The Jets have never lost a game on Old Boys’ day rising to the challenge every year. In 2016 the Ipswich Jets would have to get over the top of a Tweed Seagulls side that was desperate to make sure they finished 2016 on a positive note.
The challenge was looking too much for the Jets when the Seagulls scored two tries in the first 15 minutes.
Last week the Dolphins exposed the Jets being suspect close to their line from flat balls and Tweed obviously took the tip and Leivaha Pulu barged over.
Nat Barnes went in to today’s game scoring 133 Intrust Super Cup tries he now has 134 after crossing out wide on the left hand side with a burrowing run that showed plenty of strength after Tweed ran the ball on the fifth tackle.
The Tweed were up 12-0.
Jets’ players’ player Richard Pandia took advantage of the short kick off by scoring his 9th try this year in the right hand corner.
Nemani Valekapa scored try number 38 and brought up his 150th point for the Jets in game 83 for the Jets. Nem tore the Tweed right hand defence to pieces and scored to get the Jets to 12-8 after 23 minutes.
Tweed went back to the flat short pass to a rampaging forward and scored again through Josh Coyle who couldn’t be stopped by the Jets and got the Seagulls back out to 10 points with five minutes to the half time break.
Billy McConnachie must have been inspired by all these short flat passes to raging forwards because he hit the pass and the hole and charged through to run 30 metres to score to the left of the posts.
At half time it was Tweed 18 Jets 14.
The you score we score continued in the second half when Tweed’s Tim Cassidy scored after a bust by Sam Meskell who found the left centre and scored in the corner.
The Jets re-gained the ball from the short kick off and Liam Capewell scored in the left hand corner.
The Jets coughed up the ball and the Seagulls pounced like it was a hot chip and raced away for Jacob Garland to score and give the Tweed a 10 point lead at 28-18 with 15 minutes to go.
Richard Pandia got the ball on the right hand side and with not much room to work in charged for the line to slam the ball down.
The equaliser came from Nemani who scored his double after the Jets spun it wide to the left and Nemani ducked back inside the defence and scored at 28-28 with 11 minutes to go.
It was Nem again who came up with the big play when he passed to Josh Damon to run away and score the winner for the Jets 34-28.
The Jets will travel to Wynnum next week to end their season, while the Seagulls will take on Redcliffe.
Scoring details:
IPSWICH JETS 34 (Richard Pandia 2, Nemani Valekapa 2, Billy McConnachie, Liam Capewell, Josh Damen tries; Josh Damen 2, Haydan Lipp goals) def TWEED HEADS SEAGULLS 28 (Leivaha Pulu, Nathanael Barnes, Josh Coyle, Timothy Cassidy, Jacob Garland tries; Michael Burgess 3, Doug Hewitt goals) at North Ipswich Reserve.