(Thanks to the QT and Jay Buchan)
THE Ipswich Jets have a week to lift their game in time for the competition leaders Northern Pride.
In that time they will have to find significant improvement to pose a threat, following their 20-14 loss to Souths Logan at Brandon Park on Saturday.
“Very disappointing,” was how Jets co-coach Ben Walker described his team’s performance.
“We can play a hell of a lot better than we did.
“We don’t expect to lose any games but especially games against teams we expect to cover easily.”
Souths Logan sit above the Jets on the Queensland Cup ladder with three wins and two losses, while the Jets have won two and lost three.
“They played very well,” Walker said of the Magpies.
“As well as they could. But we didn’t.”
The Magpies led 14-0 at half-time, thanks to two runaway tries from dropped balls.
“When you’re not on your game it can get away from you pretty quickly,” Walker said.
“It did on the weekend.”
The conditions then made any second-half comeback difficult, though the Jets did improve after the break.
“It was better but it needed to be,” Walker said. “We played a lot better but in the raining, muddy and wet conditions it made it a tough ask to come back.”
The Jets have struggled to put together back to back quality performances and Walker couldn’t nominate any Jets players worthy of praise.
But he doesn’t see the need to try and change anything, other than to get the team to stick to its game-plan.
“It’s not about consistency,” he said. “We want to be five and 0, not two and three.
“We know if we play to our ability and strengths we can win games.
“We know we’re a lot better. “But if we get away from the rules of the team individually the whole system can break down.”
Asked for the positives from the performance Walker pointed out they had still started the season better than last, at which point they had won just one game.
“We’ve improved,” he said.
“I’m not concerned we’ve lost.”
In the FOGS Cup, Ipswich beat Souths Logan 24-0 while in colts the Magpies beat the Jets 24-16.