Round 14
Ipswich Jets 48 d. Mackay Cutters 6

2008 Wizard Queensland Cup Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats]

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

Lacey fires for clinical Jets
Sun June 22, 2008
Source: www.qrl.com.au

Former Bronco Ian Lacey has hosed down his chances of an NRL recall, despite producing a superb performance for the Ipswich Jets in Saturday's 48-6 drubbing of the Mackay Cutters.

Lacey scored a try, had a hand in several others and even saved a certain Mackay four-pointer with a desperate cover defending tackle in the first half.

The "Pocket Rocket's" classy performance earned him the ABC TV man of the match honours.

But Lacey wasn't talking up his prospects of an NRL return.

"I'm just playing week in week out at the moment," Lacey told the ABC.

"Kevvie (Walters) is good to play under. He makes everything really good and interesting.

"He gives me a lot of freedom and he lets me do what I feel like out there. As long as I steer them around he doesn't mind."

Lacey paid tribute to his team's rugged forward pack, which was again superbly led by the non-stop Aaron Sweeney and stand-in skipper Michael Ryan.

"The forwards just got good go-forward and we moved off the back of that," the diminutive halfback said.

"We've got to pay a lot of (credit) to them."

The Jets led 22-0 at half-time following tries from Scott Ireland, Trevor Exton, Lacey and Ryan.

Ipswich five-eighth Josh Lewis had a hand in two of the first-half tries.

Lewis put Exton through the line with a short pass and orchestrated Lacey's touch down with a neat grubber kick.

Mackay competed strongly with the Jets in the opening 20 minutes. But the Wizard Cup newcomers couldn't go with the Jets at the back end of the first half.

It all began to unravel for the Cutters when they lost young fullback Daniel Flynn in the 25th minute after a nasty head knock.

Play was stopped for several minutes while medical staff assisted Flynn, who was later taken to hospital.

The Jets also had injury concerns, with Luke Walker and Scott Alo picking up rib problems.

But Flynn's loss seemed to have more of an impact on the Cutters, whose back three were all at sea.

Makeshift fullback Dean Tass was caught out on several occasions by deft kicks behind the Mackay front line.

While Mackay supporters could only shake their heads at another mistake riddled performance, Jets fans were in raptures in the second half following another classy display from crowd favourite Donald Malone.

Malone completed a hat-trick of tries in the 65th minute when a one-on-one steal netted him the easiest of tries under the posts.

Malone reefed the ball out of the hands of the unsuspecting Cody Norton.

Ipswich enters next Sunday's clash with Redcliffe at Dolphin Oval in second place on the Wizard Cup ladder.

IPSWICH JETS 48 (Donald Malone 3, Scott Ireland 2, Ian Lacey, Gavin Cooper, Michael Ryan, Trevor Exton tries; Josh Lewis 6 goals) def MACKAY CUTTERS 6 (Anthony Perkins try; Daniel Abraham goal) at Briggs Rd.

Report Source: www.qrl.com.au

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