Jets playing team with 'more money than a bank'

WHAT a mouth-watering prospect: The Redcliffe Dolphins coming to face the Jets at the North Ipswich Reserve.

Ipswich Jets player Ben Shea will need another powerful display to help his team beat the Redcliffe Dolphins on Saturday. Picture: Franca Tigani

WHAT a mouth-watering prospect: The Redcliffe Dolphins coming to face the Jets at the North Ipswich Reserve.

I love it. The Jets have not clashed with the Dolphins in Ipswich since round 23 in 2016.

The Dolphins came away with a 34-24 win that day.

Head to head, the Dolphins have it over the Jets 28 to 15 while at the Jets' home ground Redcliffe are in front 10 wins to eight.

Ipswich has not enjoyed a win over the Dolphins at home since round 26, 2014 when the Jets won 30-24.

The last time the Jets beat the Dolphins was round eight in 2015 at Dolphin Oval when the Jets won 42-28.

I stuck my head into training to ask why a win against the Dolphins is necessary for any season.

Ben Shea had the answer.

"They're always stacked with talent, victory is always a bit sweeter when you knock them off,'' Shea said.

Cheeky Jets half Dane Phillips also offered his thoughts.

"That's easy they have more money and signatures than a bank,'' he said.

The Dolphins' Kotoni Staggs is the leading Intrust Super Cup points scorer on 68. Fullback Tony Tumusa breaks tackles for fun and Cameron Cullen runs the show.

Tumusa versu Purcell would have been a great battle of the fullbacks.

The Dolphins come to town having won five games in a row now and will be clear favourites.

This round is the Anzac Day round and the Jets live stream will be back up and running in partnership with the students of USQ.

Rare field goal

SAM Caslick sat on the bench for the Ipswich Jets waiting for his moment in the game.

The call came down at the 67th minute that Caslick was on for the last 13 minutes.

It took Caslick 10 minutes to make an impact snapping his first field goal in the Intrust Super Cup to give Ipswich a one- point win over the Sunshine Coast Falcons.

The Jets have not kicked a field goal since 2014 when Dane Phillips kicked a field goal against the Hunters to win 25-12.

"Dane was calling for the ball to put a high one up,'' Caslick said. "I saw that the markers were lazy getting up and I practise drop goals at training all the time. The boys put us in a great position and that is my role off the bench to help us get over the line. I came to Ipswich to back myself."

Shea led the Jets forward with 177m while Nat Neale topped the tackle count with 40.

Julian Christian had a line break and a try. The try in the 17th minute got the Jets the momentum of the first half.

Shea was outstanding all night and battled the flu all week to lead the Jets to a great win.

Seb Pandia was players' player for Ipswich.

Cooper's stat

SEB Pandia has won the Jets' players' player three times from seven rounds.

Nat Neale, Ben Shea, Julian Christian and Michael Purcell all once.

Magic milestone

SEB Pandia is lining up for game 50 for the Jets and 71 ISC games. Pandia played 21 games for the Hunters.

Dane Phillips is now the sixth most capped Jet on 122 games.

Sam Caslick scored his first point as a Jet. He now has one point from seven games.

Wes Conlon is on 409 points for the Jets, going past Donald Malone on 408. Conlon is now third for most points.

Jets finally fly

'JETS finally fly' was the headline 35 years ago when the Jets played the Dolphins in the State League. The Jets had failed to win a game in their previous 13 games losing all seven in 1982 in their first year and losing the first six of 1983.

The Dolphins came to the Reserve having made the State League final in 1982. They backed that up again in 1983 winning four of their six games.

The week before the Jets had capitulated to Wests 42-0 and now had to take on the Dolphins.

The Jets defence did not hold up in 1982 and 1983. In the first two years of the State League, the Jets conceded 398 points and only scored 97, recording one win.

The Jets led 2-0 at quarter time after a penalty goal from Dick Tazelaar. He ended up slotting six from eight for the game.

"I remember Wayne Roberts backing us on air on 4BC,'' Tazelaar said.

"He came out and celebrated with us after the game. I remember being star struck at marking up on the big name Dolphins."

At halftime, the Jets were looking at their first ever win up 10-4 after Brett Walters ran 60 metres to score.

The Dolphins Wally Fullerton-Smith scored at the end and spent some time in the sin-bin for sorting out some on field issues.

"Our coach made some comments about Ipswich during the week and it didn't go over too well. I was sent to the sinbin and I remember being fearful for my life. The locals didn't miss telling me all sorts of things."

The Jets had their first ever win 22-14.

A cold beer with . . .

With the Jets tackling Redcliffe this week, I caught up with Dolphins fan and poet Rupert McCall for a beer and to talk about everything that could happen on Saturday.

Which Dolphins have impressed you so far in 2018? From what I have seen, Kotoni Staggs is a very reliable campaigner. Solid as a rock and just what you need in the centres. In addition, I love the energy that the kid Nathan Watts brings off the bench. I have had a wrap on him since his Colts days at Redcliffe.

Who is your favourite Ipswich footballer? How can you go past Sir Alfred Langer? I reckon Alf was playing for the Jets and working for the local council when he was selected for the Queensland Origin team in 1987 ... and safe to say he kicked on from there. What a legacy! The Queensland team song still hammers along to the bin-bashing beat of 'Singin eye eye Ippy Ippy eye' in his honour. Unbelievable.

Do you have a great Dolphins' moment from your childhood? After I had Bunny Pearce's autograph for the 36th time, I finally caught up with Arthur Beetson after a game at Dolphin Oval in 1981. I was 10 years old and besides his signature, Big Artie inadvertently left a big dirty, bloody thumbprint on the opposite page. I thought it was the best thing that had ever happened to me. Still got it.

Dolphins win the grand final - how and why? Yes. Steeled by the near misses of the past couple of seasons, the hunger builds until it unleashes its full potential and provides them with another crack at the big one. They have established a fair degree of momentum in recent weeks and, with some serious talent still to return from injury, I expect that roll to continue with the little general, Cameron Cullen, steering them around the park.

What Jet are you thinking the Dolphins will have to stop him on Saturday? Every Jet on the paddock will need to be stopped - have no doubt about that - but the factor I am most wary of isn't actually on the field. It is the cunning and clever combination of two brothers. The Walker factor. They will have a shrewd tactic or two up their sleeve to thwart the mighty Dolphins for sure.

Originally published as Jets playing team with 'more money than a bank'