Intrust Super Cup teams round 16
Northern Pride v Ipswich Jets at Barlow Park on Saturday, June 27 – 5.30pm
Northern Pride: 1. Hezron Murgha 2. Linc Port 3. Brett Anderson (c) 4. Justin Castellaro 5. Luke George 6. Ryan Ghietti 7. Sam Obst 8. Jack Svendsen 9. Jason Roos (c) 10. Scott Bolton 11. Vaipuna Tia Kilifi 12. Graham Clark 13. Ben Spina 14. Keelan White 15. Tom Hancock 16. Sheldon Powe Hobbs 17. Alex Starmer 18. Jordon Biondi-Odo 19. David Murphy
Coach: Joe O’Callaghan
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
Head to Head: Pride 9 Ipswich 7 Drawn 1.
Last time they met:
Round 5, 2015
IPSWICH JETS 26 (Marmin Barba 2, Nemani Valekapa, Brandon McGrady, Josh Seage tries; Marmin Barba 3 goals) def NORTHERN PRIDE 22 (Javid Bowen 2, Hezron Murgha, Linc Port, Luke George tries; Cameron King goal) at North Ipswich Reserve.
Round 16, 2015.
It is now past half way of the season and 10 games to go till the business end games that matter.
When these two teams last clashed the Jets got away to a flying start and in the wet the Pride couldn’t peg them back.
The Jets went to half time up 26-8 with five first half tries. In the second half the Pride had 65% of the ball and came back to 26-22 but couldn’t win the game.
The Jets are in outright second place on 24 points with 11 wins and three losses while the defending premiers the Northern Pride are in 8th spot on 16 points from 7 wins.
The Pride started the year slowly and when these two teams clashed in round five the Pride had only won one game before being beaten by the Jets.
The Pride has scored 307 points through 54 tries while the Jets have scored 149 points more with 456 points through 83 tries. That’s a 29 try difference over 15 rounds.
In defence the Jets and Pride are much more even with the Jets letting in 300 points and 57 tries while the Pride has allowed 304 points and 56 tries.
The Pride is coming off a 42-24 loss to the rampaging Blackhawks.
The Pride’s goal line defence allowed two soft tries to Michael Parker-Walshe and some long range efforts from Tom Humble and Zac Santo.
The Jets this year have been dangerous from anywhere on the field The Jets have scored 30 tries or 36% of their tries from outside the 50 metre. The Pride’s defence will be on high alert from anywhere on the field.
The Pride will be looking to their usual suspects; forward leader Jason Roos and half Sam Obst who will control the Pride against the Jets.
Roos is the Cameron Smith of the Intrust Super Cup; just moving around the field, positioning runners and plotting the demise of markers. Roos and King will both take advantage of markers that don’t do their job.
Roos and Obst will be looking for impressive performances from their forward pack that boasts; two very strong players in Patrick Kaufusi and Ben Spina who are both contracted to the Cowboys.
Against the Sunshine Coast Spina made 123 metres while Kaufusi made 133 metres. They’re also strong in defence with neither missing a tackle from Kafusi’s 17 and Spina’s 21.
Against the Sunshine Coast the Pride completed their sets at 86% but against the Blackhawks they came back to 76% which is still high but they couldn’t get the points.
Hezron Murgha is dangerous from the back and loves to join in on the Pride’s left hand side. While Linc Port has scored 13 tries this year from the Pride’s wing.
At the end of the Jets v Capras last week it has been 2507 days since the Ipswich Jets beat the defending premiers the Northern Pride in Cairns. That’s 6 years, 10 months and 11 days or 358 weeks since the Jets travelled north and came home with two points.
It was August 16 2008 when the Jets won 30-20 at Barlow Park.
The Jets side that day in 2008 was: Troy O’Sullivan, Scott Ireland, Donald Malone, Jason Bulgarelli, Smith Samu, Josh Lewis, Ian Lacey, Aaron Sweeney, Michael Ryan, Isaak Ah Mau, Adam Boettcher, Daniel Fullerton, Danny Coburn, Matt McPhee, Brendan Marshall, Trevor Exton Kurtis Lingwoodock.
Against the Capras the Jets started on fire, 36-0 at half time, the Jets had scored 6 tries.
The Jets this year have scored 250 points in the first half of games. Averaging 19.2 points in the first 40 minutes gets them off to great starts. 54% of the Jets points have come in the first half. The Jets have only been behind in three games this year at half time and won two of those by full-time. In the second half the Jets average 14.7 points.
The Jets outside backs are scoring tries which really means, they’re doing their job well.
Carlin Anderson has 100 points so far this year through 10 tries and 30 goals. Nemani Valakapa has 10 tries, Chris Walker 5 tries, Marmin Barba 17 tries and Brendon McGrady 4 tries.
That’s 46 tries from the Jets outside backs of a total of 83.
Carlin Anderson’s game last week was unbelievable;
3 tries
6 goals
270m
1 offload
3 line breaks
1 line breaks assist
1 try assist
6 tackles
3 missed
24 points
Amongst all the attacking football that the Jets play Dane Phillips is the Jets ‘Thing’ from the Fantastic Four he’s rock solid. Phillips is the steadying influence and reliable half that sides need.
He controls the Jets’ kicking having completed 75 of the Jets 148 kicks this season and his short kicking game has become a dangerous weapon for the Jets with Carlin Anderson particularly very apt at reading what Phillips is doing. Anderson has scored four of his ten tries this year off Phillips’ kicks. Dane has scored four tries of his own this year and has currently got 98 career points over 115 Intrust Super Cup games; 58 games for the Jets and 66 points.
Rod Griffin executed a Jets’ season high 9 off-loads against the Central Queensland side. Against his old side the Pride they will be trying to wrap the ball up before the big Kumul gets the ball away to flying support. Griffin now has 33 offloads for the year from 11 games.
When the Jets lost Matt Parcell it would be fair to say that the Jets might struggle to replace their hooker but Landon Hayes has done a terrific job in his three games so far: 20 runs, 225 metres, four line breaks assists, one try assist, two 40/20’s, 62 tackles and five misses with one off-load and three tries.
The Jets Marmin Barba will have an anxious wait while his grade two tripping charge from the Capras game is heard this week.
The Jets are up against the premiers, at home, against a 2507 day hoodoo. This will take a huge effort and if the Jets can get the win it will make another statement about where this side is in 2015.