QCUP Round 6: Ipswich Jets vs Northern Pride

[DIEHARD]

IPSWICH JETS v NORTHERN PRIDE
North Ipswich Reserve
Saturday, April 23 ? 2pm* Live on ABC 1

Can Ipswich stop the Northern Pride juggernaut? On last week?s form alone, it is hard to see the Jets stopping a record-breaking Pride outfit that has now won its last 17 Intrust Super Cup matches. While Ipswich last weekend fumbled its way to a 44-22 loss to Redcliffe after trailing 32-6 at half-time, the Pride continued its fairytale march with a 60-10 thrashing of bottom-placed Sunshine Coast. The Pride is set to be at full-strength for the round six match with Cowboys contracted forwards Ricky Thorby and Blake Leary named in David Maiden?s all-conquering 17. Alex Starmer and Lancen Joudo are the unlucky omissions. Ipswich has made just one change to the team savaged by the Dolphins, with Donald Malone named to replace the injured Brendon Marshall (sternum) in the centres. Jets coaches Ben and Shane Walker may yet have to make late changes with doubts over the fitness of back-rowers Jacob Ling and Kerion Lander.

Head to Head: Ipswich 3, Pride 3

Ipswich Jets: 1. Marshall Chalk 2. Ramon Filipine 3. Donald Malone 4. Joseph Tomane 5. Luke Walker 6. Brendon Lindsay 7. Todd Riggs 8. Tyson Lofipo 9. Michael Fisher 10. Trevor Exton 11. Jacob Ling 12. Lorenzo Maafu 13. Keiron Lander 15. Nathaniel Neale 16. Sam Martin 17. Smith Samau 18. Ian Lacey

Northern Pride: 1. Chey Bird 2. Hezron Murgha 3. Brett Anderson 4. Rod Jensen 5. Mark Dalle Cort 6. Ty Williams (c) 7. Ryan Ghietti 8. Luke Harlen 9. Jason Roos 10. Ben Laity 11. Blake Leary 12. Mark Cantoni 13. Joel Riethmuller 14. Clint Amos 15. Noel Underwood 16. Jack Cooper 17. Ricky Thorby

Source: http://www.qrl.com.au

[DIEHARD]

This game is on TV. :thumbsup:

[Boofhead]

Rip into them Joey!

[Coaster]

Lacey had a Orford.

Tomane is too good to not be in the NRL

[titansrawesome]

how many did tomane get this week

[Coaster]

Just 1. He played well

[DIEHARD]

Lacey vital cog in surge of Jets

AFTER playing four games in a row for the first time in 18 months, Ipswich Jets playmaker Ian Lacey is back in business.

The often-injured Lacey is finally showing signs of the form that once made him an automatic representative selection in the Queensland Cup.

However, the diminutive hooker and former Brisbane Broncos player is his harshest critic.

?I?ve been good and bad this year. It?s been tough actually, but I?m getting there slowly,? Lacey said.

?Just getting my timing in the tackles has been difficult and when to come into the line on attack, small things are just not flowing for me.?

Lacey will again come off the bench for the Ipswich Jets when they take on the Northern Pride at North Ipswich Reserve today.

He spent nearly all of the Jets? poor 2010 season on the sidelines with a mysterious quad injury that refused to heal.

Before the injury, Lacey had predominantly been a halfback and made Queensland Country and Australian Indigenous representative teams.

But during Ipswich?s impressive first four games of this season, in which they won two and drew two, Lacey provided much needed punch from the bench through his excellent passing game out of dummy half.

Lacey is still great at using his low centre of gravity, he stands just 165cm, to barge over the line from close distance.

The 26-year-old said he had mixed feelings about his new role of substituting for hooker Michael Fisher.

?To be honest, I just want to be out there,? he said.

?There?s good and bad things about it. I have to do a lot of work and its helping my fitness out but I?m struggling at times.

?I didn?t get to do a lot of work in the pre-season because of the injury so my fitness is lacking.

?I just want to keep playing. It?s great to be out there after such a long time out.?

Today?s match will be the first time the ABC television crew has covered a Jets? game this year.

In the corresponding match last year, the ABC cameramen proved to be a good omen with the Jets notching an upset victory over a Carl Webb-bolstered Pride team.

But today?s affair promises to be much tougher, with the David Maiden-coached Pride unbeaten after five rounds and sitting on top of the Queensland Cup ladder.

Incredibly, the Pride are on a 17-match winning streak that includes winning last year?s grand final.

Last week, the Pride put the Sunshine Coast Sea Eagles to the sword in a 60-10 massacre. They have North Queensland Cowboys-contracted players Ricky Thorby and Blake Leary in their team this week, while the Jets retain Gold Coast Titans centre Joseph Tomane.

But the Pride?s best asset is their host of Queensland Cup veterans such as Chey Bird, Brett Anderson, Rod Jenson, Mark Cantoni and former Jets player Joel Riethmuller.

To combat such a strong line-up, Ipswich will need to be a completely different team than the one which lost to the Redcliffe Dolphins last week 44-22.

In that match, the Jets won the second half after being down 32-6 at the break.

?That was just one of those games where we didn?t perform on the day for one reason or another,? Lacey said.

?It worked well for us the first four weeks of the competition and we are confident in what Ben and Shane (Walker) are getting us to do.?

The Jets will be without centre Brendon Marshall for today?s game, but welcome back rampaging centre Donald Malone in his place.

http://www.qt.com.au

[Coaster]

Lacey cost the game. No question.
Good player but fmd had 2 massive brain explosions

[Titan_Blue]

Just 1. He played well

How was his defence?

I've heard from a Jets fan that his defence has been good this year, but apparently others have heard otherwise.