Courtesy of Michael Nunn.
Charleville Show Grounds, Charleville, on Saturday, July 23 – 3pm
Burleigh Bears
1. Kurtis Rowe 2. Waka Wanahi 3. Sami Sauiluma 4. Connor Broadhurst 5. Oliver Regan 6. Cameron Cullen 7. Jamal Fogarty 8. Luke Page 9. Patrick Politoni 16. Joshua Ailaomai 11. Jamie Dowling 12. Hayden Schwass 13. Jeffrey Lynch 10. Paterika Vaivai 14. Parahi Wilson 15. Lachlan Burr 17. Louis Fanene
Coach: Jim Lenihan
Ipswich Jets
1. Wesley Conlon 18. Michael Purcell 3. Ben White 4. Nemani Valekapa 5. Richard Pandia 14. Christopher Ash 7. Dane Phillips 22. Tyson Lofipo 9. Mikaere Beattie 16. Billy McConnachie 21. Jesse Roberts 11. Samuel Martin 8. David Fa’alogo 6. Haydan Lipp 12. Liam Capewell 13. Fakahoko Teutau 15. Sebastian Pandia
Coach: Ben Walker and Shane Walker
BURLEIGH BEARS 30 (Pat Politoni, Jamal Fogarty, Nathaniel Peteru, Cameron Cullen tries; Jamal Fogarty 7 goals) def IPSWICH JETS 18 (Josh Robinson 2, Carlin Anderson tries; Haydan Lipp 3 goals) at North Ipswich Reserve.
Head to Head: Burleigh 21 Ipswich 14 Drawn 2
ROUND 20
Both teams have to travel to Charleville for the Intrust Super Cup country round so hopefully that might mean a change of fortune for the Jets. Playing the Bears at the Coast or Ipswich isn’t working for the Jets.
The Jets have lost their last four games to the Bears and last two at the North Ipswich Reserve, as well as losing 28-18 last year at home the Bears also beat the Jets 38-26 away and 50-12 in 2014 at home. As well as 30-18 this season
The last time the Jets beat the Bears was August 2013.Ipswich 40 (Ian Lacey, Keiron Lander, Brendan Marshall, Sam Martin, Dane Phillips, Tasi Tasi, Javarn White tries, Marshall 6 goals) def Burleigh 22.
When these two clashed earlier this year the Jets had won one of their last five games this time they bring in a five game winning streak.
The Bears have accumulated 31 points this year from 14 wins and one draw. While the Jets are in sixth place on 9 wins and 20 points.
Burleigh have scored 536 points and had 386 points against for a points differential of plus 150.
The Jets have scored 434 points and had 413 against them. That’s the advantage in both attack and defence to the Bears.
The Jets have scored 79 tries this year and had 69 against.
While the Bears have scored 83 tries and had 79 scored against them.
BEARS
The Bears have won six games in a row heading into this week. The Bears have also only lost once away from home this season.
The Bears are coming off a great win over the Blackhawks. It was all locked up at 20 when ex Jet Luke Page steamed over to get the Bears a great win.
The Bears are now looking at a minor premiership their first one since 2004.
The Jets will need to be on the look-out for Luke Page. Against the Blackhawks he contributed: 6 tackle breaks.
Page can also be a target in defence, look for the smaller Jets to spot Page and work him over making him make multiple tackles in a row.
Page missed 3 tackles and had 1 ineffective tackles.
Jamal Fogarty has been a stand out for the Bears; Fogarty is the Intrust Super Cup’s highest points scorer.
Fogarty has a tidy short kicking game that puts pressure on the back three; the Jets will know that Fogarty is a good chaser of his own kicks and often is the first to get there. He peppered the Blackhawks with nine short kicks.
Queensland Residents’ captain and Titans’ NRL player Cameron Cullen partners Fogarty in the halves Cameron Cullen is pivotal to everything the Bears do he sits mostly on the left hand side of the field and is a very good defender Cullen loves to place himself on a short side and release the big Bears around him.
Bears fullback Kurtis Rowe has been dangerous for the Bears and injects himself into the game at the right time to make an impact on the Bears’ left hand side.
The Bears have the competition’s leading point scorer in Jamal Fogarty with 188 points and the competition’s second most tries with Kurtis Rowe on 14.
JETS
The Jets have won five games in a row which now places them in the final six for the first time this year.
The Jets have won four from eight this year on the road.
The Jets don’t have a great record against the Bears. The Jets have overcome troubles against the Pride in Cairns and Tweed at Tweed in the last two seasons so the Bears just might be next on the list.
The 38 points in the wet was great against the Cutters but not letting them score for 70 minutes was better.
The Jets had eight players miss one or zero tackles. Showing a real commitment to defending their own line.
This was done minus Nat Neale who has been the Jets’ best defender this season with 507 tackles from 523 attempted tackles.
What the Jets have done well the last five weeks is defend well then turn that around in to points for them. That is a double blow for other teams; we can’t score and then they go 100m and score.
The Jets left hand attack has been outstanding: the left has scored 49% of the Jets’ tries this year compared to the right hand side’s 29% and the middle third’s 21%.
The constant on that left hand side is Nemani this year Nemani has been outstanding again with 319 runs and 3087 meters at 9.6 meters per run. Nem has the most meters and most runs for the Jets.
Nem consistently gets his side on the front foot coming out of trouble. Always makes metres and always beats men he shouldn’t be able to beat. Like that other great Jets’ centre Brendon Marshall he is terrific at setting up his winger. In fact if you’re winger outside of Nem you simply score tries.
Barba last year scored 31 and this year Michael Purcell has nine from 10 games.
The Jets have momentum and are playing good football; the Bears are top of the table and looking to win their first minor premiership since 2004. Both teams have to travel on Friday and both teams need to keep momentum going.