After dropping another closely fought match last weekend when they played the Illawarra Steelers, the Newtown Jets will be hoping for a change in fortunes when they host the Bulldogs this weekend in a round 12 Intrust Super Premiership clash.
The Jets went down 38-34 in the high scoring affair last Saturday and now sitting ninth on the competition ladder will be desperate for the two points to stay in touch with the ISP top eight as the season approaches the half way mark.
In their favour the Jets will be at home at Henson Park for a second consecutive week, with the match scheduled for a 3.00pm kick off on Saturday.
With four Sharks NRL squad members called up in the State of Origin side, added to Jets regular Jesse Ramien selected in the NSW Under 20’s team and the depth of both the Sharks and Jets will be tested this weekend.
However, irrespective of those who are unavailable, Newtown have been able to name a side with a sprinkling of NRL experience for what should be another tight contest.
See below the team list and a comprehensive report on the Jets round 11 match, courtesy of Newtown Jets media.
ISP Team List – Round 12
Jets v Bulldogs
Saturday, May 27
Henson Park
Kick off – 3.00pm
1 Matt Evans
2 James Tuitahi
3 Jordan Topai-Aveai
21 Kenny Niko
5 Joshua Tuilagi
6 Leigh Higgins
7 Penani Manumalaelii
8 Kurt Dillon
9 Kurt Kara
10 Jaimin Jolliffe
11 Jack Williams
12 Jayden Walker
13 Jayden McDonogh
Interchange
14 Tepatasi Fuiava
15 Ben Fritz
17 Saulala Houma
18 Manaia Cherrington
26 Luke Towers
Round 11 Report
by Newtown Jets Media
Illawarra won last year’s national second-tier and ISP NSW titles in emphatic style and this big-game experience counted in Saturday’s 38-34 win against Newtown at Henson Park. The Jets led 22-6 after 23 minutes and 28-16 early in the second half but found it hard to counter Illawarra’s forward strength.
ILLAWARRA 38
Josh Kerr, Jacob Host, John Tohi, Patrick Herbert, Adam Clune, Matt Dufty, Reuben Garrick tries;
Shaun Nona 5 goals
defeated
NEWTOWN 34:
James Tuitahi 2, Jesse Ramien, Matt Evans, Edrick Lee, Manaia Cherrington tries;
Fa’amanu Brown 5 goals
Half-Time: Newtown led 22-16.
Referee: Darian Furner. Touch Judges: Cameron Mitchell and Ben Teague.
The Tom Kirk Cup is played for each time the Newtown and Illawarra clubs meet in competition games.
Newtown’s team on Saturday was:
Leigh Higgins, Edrick Lee, Matt Evans, Jesse Ramien, James Tuitahi, Daniel Mortimer, Fa’amanu Brown, Kurt Dillon, Kurt Kara, Tepatasi Fuiavailili, Jack Williams, Jayden Walker, Jayden McDonogh.
Bench: Jaimin Jolliffe, Saulala Houma, Manaia Cherrington, Kenny Niko.
Coach: Greg Matterson.
Illawarra’s team
Matthew Dufty, Reuben Garrick, Jesse Dee, Patrick Herbert, John Tohi, Adam Clune, Shaun Nona, Josh Kerr, Jake Marketo, Blake Lawrie, Jacob Host, Luciano Leilua, Tyrone McCarthy.
Bench: Siliva Havili, Chris Lewis, Jacob Hind, Mose Masoe.
Coach: Mathew Head.
Match timeline:
First half:
Illawarra kicked off to the northern end.
3rd min: James Tuitahi scores in the south-west corner. Not converted. Newtown 4-0.
10th min: Fa’amanu Brown makes a break up the left side about 45 metres out, ends in Jesse Ramien scoring to the right of the southern end goal posts.
Converted by Brown. Newtown 10-0.
Penalty to Jets at Illawarra’s end in 13th minute.
Daniel Mortimer sends a perfect cut-out pass for James Tuitahi to score unchallenged in the south-west corner.
Fa’amanu Brown converts from the sideline. Newtown 16-0 after 15 mins.
