circle.

Cars lined the boundary 'fence' two, three and sometimes even four deep and the wing which contained the clubrooms appeared to have an invisible divider near the canteen.

One side was a sea of yellow and black with the other represented by the contrasting colours of red and white.

With North Launceston playing East Launceston in the NTJFA under-17 girls' division immediately beforehand, there were very nearly as many women at the ground to experience a day of cultural significance.

The welcome to country was a special affair, with both clubs proudly donning their specifically-designed guernseys.

The dance, named 'Spirit of the land', was performed by Aboriginal people young and old and was warmly received by the crowd.

With anticipation at its highest point, the match got under way with a bang for the Tigers.

The Redlegs - who had won their previous four games - look stunned as the Tigers' forwards put on five first-quarter goals without reply to lead 33-0.

Goodluck lamented his team's start pointing it out as the difference in the match.

"They kicked five goals in the first quarter and we didn't score and that's really not like us to be honest," he said. "I don't want to find excuses, but we were just flat, they jumped us and we just couldn't pull them back."

From there, Bracknell settled. Their defence proved a far tougher nut to crack, while hitting the scoreboard themselves for the first time of the day, thanks to a Nicholas Mitchell kick on the run.

Dakota Bannister's quick reply negated Bracknell's momentum, but a second from the visitors kept them to a four-goal deficit.

READ MORE: Captain Jay Blackberry returns as South Launceston defeat Scottsdale

Just as the red and white were working themselves back to within 20 points, a Jacob Hawkins bomb from behind the 50-metre arc brought the Tigers' crowd to life.

With rain coming and going throughout the match, slippery conditions meant it was a contested start to the third as neither side was able to convert inside-50s into majors.

Eventually, the third-term goal-drought was broken by Jorden Cousens who snapped truly from a stoppage to give the Tigers a 42-point lead at the last change.

The last quarter initially came with excitement, a specky from Jake Smith brought the Rocherlea crowd to their feet, however, it was abruptly stopped once the realisation came that Malkin's injury required serious attention.

Following a hand-shake from the captains, the match was announced finished, with Cousens - who had been dominant throughout the day - winning the Neil Maynard Medal for best on ground.

The victory is the Tigers' fourth in succession and moves them to just one win behind league-leaders Hillwood, while the Redlegs slip down to fourth.

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