Round 8: Ipswich Jets vs North Qld Young Guns

[Queenslander]

Ipswich Jets vs North Qld Young Guns
Venue: Carrara Stadium
Date: Mon 7 May 2007 (Labour Day)
Game Time: 4:55pm

Ipswich Jets
1. Ben McFADGEAN
2. Luke WALKER
3. Brook ALOFIPO
4. Jason BULGARELLI
5. Tyson LOFIPO
6. Todd RIGGS
7. Ricky BIRD
13. Danny COBURN (C)
12. Trevor EXTON
11. Geoff CHALK
10. Scott ALO
9. Michael RYAN
8. Matthew McPHEE
Interchange:
14. Isaak AH MAU
15. Joel REITHMULLER
16. Aaron SWEENEY
17. Steven WEST

North Qld Young Guns
1. Mark HENRY
2. Neil SWEENEY
3. Brett ANDERSON
4. Jamie FRIZZO
5. Ty WILLIAMS
6. Jackson NICOLAU
7. Shane MUSPRATT (C)
13. Scott BOLTON
12. Sam FAUST
11. Jimmy ANDERSEN
10. John FRITH
9. Scott SMITH
8. Ben VAEAU
Interchange:
14. Ray THOMPSON
15. Nathan BARRACLOUGH
16. Ben LOWE
17. Greg BYRNES

[Queenslander]

Chris Walker might be making an appearance for the Jets this round after training with the Jets squad yesterday.

[DIEHARD]

This will be a tough test for the Jets.

Make sure you get to the game early to cheer on our feeder team the Jets!

We want to see both the Cowboys and Young Guns leaving Carrara with their tail between their legs.

[Robbie_Dee]

Good looking Guns side. Will be a good match.

We want to see both the Titans and Ipswich Jets leaving Carrara with their tail between their legs.

[TITAN PETE]

Chris Walker might be making an appearance for the Jets this round after training with the Jets squad yesterday.

Chris was there tonight but didn't play & Gavin Cooper played centre for the Jets & played a solid 80 minutes.

[Queenslander]

Jets Rearrange Ladder

SUPER sub Steven West has piloted the Ipswich Jets into the Wizard Cup top five, kicking a field goal two minutes from fulltime to upset the North Queensland Young Guns 25-24 at Carrara.

In one of the highest quality matches of the season thus far, last year’s wooden spooners pulled the chair out from underneath this season’s pacesetters, coming from 24-18 down with just five minutes left.

Switching between halfback, wing and hooker, West was also involved in the try that tied the game 24-all, kicking wide for Luke Walker to score.

The grandstand finish was befitting of a contest where both teams had high completion rates and applied themselves willingly in attack and defence.

Ipswich led early with two converted tries to Geoff Chalk, his first from a good pass by makeshift half Alex Fata and his second from lead-up by Michael Ryan.

North Queensland squared up the scoreboard by halftime, hitting back to 12-all with tries to Scott Smith and Greg Byrnes.

Byrnes’s try came from a freak sequence of play where Ty Williams – looking for all money to be sent across the sideline – skewed a kick off the outside of his boot and it sat up for the young forward.

Williams was later amid the action when placed on report by referee Justin Davis, taking Ben McFadgean high in a clumsy tackle and leaving his opposite man dazed and confused.

The second half started with another exchange of tries, Ipswich going over through prop Isaak Ah Mau and then Shane Muspratt setting up Neil Sweeney for the Young Guns with a deftly weighted kick.

Each turn in possession was valued highly and the intriguing arm wrestle hung in the balance until North Queensland grabbed a late lead via Jackson Nicolau in the 67th minute.

After a quiet first half, Nicolau finished the match full of running and speared down the sideline in a fine individual effort. His goal-kicking was also spot-on and he nailed several important kicks from varying angles.

However, just as it seemed the Young Guns may steer clear of an upset and keep a hold on top spot, Ipswich soared back into the contest. Taking over in the absence of usual playmaker Ricky Bird, club stalwart West was the go-to man.

His calmness under pressure converted the hard work of teammates Ryan, Chalk and Fata and also Jets first-gamer Gavin Cooper, playing against his former team.

Though bowed, the Young Guns were not disgraced in any manner and were best served by Smith, Sweeney, Ben Vaeau and Scott Bolton.

Round Nine sees North Queensland host Central at Dairy Farmers Stadium at 5.30pm Saturday. Ipswich travels to Dolphin Oval on Sunday, undefeated in the past month but set to tackle heavyweight Redcliffe at 3pm Sunday.

IPSWICH 25 (Geoff Chalk 2, Isaak Ah Mau, Luke Walker tries; Steven West 3, Geoff Chalk goals; Steven West field goal)
defeated
NORTH QUEENSLAND 24 (Scott Smith, Greg Byrnes, Neil Sweeney, Jackson Nicolau; Jackson Nicolau 4 goals).

www.qrl.com.au