Extra inspiration for Jets chasing double milestone

The Jets get a chance to achieve that feat on Sunday at home when they tackle the Dolphins in the Jaydon Adams Memorial Indigenous Round.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Ipswich Jets metre-eater Rogan Dean. Picture: Cordell Richardson

JETS BUZZ

LIFE is full of great milestones: Turning 21, getting married, having children and beating the Dolphins twice in a year.

The Jets get a chance to achieve that feat on Sunday at home when they tackle the Dolphins in the Jaydon Adams Memorial Indigenous Round.

The Jets have beaten Redcliffe twice in a year - in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2018. It would be great to add 2019 to the winning list after a game live on Channel Nine.

The Jets can draw level with the Dolphins at the North Ipswich Reserve. Redcliffe are currently in front, 10 wins to nine.

Overall, the Dolphins still have a sizable win advantage 28-18.

In 2018, the Jets beat the premiers at Ipswich 22-16 with Pio Seci scoring a hat-trick.

It was the first time the Jets had beaten the Dolphins since 2015 and they are now gunning for four wins in a row over our peninsula foe.

The giant-killing Dolphins managed to do what no one else has for 15 weeks by beating the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

Missing their Broncos half Cory Paix and gun centre Izaia Perese, the Dolphins gritted and grinded out a win.

Dolphins' forward leader Jordan Grant has completed an off-season with the Broncos and would not have looked out of place with a Queensland Residents jumper. He will be coming up against the Jets for the first time.

Grant joined the Dolphins this year and has made a tremendous impact. Against the much-feared Falcons, he made 19 tackles and did not miss. In the Intrust Super Cup, Grant has the fifth most offloads (22) and the fourth most metres gained (2152).

"The Falcons game we marked as a game that could be the catalyst for a good second half of the season," Grant said.

"This week is another test for us and against the Jets, Ben Shea and Nat Neale are two players that we know will need stopping."

Grant might also have to spend a minute thinking about Rogan Dean who made nearly 200 metres last weekend.

"Going into the game against the Bears, the Walker brothers really emphasised how important it was for Peter Gubb and myself to get our hands on the ball as much as possible and get our sets started with some good metres to get us out of our own end," Dean said.

"Although we didn't get the result on the weekend I think that game really showed that we aren't too far off and can compete with the top sides.

"This week is a must win to make sure we hang on to eighth spot.''

Honouring Jaydon

I REMEMBER the news coming through that there had been an accident involving Jets half Jaydon Adams near Warwick in 2013.

The next week against Norths, Jaydon's number 6 jumper hung in the sheds all day not worn by anyone else.

Tragic news like this can rip a football club apart - like with Ben Alexander and Penrith in 1992 - or it can galvanise you, give you purpose and direction though your grief.

During the Jaydon Adams Memorial Indigenous Day, the Jets will wear an indigenous print on their jumper with Jaydon remembered for his contribution.

Jaydon was active in the community, working for Goolburri Health Advancement.

"It's such an honour that the Jets do this every year,'' said Lizzie Adams, Jets board member and Jaydon's mum.

"It's not surprising at all that the Jets do things like this but it's a great acknowledgement for our family and Jaydon."

Jaydon's off-field community work is continued through the Jaydon Adams Memorial Foundation which aims to improve outcomes for Aboriginal people through educating on the effects of alcohol, creating academic opportunities and enhancing cultural awareness.

The Redcliffe Dolphins will also be wearing an Indigenous designed jumper.

'Fortress' collapses

YOUR home ground is supposed to be a fortress other teams do not want to travel to. This year the Jets have only won one from six at North Ipswich.

The Jets have conceded 187 points at home and only netted 92.

In the Jets' Intrust Super Cup history, they have played 231 games at the North Ipswich Reserve. The Jets have won 111, drawn nine and lost 111. That is a win rate of 48%.

At the former Briggs Road venue, the Jets played 25 and won 12, with one draw and 12 losses.

This season's 16% win rate is well down.

"It's not really spoken about amongst the players," Shea said about home and away match records.

"You'd love to win every game and home game but the focus has to be just playing well and having a process and system. If you are doing that then you will win no matter where you play.

"I know some clubs set goals about not losing a home game but the problem with that is what happens if you lose round one by a point? You have failed to achieve a goal 80 minutes in to your season."

Team of the century

THE Queensland Primary School Team of the Century from each of the 12 regions was named to mark 100 years of primary school league. It covered 425 Test matches, 426 Queensland games and one Immortal with Wally Lewis.

The Jets and Ipswich had a huge representation.

Darling Downs: Ben Walker and Chris Walker.

Met West: Matt Parcell, Adam Connolly, Joe Ofahengaue, Matt Srama, Jeremy Schloss and Lama Tasi.

Met East: William Zillman.

Capricornia: Ben Hunt and Jason Hetherington.

South West: Luke Capewell and Kurt Capewell.

Wide Bay: Gavin Cooper, Esi Tonga and Donald Malone.

North West: Kierran Moseley and Billy McConnachie.

Des Morris, Jack Reed, Ali Brigginshaw and Larry Brigginshaw are all from Ipswich and made the Met West Team of the Century.

Queensland Primary School Team of the Century coach John Lang said he would make some late changes to his side.

"I would have to start with Barry Muir or he would never forgive me so Thurston on to the bench,'' he said.

"Bring Des Morris on after 25 and let him play out the game. I would let them work out the tactics on the field as they wouldn't do what I told them anyway."

Jet Billy McConnachie remembered some parts of representing his region more fondly than other aspects.

"I recall we went to Toowoomba and it was my first trip down to South East Queensland, it was so cold," Billy said. "I couldn't believe it could get so cold, I didn't want to get out of billet family's car.

"I remember Darling Downs was the team to beat and Kierran Moseley and his brothers."

Cooper's stat

THE Jets middle third has scored their most tries with 20 of 46.

A cold beer with . . .

For 20 Origin games and one interstate match, FOG number 21 Greg Conescu was the Queensland hooker. I went to dummy half, crouched down with my curly black hair in the breeze and threw out a beer and talked Queensland, Norths, Dolphins and Gladstone with 'Turtle.'

You won a premiership with Norths in 1980, good memories? Great memories. I was there 1979-83 and winning in 1980 was a real highlight. I had to leave Norths in 1983. They did not have the money to pay me. I weighed up options and ended up at Gladstone Brothers. I could probably have convinced the QRL to let me go to Sydney but it just did not happen.

You are the last player picked from the country to play for Queensland and Australia when you were picked from Gladstone Brothers in 1984. How did that happen? The money was similar to Norths and I still had a QRL contract so I went to Gladstone and played. Things worked out well. I did not lose my representative spots and played for Queensland Country, Queensland and Australia. Bit of a different world then. Tosser Turner got me back to Redcliffe and that was a great time. The only disappointment was losing the 1987 grand final.

What did games against the Jets hold? Tough games, tough forwards, tough crowds. I remember people like Steve Parcell hooking against me. Alf kicking for Gordon Langton. I played against the Jets for the Dolphins, Norths and Capras when I was in Gladstone for a year.

In the 1987 Origin series, you win man of the series with 20 tackles and 18 runs in Queensland's famous game three win. Is that a great moment for you? The decider was a tough game to come back from one nil after the first game. Win in Sydney game two then defend the two-point lead the entire second half in game three was satisfying.

Hooker is one of the positions that has evolved in the game the most with wingers. How do you like watching hookers now? I love watching Cam Smith. He is cunning and so smart. Damian Cook is so fast. The passing and defence has not changed too much but the scrums and the attacking focus of hooker has changed.