Round 13 Sunday wrap: Souths Logan stave off Ipswich upset
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Souths Logan captain Rory Ferguson believes his side were lucky to walk away with the two points in their Round 13 clash against the Ipswich Jets.
The competition-leading Magpies took on the 15th-placed Jets at Davies Park on Sunday, claiming a tight 38-28 victory.
But the separation between the two teams on the ladder was not evident on the park, with Ipswich pushing Souths Logan until the dying minutes.
After a slow start, the Magpies came to life, nabbing a double in the final 10 minutes of the opening stanza to take a 20-12 lead into halftime.
But five-eighth Gerome Burns inspired his side to push back strongly in the second half, with the Jets scoring three tries in 10 minutes to sit six points behind the Magpies.
In-form fullback Tristan Sailor however came through with the goods for the home team, scoring in the final four minutes to lock in the victory.
Match: Magpies v Jets
Round 13 -
home Team
Magpies
2nd Position
away Team
Jets
15th Position
Venue: Davies Park, Brisbane
While Ferguson was pleased to once again claim a win - and stay on top of the Hostplus Cup ladder - he said he felt the Magpies were below their usual standard on Sunday.
"It was a tough game," Ferguson said.
"Ipswich turned up to play footy and we didn’t match them early. They were on top of us early and they were better in the first half than us.
"We didn’t give Ipswich the credit we needed to. We had too many errors early and were pushing passes when we shouldn’t have and doing things our game plan wasn’t about.
"They were here to play and we didn’t play to our standard but pretty fortunate to get away with the win in the end there."
Souths Logan were also buoyed by the presence of Brisbane Broncos duo Cory Paix and Jesse Arthars, with Arthars scoring a double in his first game in the black and white.
The Magpies will now turn their attention to a tough road trip, with the team heading up north in Round 14 to take on PNG.
Ferguson said it's a fixture the team are looking forward to.
"I went in 2019 and it’s a different world over there but it’s cool for a cultural experience and good to experience what it’s like over there," he said.
"It’s no easy feat going over to Papua New Guinea to play those boys. They play with such passion and run so hard so we need to make sure we bring our A game for next week.
"It’s going to be exciting and for these younger boys, it’s going to be an eye opener too."
Match: Hunters v Magpies
Round 14 -
home Team
Hunters
11th Position
away Team
Magpies
1st Position
Venue: PNG Football Stadium, Port Moresby
The Jets meanwhile continue to hunt for their first win and will meet the Townsville Blackhawks in Round 14.
For a wrap of Saturday's Round 13 matches, click here.
