If you’re a football purist who values low scores and defence then yesterday’s Indigenous Appreciation game between the Ipswich Jets and the Souths Logan Magpies wasn’t your brand of football.
However, if you enjoyed teams attacking and showing their offensive skills then you should have been at the North Ipswich Reserve.
The Jets had several late changes with Dane Phillips and Liam Capewell dropping out due to injury and Haydan Lipp coming into the halves. Josh Seage came onto the bench with the return of Jets 119-game veteran Tyson Lofipo who was coming back from more than a year out with a knee injury.
The game started well for Souths with tough number 11 and Broncos’ NRL player Joe Boyce making a run that defies his size and scoring to get Souths away to a great start at 6-0.
The Jets had a reply ready when Lipp ran more than 50m to score his first Intrust Super Cup try in his fifth game for the Jets.
It was 6-6 and the game was frantic with both sides taking risks and throwing up plenty of questions.
The Jets provided a patient contrast when they took the two points on offer and went to the lead up 8-6.
Josh Cleeland’s kicking game has become more potent as the year has progressed with his bombs causing issues galore for all Souths’ back three. Cleeland went aerial and Nemani Valekapa scored his 11th try this year and the Jets were out to 12-6.
It was the lethal Jets’ combination of Carlin Anderson, Chris Walker and Landon Hayes that got the Jets on the board again when Hayes finished off some great work from the Jets’ outside backs to get the Jets 18-6.
Next the Jets went the whole field and again it was Cleeland who delivered to Brandon McGrady who found space, speed and a try line waiting. Ipswich were out to a 24-6 lead where the Jets had piled on 18 points in eight minutes.
The Magpies weren’t done with yet and Scott Doyle found a way to keep Souths’ moving and get six points back for the Magpies. It was now 24-10 with five minutes until a break.
Halftime was minutes away when Anderson must have brought a smile to Wayne Bennett’s face when he made space for himself split the defence and burnt them all the way to the line to give the Jets a 30-10 lead at the break.
The second half didn’t start well for the Jets as Souths got back into the game quickly with three tries in the first 10 minutes after halftime.
The score was now 30-24, but if McGrady was stressed he didn’t show it when he sliced through and scored to give the Jets some breathing space at 34-24.
More Cleeland magic was on offer when he moved left, kicked right and found Kurt Capewell who scored his seventh try this year.
Ex Jet and current Magpies half Rhys Jacks found a way to keep his side moving forwards and scored to get the Magpies within 10 points at 40-30.
Local boy Sam Martin pounced on a Lipp bomb that came down with ice on it and scored under the posts. With eight minutes to go the Jets were in front 46-30.
Andrew Edwards then scored for the Magpies and Souths had 34 points with five minutes to go.
The game ended with Jets’ flyer Nemani Valekapa scoring his second try and getting the Jets the half century and closing the game at 52-34.
The Jets will travel to Langlands Park next week to play the Tigers while Souths will play the Pride.
IPSWICH JETS 52 (Nemani Valekapa 2, Brandon McGrady 2, Carlin Anderson, Landon Hayes, Sam Martin, Kurt Capewell, Haydan Lipp tries; Carlin Anderson 8 goals) def SOUTHS LOGAN MAGPIES 34 (Tim Brooks 3, Scott Doyle, Rhys Jacks, Andrew Edwards, Joe Boyce tries; Scott Doyle 3 goals) at North Ipswich Reserve.
Final teams
Ipswich Jets: 1. Carlin Anderson 2. Richard Pandia 3. Chris Walker 4. Nemani Valekapa 5. Brandon McGrady 6. Josh Cleeland 21. Tyson Lofipo 15. Kurtis Lingwoodock 9. Landon Hayes 10. Rod Griffin 11. Sam Martin 12. Kurt Capewell 13. Keiron Lander (c) 14. Fakahoko Teutau 16. Billy McConnachie 17. Josh Seage 19. Haydan Lipp
Souths Logan Magpies: 1. Ihaka Watene 3. Dallas Anderson 4. Scott Doyle 5. Tim Brooks 6. Jack Joass 7. Rhys Jacks 8. Tikiko Noke 9. Travis Waddell 10. Andrew Edwards 11. Joe Boyce 12. Dan Tamou 13. Phil Dennis (c) 14. Jack Anderson 15. Ben Thorburn 16. Sam Gardel 17. Leon Panapa 18. Ken Levu
