Ipswich Jets v CQ Capras at North Ipswich Reserve on Saturday, June 20 – 4pm
Ipswich Jets: 1. Carlin Anderson 2. Marmin Barba 3. Chris Walker 4. Nemani Valekapa 5. Brandon McGrady 6. Josh Cleeland 7. Dane Phillips 8. Josh Seage 9. Landon Hayes 10. Rod Griffin 11. Sam Martin 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Keiron Lander (c) 14. Fakahoko Teutau 15. Kurtis Lingwoodock 16. Billy McConnachie 17. Gerico Cecil
Coach: Ben Walker and Shane Walker
CQ Capras: 1. Reece Baker 2. Jake Ainsworth 3. Clinton Mooney 4. Tarrant Mariner 5. Hayden Buckman 6. Matt Minto 7. Guy Williams (c) 8. Rajan Opetaia-Halls 9. Mark Johnstone 10. Gavin Hiscox 11. Garrett Field 12. Dan Randall 13. Ian Webster 14. Josh Mitchell 15. Dean McAdam 16. Corbyn Kilday 17. Gerard Tema 18. Shaun Collins 19. Ha’Ofanga Rabakewa
Coach: Lionel Harbin
Head-to-Head: Ipswich 24 Central 11 Drawn 1
Last time they clashed: Round 3 2015.
IPSWICH JETS 28 (Chris Walker, Nemani Valekapa, Carlin Anderson, Dane Phillips, Matt Parcell tries; Marmin Barba 3, Wes Conlon goals) def CQ CAPRAS 26 (Jonas Pearson 2, Russell Webber, Fabian Soutar, Garrett Field tries; Matt Minto 2, Ian Webster goals) at Browne Park.
Round 15: 2015.
It was round three when the Jets played their first away game of the season in Rockhampton; the Capras always start strongly and this game proved no different.
It was the first 30 minutes that proved two things; that the Capras have plenty of fight and Matt Minto is a class act.
Minto went to the line and threw a great short ball for Garrett Field, who took advantage of a Jets defence that had failed to get their defensive spacing right.
Matt Minto then kicked a 40/20 to regain his side the ball and on the back of that possession Russell Webber scored.
The Capras went further in front when Fabian Souter crashed over and all of the sudden the underdogs were up 14-6. Things got better for the Central Queenslanders when Broncos under 20’s player Jonas Pearson scored and Minto converted to lead 20-6 after 31 minutes.
It won’t surprise many when the Jets focus this week is Matt Minto.
The Capras will start with big bodies going to the line giving Minto options. If the Jets’ defence doesn’t stay square, work from the inside and get up then Minto will find his runners and then you have big men on little men at the back which in round three didn’t end well for the Jets.
The Capras will start on fire, with enthusiasm; they always do.
The Capras are in last place while the Jets are in third so this may seem like a mis-match but the Jets coming off a bye will need to be wary.
The Capras have scored 212 points this year through 38 tries while the Jets have scored 404 points with 73 tries. That is a 35 try advantage to the Jets.
In defence the Capras have let in 480 points and 86 tries. While the Jets are sitting on 294 points against with 56 tries. Again that is a sizeable gap of 30 tries.
The Jets are coming off two hard road trips to Cherbourg and PNG so the bye was well received by the players.
For most of the year the Jets have been relatively unscathed by injury or disruption but against the Hunters they had to debut three players. The Jets have now used 26 players this year at the half way mark.
Liam Capewell, Brendon McGrady, Kurtis Lindwoodock and Gerico Cecil were all out against the Hunters while Richard Pandia, Pat McCallum, Joe Ofahengaue and Chris Ash came into the side.
The Jets started slowly against the Hunters and were down 10-0 then 16-6 at half time. It was then the last 8 minutes when the Hunters scored two late tries to seal the game at 28-28. It was the first quarter and last 10 minutes that cost the Jets the game.
The Jets dominated many aspects of the game; more meters with the ball (1308m v 1184m), more kick metres (245m v 190m) and less ineffective tackles (10 v 22) and more runs (158 v 113). But still didn’t get the cash. The Hunters game was the first time this year the Jets have been behind at half time and full time.
Against the Hunters, Landon Hayes playing just his second starting game was outstanding. Landon scored two tries, 12 runs, 131m, two line breaks, one line break assist, 1 try assist and 17 tackles with two misses.
Hayes is a smart player that looks up and takes advantage of the situation; like any natural footballer. Hayes has an underutilised kicking game against Souths he kicked a great 40/20 when he saw the chance. Landon was also responsible for bringing up the Jets’ 10,000th point from 428 games in the Intrust Super Cup with his try against the Hunters.
Against the Capras in round 3 the Jets scored two long range tries, the lesson will need to be learnt from the Central Queensland side. The Jets have now scored 25 tries from beyond the 50 metre line in 2015. That’s 34% of their tries coming from their own end. That’s an unbelievable attacking stat. Compared to the best in the NRL which is the Warriors with 9.
I have run out of things to say about Marmin Barba; so I’ll just leave it at 17 tries from 12 games and 22 goals from 31 attempts for 112 points.
Marmin’s 39 tries for the Jets leaves him only four off going into fifth spot on the Jets’ all time try scoring list. Currently Ramon Filipine is fifth on 42.
Marmin is also staring down Donald Malone’s Jets’ season record of 22 tries, with six tries to get and 11 games to go it might not be long before Barba is inked in the Jets’ record books. Marmin equalled the record last year and will be keen to break it this year.
Donald Malone scored 22 tries in 21 games in 2008 for the Ipswich Jets.
The Jets will welcome back the ‘King of Kalbar’ Nemani Valekapa for his 50th Intrust Super Cup game. Valekapa is also on 96 career points and will bring up his 100th point with a try. Nemani has scored 24 tries in his career.
Nemani is having a stella year for the Jets; he leads the club for most runs (187), most metres (2020m) and most offloads (26). While also chipping in with 8 tries from 12 games.
The Broncos have named hooker Matt Parcell to play against the Storm on Sunday and not named Joe Ofahengaue so the Jets may have use of the big prop.
The Jets have a tough period coming up after the Capras they play; Pride, Easts and Wynnum in the next month all those teams will be in the finals.
The Jets will be looking to get their season back on track after the loss to the Hunters. They will need to weather the early pressure from the Capras. Once the big Capras’ forwards start getting tired it will open up for the Jets to be able to control the ball and possession, running inside lines at tired big men whose lungs are ready to pop.