The Ipswich Jets show off their special Indigenous round jersey designed by Ipswich students at Bremer High. Rob Williams
THE Ipswich Jets will run out in a new-look jersey for this weekend’s Indigenous Appreciation Round against the Central Queensland Capras.
Designed by students of Bremer High School, the special jersey features three red, blue and yellow circles which represents the three tribes of Ipswich meeting at the North Ipswich Reserve.
A series of hand-prints on the back represent past, present and future students of Bremer High and are actual handprints of a past student, a present student and a future student. The jersey also features a silhouette of student Grady Wingfield playing the didgeridoo.
Saturday’s game will also mark the first official home game for new Ipswich Jets CEO Jason Cubit, who was delighted to see the school’s contribution to the Ipswich Jets.
“To have the students themselves design a jersey which reflects their heritage and culture is fantastic,” he said.
“The club has a strong indigenous playing group with Billy McConnachie, Wes Conlon and Michael Purcell all playing in the Intrust Super Cup side.
“Wes especially is a very proud indigenous person from Ipswich and it’s great to see him in a jersey which has a great story behind it.”
The Ipswich Jets show off their special Indigenous round jersey designed by Ipswich students at Bremer High. Rob Williams
The former head coach of the Gatton Hawks has hit the ground running after joining the Jets two weeks ago.
Now settled into his new position in Ipswich, Cubit said he already had an eye on preparations for the 2017 season.
“For me this year is kind of set in stone with regards to the playing roster and the community partnerships in place,” Cubit said.
“We are only halfway through the season but we are planning for next year and that’s where I feel I can make my stamp on things.
“The main focus will be on the corporate support for the club and making sure our sponsors are looked after and see return on investments.”
Already aware of the Jets strong focus on community engagement and building a strong marketable brand, Cubit said there were various factors to consider when looking for new sponsors across Ipswich.
“It’s a two-way street between the club and their corporate connections,” he said.
“It’s not necessarily rugby league people, but people who want to be associated with the Ipswich Jets brand.
“Our brand is upheld as a strong one in the rugby league circles, especially after the massive year the Jets had last year.
“We want to improve on that and look for those community partnerships that add value onto our brand like the ALARA Jets.”
ALARA Queensland is a not for profit, community based organisation for people with a disability, which under the guidance of former Ipswich Jets CEO Wayne Wendt, started a rugby league touch football team who train at North Ipswich Reserve.
“It’s absolutely fantastic to see them down at training every Thursday night,” Cubit said. “They get a massive kick out of being around the Jets players and it’s very rewarding for our guys to see that link with the community.
“Ipswich is a very community focused club which is one of the big reasons I wanted to be a part it all.”
This week the club announced its administration would be back to full strength with former South Sydney Rabbitohs enforcer David Fa’alogo joining the team as Football Development Manager.
Already playing for the Jets in the Intrust Super Cup side this year, Cubit said Fa’alogo would be a valuable asset to the club.
“He has already hit the ground running with the Ipswich Education, Youth and Sport program last week,” he said.
“It’s a school holiday program with about 160 Ipswich students and the Ipswich Jets are running some coaching clinics which David jumped straight into.
“He’ll be back out there again this week and it’s great to have him on board.”