THE sensational run of the Ipswich Jets in the Brisbane Rugby League competition has finally come to an end. Chasing their 10th straight win, the Jets recorded their first defeat of the 2016 season against the Valleys Diehards on Saturday. The seventh-placed Diehards rallied in front of their home crowd to hand the Jets a 31-26 loss thanks to a faultless kicking game from Josh Essex. Ipswich Jets BRL coach Mark Bishop said the defeat came from a drop in composure. “We went away from what we usually do,” Bishop said. “It was just one of those days where we started a bit negative with a few players out and we ran out of legs in the end. “I’m not disappointed in their effort. We just lacked a bit of leadership and made a few too many silly errors, which was what I was most disappointed in.” It’s been a long time since the Jets Reserves last recorded a loss. The boys in green previously tasted defeat was at the back end of the 2015 season, stretching their winning streak to 12 straight games. With an ever-changing roster, Bishop was proud that it had taken this long for the Ipswichians to falter. “We had the troops,” he said. “We just got a bit too excited and gave away a 16-0 lead early in the game. “Mistakes off the restarts cost us and we kept going up through the middle and getting smashed. I sent the message out that we needed to spread the ball more but it just didn’t stick on the day.” Despite Valleys having only recorded three wins going into the contest, Bishop said he couldn’t afford to underestimate any team in the BRL competition. “As feeder teams you never know who you will be playing each week,” he said. “There might be someone who hasn’t had a run for a while in Intrust Super Cup and gets dropped down for the week and suddenly you’re playing against a team with 200-plus Intrust game experience. “So we know we have to lift every week because you don’t know what you’ll come up against.” After the Intrust Super Cup and Colts squads enjoyed their bye week off, all three Jets teams will reunite this weekend at North Ipswich Reserve. Valleys Diehards 31 (Shaun Carney 2, Tom Collins, Aaron Watson, Kobi Mills tries; Josh Essex 5 goals; Josh Essex field goal) def Ipswich Jets 26 (Matthew Brown 2, David Tahavalu, Mitch Koina, Finecallum Faingaa tries; Finecallum Faingaa 2, Ben Sullivan goals) at Emerson Park, Grange.
