How the Jets made a fan out of me

I may be giving too much away in saying this, but I was never much of a rugby league fan.

Ipswich players celebrate a try against the Sunshine Coast Falcons at North Ipswich Reserve on Saturday. Picture: Rob Williams

I MAY be giving too much away in saying this, but I was never much of a rugby league fan.

Despite being born in Mackay, I was raised in Western Australia and had my head turned to Aussie rules long before I returned to the east coast.

And when I did return, it was at the peak of the Brisbane Lions' powers and Queensland couldn't get enough of them.

Rugby league was just never truly on my radar.

Over time, the Queenslander in me became more and more impassioned with State of Origin.

It's hard not to stand up and cheer a history-making, dominant Maroons outfit when they represent your home with such vigour.

But for the 11 months following Game 3, the NRL registered barely a blip.

It's not that I didn't like rugby league. I just didn't love it.

But this year something has clicked.

I don't think it's a coincidence the change of heart has coincided with covering the Ipswich Jets.

Much has been said and written about the Jets' style of footy.

It's fast, furious, and insanely fun to watch. Nothing happens as expected, and every play has the chance to become part of a highlight reel.

But there's so much more to the green and white machine than what happens on the field.

When Billy McConnachie took a kick-off and stormed back toward the Falcons line on Saturday in his signature brutal running style, I remember voicing to the person next to me how little I'd like to be in his way.

He looked possessed. A man who runs like that must surely be angry day and night.

But off the field, Billy is a different kind of beast. And he's not the only one.

When called into action, every Jet plays with the intensity required to compete at a state level.

And when the siren sounds, win or lose, the switch is flicked. Their job is done, or at least one part of it is.

Because this is a club of the people. You see it in the players, who are more than willing to make time for any fan who says hello.

You see it in the faces of the kids who duck under and squeeze between bigger bodies to get front row seats in the dressing sheds after a big Ipswich victory.

Even in defeat, the kids don't care. And while the players certainly do, they don't let it show. Because the Jets are more than just about winning and losing.

I wrote in Monday's QT that Marmin Barba loves Ipswich, because Ipswich loves Marmin Barba. Well, Ipswich loves the Jets, because the Jets love Ipswich.

Few sporting clubs can claim to share such a link to their community as the Jets do.

That is down to the work of the players, staff, and volunteers who continue to put people first. All that and more, is why I'm now a proud Jets fan.

Originally published as How the Jets made a fan out of me