Round 11
Ipswich Jets 26 d. Souths Logan Magpies 18

2007 Wizard Queensland Cup Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: Australia > Queensland > State/Metropolitan Level Competition: Wizard Queensland Cup

Ipswich resurgence continues
Mon May 28, 2007
Source: www.qrl.com.au

THE remarkable turnaround of last year's wooden spooner Ipswich continues, as the Jets entered the top five on the back of a 26-18 victory against Souths Logan at The Terrace on Sunday.

After starting the year with the simple aim of increasing on the club's four wins in 2006, the Jets have exceeded all expectations to sit fifth at the halfway point of the season. Only twice in the 11 previous Queensland Wizard Cup seasons has Ipswich made the finals.

"We're a bit ahead of ourselves and happy to be in the five for sure," coach Kevin Walters said.

"But the hard part is to maintain it and not let it go to waste. This next part of the season is what separates the men from the boys. We get to see what type of people we are."

On the road to the top five Ipswich has knocked over North Queensland and Redcliffe and the knowledge is that to be there at the end of the season, similar feats are going to have to be produced.

The depth at the club is arguably greater than at any point in the last decade, evidenced by the Jets' top standing in the Spotless Club Championship and a Gold Coast Titans affiliation.

Against Souths Logan forward Kris Kahler made his Ipswich debut, while Chris Walker continues to be among the club's best on a weekly basis as he tries to redeem himself before the Titans bosses.

The win over the Magpies was no fait accompli, with the teams evenly matched on paper and both organisations looking to rebound after close losses the previous week.

But Ipswich got the jump to lead 20-4 at halftime, even after losing fullback Ben McFadgean before kick-off due to a car accident on his way to the ground.

Walters called up Brendon Marshall to fill the custodian role, with the Mount Isa product already scoring 11 tries this season in FOGS Cup. Marshall made sure his appearance in the top grade counted and continued his prolific form with yet another four-pointer.

The dampener on the afternoon for the Jets came with a medial ligament injury to centre Jason Bulgarelli, likely to keep him sidelined for 4-6 weeks. Souths Logan also had the better run of the game in the second stanza and while not catching their opponent, they posted three tries to the Jets' one.

"You can see why they've had a few wins and are in the mix. They're a tough team," Walters said.

"It was a good first half from us ? I thought we won those 40 minutes convincingly - but we didn't finish as well as I would have liked."

While Ipswich continues on the up, the sporadic fortunes of Souths Logan persist. After good wins against Norths and Easts the Magpies have now fallen to three losses in row, falling to Tweed Heads and Wynnum Manly before the Jets. The Magpies have been left alone in second-last after Wynnum Manly pulled a last-minute win against Burleigh and Norths had the bye.

Next round sees Ipswich play Burleigh at Carrara Stadium at 11.50am on Sunday, while Souths Logan visits Rockhampton to play Central at 7.30pm on Saturday at Browne Park.

IPSWICH 26 (Brendon Marshall, Luke Walker, Chris Walker, Rickie Dodd, Danny Coburn tries; Rickie Dodd 2, Geoff Chalk goals) d SOUTHS LOGAN 18 (David Wood, Mick Anschau, Phil Dennis, Darren Glase tries; Paul Rolls goal).

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