Kurt Dillon as usual is leading the Jets forwards from the front.
Jets drop an Illawarra high kick 20 metres out from Newtown’s line (19th)
Josh Kerr scores for Illawarra in the next set
Converted by Shaun Nona. Newtown 16-6 (after 21 mins)
Illawarra knock on the kick-off.
Jets scrum feed at their end and Matt Evans scores from dummy-half 10 metres in from eastern sideline.
Try converted by Brown. Newtown 22-6 after 23 mins.
Illawarra kick out on the full.
Jack Williams makes good ground towards the Illawarra end but loses the ball in a heavy tackle.
Illawarra puts up another high kick at Newtown’s end and they end up with a scrum feed 10 metres out.
Jacob Host runs a good angle and scores to the right of the posts. 28th min.
Converted by Nona. Newtown 22-12.
Now it’s Newtown’s turn to kick the ball out on the full.
Brown’s kick on 5th tackle leads to Illawarra being tackled in their own in-goal (36th min)
Newtown goes close to scoring again but Illawarra defends this set inside their 20 metres (38th min)
Illawarra cart the ball upfield and score in the last 20 seconds from a grubber kick into the north-western in-goal corner.
John Tohi the try-scorer. Not conv. Newtown 22-16 (39th min)
Half-Time: Newtown 22-16.
Matterson’s half-time comments:
Don’t start protecting this lead. Score more points. Put pressure on them and use the ball like you did in the first half tries.Don’t drop off, keep working for each other.
Nu Brown warned his team-mates that Illawarra would keep coming at them to the 80th minute.
Second half:
44th min: Some clever improvised play in the north-west corner ends in Edrick Lee scoring, as a result of the Illawarra fullback being unable to clean up Matt Evans’ grubber-kick into the in-goal.
Illawarra wrongly protest that Edrick Lee had knocked on.
Nu Brown converts this try from right on the sideline.
Newtown 28-16 after 45 mins.
Is this for real? Illawarra kick out on the full for the second time in this match!
Illawarra’s quick hands to the left ends in Patrick Herbert scoring (49th min)
Nona converts from wide out. Newtown 28-22 (51st min)
Once again Newtown can’t defuse a high kick; the ball is knocked infield and the Illawarra five-eighth Clune scores an opportunist try.
Nona converts and it’s 28-all in the 55th min.
Newtown forced into another goal-line drop-out (57th min)
Illawarra race in to score but a ball-carrier has run behind one of his own team-mates and Jets get the penalty. (58th min)
Another penalty to Newtown when Illawarra is penalised midfield for off-side play in recovering a rather ordinary high kick.
Illawarra put on a good inside pass move and the fullback Dufty shimmies and jinks his way clear to run in under the posts.
Conv by Nona and Illawarra leads for the first time in the game 34-28 (65th min)
Penalty to Newtown.
Manaia Cherrington dashes from dummy-half but loses the ball as he is tackled across the tryline.
Jets tackled in their own in-goal in the 72nd min.
Their 5th tackle kick is knocked on by Newtown.
Illawarra have the scrum-feed 10 metres out from Jets line (73rd min)
Illawarra apply what will probably be the coup de grace when Garrick scores in the south-west corner in the 75th min.
Not conv. Illawarra leads 38-28.
Lee makes good ground, kicks ahead and regathers, then sends Cherrington running clear to score under the northern end goal-posts.
Brown converts and its 38-34 in the 78th min.
Jets in a flurry of attacking activity. They win a scrum and get a penalty in the dying seconds but a high kick into Illawarra’s south-west corner can’t be gathered in.
Full-Time: Illawarra wins 38-34.
A post-match interview with Newtown’s impressive young front-rower Tepatasi Fuiavailili (also known as Tepa Fuiava): https://youtu.be/Jt4dR4uoGmw
And here’s an interview with winger and fullback Leigh Higgins: https://youtu.be/2Csc2-MsLD8
This coming Saturday at Henson Park is Hipsters Day, put on your best Hipster outfits and bring your friends with you to Henson Park this Saturday, 27th May, when the Jets take on our near-neighbours Canterbury-Bankstown at 3.00pm.
