Townsville Blackhawks v Ipswich Jets
Jack Manski Oval on Saturday, June 18 – 4pm
Townsville Blackhawks
1. Matthew Bowen 2. Jonathon Reuben 3. Moses Pangai 4. Delouise Hoeter 5. Hezron Murgha 6. Jahrome Hughes 7. Michael Parker-Walshe 8. Glenn Hall 9. Anthony Mitchell 10. Corey Jensen 11. Lona Kaifoto 12. Rhyse Martin 13. Alailima Maafu 14. Nathan Norford 15. Andrew Niemoeller 16. Brenden Santi 17. Willie Minoga
Coach: Kristian Woolf
Ipswich Jets
19. Wesley Conlon 12. Sebastian Pandia 3. Ben White 4. Nemani Valekapa 5. Richard Pandia 6. Christopher Ash 7. Dane Phillips 8. David Fa’alogo 9. Mikaere Beattie 10. Nathaniel Neale 21. Jesse Roberts 22. Tyson Lofipo 16. William Mcconnachie 11. Samuel Martin 13. Fakahoko Teutau 14. Haydan Lipp 17. Liam Capewell
Coach: Ben Walker and Shane Walker
Last time they clashed: Round Two 2016
TOWNSVILLE BLACKHAWKS 30 (Michael Parker-Walshe 2, Moses Pangai, Jonathon Reuben, Delouise Hoeter tries; Kyle Laybutt 5 goals) def IPSWICH JETS 18 (Dane Phillips, Carlin Anderson, Haydan Lipp tries; Carlin Anderson 3 goals) at North Ipswich Reserve.
Head to Head: Jets 2 Blackhawks 2
ROUND 15
The Jets have never played the Blackhawks at their home ground, having played them four times for three different venues: Ipswich, Charters Towers and Lang Park.
The Jets and Blackhawks find themselves at opposite ends of the table. The Blackhawks are the table topping club while the Jets are in 13th.
The Blackhawks have a massive 444 points in their column while against them they have a paltry 223.
That means that to beat the Blackhawks you have to score on average at least 31 points. Scarily this is less than the 39 they averaged last season.
The Jets have 308 in their column which is 136 less than the Blackhawks. While in defence the Jets have 365 which is 142 more than the Blackhawks.
The Jets have scored 58 tries this year and conceded 60 which is 4 tries per game in attack and defence.
The Blackhawks have scored 86 tries so far in 14 games which is averaging 6 a game. While in defence the opposition have scored 41 tries averaging 3 tries against a game.
Blackhawks
The Blackhawks two biggest strengths are their size and experience; the Blackhawks will enter the game against the Jets with Matt Bowen and Glenn Hall that have both played over 200 NRL games.
The Blackhawks have proven this year they’re a very clinical, professional side that strangle you with size and precision.
They rely on relentless forward momentum and then precise plays for their backs.
That precise play won’t come from Matty Bowen, who is still unpredictable and pops up all over the field for the Blackhawks. Bowen gets into the first receiver role and does whatever he sees. He placed a kick through for a try against Redcliffe that bounced and ricocheted all over the place.
Bowen received the ball 39 times for the Blackhawks
Jahrome Hughes will sweep around the back on the Blackhawks right, hoping the Jets’ three in will bite and create space for Mosese Pangai and Jonathan Reuben.
Reuben has been the Blackhawks as well as the competition’s highest try scorer with 15.
Anthony Mitchell will skip out across the face of the defence letting runners go until he gets the big body he wants out wide one on one with smaller backs.
In round two the Jets were off to a flying start. At half time the Jets had 66% of the ball compared to the Blackhawks 34% and completed 10 more sets, missed 11 less tackles and produced 10 more offloads.
The Jets scored three quick tries and were up 16-6 at half time. In the second the Blackhawks crashed the party and came back to win.
The Blackhawks are coming off a loss to the Dolphins. The Dolphins were down 16-0 at half time after Bowen kicked for Kaifoto to score and set up Hughes for a try before Murgha did it all himself running 100m to score.
The Dolphins came back in the second half with Darren Nicholls kicking the winning goal to win the Dolphins the game.
All this result might have done was fire up the Blackhawks.
Jets
The Jets are coming off a courageous win against the Norths Devils at Bishop Park. The Jets lost Nat Neale and Carlin Anderson.
Anderson won’t play again this year and Neale is in serious doubt with a hip injury.
Between the two you have the Jets’ most line breaks, most tries, most tackles, and most points. That’s a lot of contribution not there against the top team.
Against Norths there was a real return to form for Sam Martin, who has had a disrupted season only playing nine games this year because of injury.
Against Norths he had four tackle breaks.
Huskie was outstanding also and really led the side with a blockbusting try in the second half.
Huskie made 108 meters from 7 hit ups and 8 tackle breaks with two line breaks.
The Jets had a slow start against the Devils, feeling their way into the game and down 10-2 they found some rhythm in the second half and breaks started to come.
The Jets have a history of starting well against the Blackhawks and that will be needed again this week; Jets were winning 16-6 this season, 24-0 in Ipswich and 18-0 in Charters Towers last season.
Support play was the big improver, too many times this year Jets have made breaks to not be able to find anyone near them.
The Jets ran in support 22 times for the player with the ball.
Both Sam Martin and Hayden Lipp were just short of scoring tries.
Sebastian Pandia comes back after missing last week against Norths. Pandia has played 13 games for the Jets this year.
Panida is one of only five Jets to make over 1000 meters this year and has contributed 1079 from his 124 hit ups and 19 tackle breaks and two tries. Pandia has also 156 tackles and only 18 misses.
Michael Purcell is pushing hard to be included again in the Jets’ Intrust Super Cup team, scoring five tries two weeks in a row.
The last time someone was so prolific at scoring it was against the Jets. Chris Walker holds the record for an Intrust Super Cup games scoring seven tries against Wests in 2000. Walker backed it up the next week with one try. But then five rounds later when he next played Intrust Super Cup he scored five against the Jets.
The Jets can achieve two things this week; keep momentum going and find that feeling again while sending a message to one of the heavy weights that we are still here.
The Blackhawks will start raging favourites as they should but the Jets have a big chance to get moving and use this as game as a springboard to bigger things.