DIEHARD
03-03-10, 02:38 PM
Jets confident despite losing form
IPSWICH Jets coach Glenn Lazarus was a relieved man last Saturday evening.
That was despite watching his team lose its final trial match against the Sunshine Coast 28-26 at Stocklands Stadium.
The reason was it was a huge turnaround on the previous weekend?s ?debacle? against South Logan.
?I was a lot happier with the effort and the way we played,? Lazarus said.
?It gave me a lot of confidence going into the season which hasn?t made my job any easier.
?We lost against the Sunshine Coast but if we play like that, we?ll win 80 percent of our games. I asked the boys to look like they wanted to be a part of the club and they redeemed themselves.
?The game couldn?t come quickly enough for some of them after the Ballymore debacle. Whether we?re a smarter team, we?ll have to wait and see but if the effort?s there, I?m confident we?ll win more than last year.?
The form has thrown up some selection headaches for Lazarus before his team faces Easts in round one at North Ipswich Reserve on March 13.
However, he has virtually locked in the crucial halfback-hooker combination.
Lazarus rated hooker Michael Fisher the best on field last Saturday, just ahead of Ian Lacey at halfback and lock Vili Fainga`a.
?He was making wonderful runs from dummy half on the back of some good yardage from our forwards,? Lazarus said of Fisher.
Lazarus was less certain in his endorsement of Todd Riggs as Lacey?s five-eighth partner.
?He?s certainly in the mix but we don?t know what we?re going to get back from the Titans,? Lazarus said.
Lazarus started powerful duo A J Gilbert and Moses Manu on the bench but with players expected to come from the Gold Coast Titans and Danny Coburn due back from injury, Lazarus has a glut of back rowers to choose from.
?I don?t know what to do,? he said with a chuckle.
?I thought those guys deserved to start (on Saturday).
?Blokes like Vili played three wonderful games in the trials.
?Stevo (prop Paul Stephenson) is back and is running better than last year and Adam Boettcher has done nothing wrong in the trials.?
It seems the coach is resigned to using Manu as a forward, despite earlier recognising the former American footballer?s potential as a back.
?Because he hasn?t had a long history in the game, there is a lot of pressure on him in defence in the centres,? Lazarus said.
?The way he plays, he?s quite capable of working the ruck.?
The outside backs is the other area Lazarus is still undecided on.
?I?m not sure of the make-up there,? Lazarus said.
?Young (winger) James Furminger really put his hand up and has come right into calculations.?
http://www.qt.com.au
IPSWICH Jets coach Glenn Lazarus was a relieved man last Saturday evening.
That was despite watching his team lose its final trial match against the Sunshine Coast 28-26 at Stocklands Stadium.
The reason was it was a huge turnaround on the previous weekend?s ?debacle? against South Logan.
?I was a lot happier with the effort and the way we played,? Lazarus said.
?It gave me a lot of confidence going into the season which hasn?t made my job any easier.
?We lost against the Sunshine Coast but if we play like that, we?ll win 80 percent of our games. I asked the boys to look like they wanted to be a part of the club and they redeemed themselves.
?The game couldn?t come quickly enough for some of them after the Ballymore debacle. Whether we?re a smarter team, we?ll have to wait and see but if the effort?s there, I?m confident we?ll win more than last year.?
The form has thrown up some selection headaches for Lazarus before his team faces Easts in round one at North Ipswich Reserve on March 13.
However, he has virtually locked in the crucial halfback-hooker combination.
Lazarus rated hooker Michael Fisher the best on field last Saturday, just ahead of Ian Lacey at halfback and lock Vili Fainga`a.
?He was making wonderful runs from dummy half on the back of some good yardage from our forwards,? Lazarus said of Fisher.
Lazarus was less certain in his endorsement of Todd Riggs as Lacey?s five-eighth partner.
?He?s certainly in the mix but we don?t know what we?re going to get back from the Titans,? Lazarus said.
Lazarus started powerful duo A J Gilbert and Moses Manu on the bench but with players expected to come from the Gold Coast Titans and Danny Coburn due back from injury, Lazarus has a glut of back rowers to choose from.
?I don?t know what to do,? he said with a chuckle.
?I thought those guys deserved to start (on Saturday).
?Blokes like Vili played three wonderful games in the trials.
?Stevo (prop Paul Stephenson) is back and is running better than last year and Adam Boettcher has done nothing wrong in the trials.?
It seems the coach is resigned to using Manu as a forward, despite earlier recognising the former American footballer?s potential as a back.
?Because he hasn?t had a long history in the game, there is a lot of pressure on him in defence in the centres,? Lazarus said.
?The way he plays, he?s quite capable of working the ruck.?
The outside backs is the other area Lazarus is still undecided on.
?I?m not sure of the make-up there,? Lazarus said.
?Young (winger) James Furminger really put his hand up and has come right into calculations.?
http://www.qt.com.au