This week’s round two clash between the Luxury Paint Ipswich Jets and the Intrust Super Cup new boys the Townsville Blackhawks will be the Ipswich Jets’ 417th game in the Intrust Super Cup. It will also be Ben and Shane Walker’s 100th game coaching the Ipswich Jets. Since they took over the top job for the penultimate round of the 2010 season; Ben and Shane have coached the Jets to 54 wins and 7 draws from 99 games at a win percent of 54.5%.
In the four full seasons that Ben and Shane have held the clipboard they’ve made the finals every year and along the way gained a reputation for playing football with a great passion for letting players use their skills and play football without the rigid constraints of modern football.
The Walker brothers are the first Ipswich Jets’ coaches to reach the 100 game coaching achievement in the Intrust Super Cup. To celebrate the century Ben and Shane nominated their five favourite wins over the last four seasons and 100 games.
The Beginning
Round 22, 2010: First win as Intrust Super Cup coach.
Ipswich Jets 40 (Ramon Filipine 2, Esi Tonga 2, Tyson Lofipo, Keiron Lander, Todd Riggs tries; Jacob Ling 5, Vili Faingaa goals) def Central Comets 20 (Joe Collins-Soo, Kam Wilkinson, Chris Gesch, Gerard Parle tries; Ian Webster, Gerard Parle goals).
Ben and Shane Walker took over suddenly as head coaches for the second last round of the 2010 season against the Mackay Cutters in Mackay. They finished the year the next week at home with the win against the Comets to end a disappointing season that would see the Jets finish in last place. In a sign of things to come the Jets played with the attacking freedom that would become a hallmark of the next four years. The Jets raced out to a big lead and were never threatened after that. Ben and Shane Walker had their first win as an Intrust Super Cup coach and the Jets ended the year with a win.
Ipswich Jets
1.Marshall Chalk 2. Ramone Filipine 3. Esi Tonga 4. Brendon Marshall 5. Tyson Lofipo 6. Kerion Lander 7 Todd Riggs 8. Paul Stephenson 9. Michael Fisher 10. Aaron Cannings 11. Jacob Ling 12. Villi Faingaa 13. Sam Tagatese 14. Dan Coburn 15, Adam Boettcher 16. Ryan Barton 17. Sepuloni Alovili.
Calmness.
Round 16, 2011:
Ipswich Jets20 (Jarrod McInally, Lorenzo Maafu, Joseph Tomane tries; Brendon Lindsay 4 goals) def Redcliffe Dolphins 19 (Liam Georgetown, Joe Bond, David Hala tries; Liam Georgetown 3 goals; Dan Cross field goal) at Dolphin Oval.
Going to Redcliffe and winning is no easy feat this is highlighted by the fact it would take a Ben and Shane Walker coached Ipswich Jets’ side till 2014 to win there again. On a sunny afternoon perfect for football in 2011 the Jets got away to a poor start letting the Dolphins slip out to 12-0 and then 18-6 at half-time after David Hala and Joe Bond had dominated the Jets. For the first 20 minutes of the second half there was no change and then the Jets scored twice through Lorenzo Maafu and Jarrod McInally to level it up at 18-18. It then became a field goal shoot out with Brendon Lindsay missing but Dan Cross making no mistake and getting the Dolphins up 19-18 with a minute to play. Showing the calmness of their coaches the Jets went the short kick off which the Dolphins failed to re-gather and in the process conceded a penalty for touching the ball in an off-side position. Jets’ number 6 Brendan Lindsay stepped up and calmly slotted the penalty 30 meters out and to the left of the posts to give the Jets a 20-19 win after full time.
Ipswich Jets:1. Marshall Chalk 2. Ramon Filipine 3. Jarrod McInally 4. Brendon Marshall 5. Luke Walker 6. Brendon Lindsay 7. Todd Riggs 8. Tyson Lofipo 9. Michael Fisher 10. Trevor Exton 11. Jacob Ling 12. Lorenzo Maafu 13. Keiron Lander 15. Nathaniel Neale 16. Smith Samau 17. Slade King 18. Max Seumanutafa
First Finals Win:
2013 Elimination Final:
Ipswich Jets 33 (Javarn White, Brendan Marshall, Ian Lacey, Matt Parcell, Rod Griffin tries; Marshall 6/7 goals; Dane Phillips field goal) def Wynnum Seagulls 6 (Corey Norman try; Matt Seamark 1/1 goal)
The 2013 finals series saw the Jets travel away to the intimidating home of the Wynnum Seagulls and blow the defending premiers out of the competition in week one. The Jets destroyed the Seagulls with their lateral running and inside balls for their smaller men to find gaps that the Seagulls weren’t quick enough to close. The Jets got out to 20-0 at half time and the Seagulls could never get it back. After two years of being eliminated in week one of the finals this win was Ben and Shane’s first finals win at the Jets.
Ipswich Jets: 1. Javarn White 2. Tautalatasi Tasi3. Nemani Valekapa 4. Brendon Marshall 5. Jarrod McInally 6. Dane Phillips 7. Ian Lacey 8. Tyson Lofipo 9. Troy O`Sullivan 10. Rod Griffin 11. Nat Neale 17. Kurtis Lingwoodock 13. Keiron Lander (c) 12. Sam Martin 14. Jacob Ling 15. Matt Parcell 16. Liam Capewell.
A Comeback.
Round 8, 2014:
Ipswich Jets 24: Tries: Brendon Marshall 2, Javarn White, Sam Martin Goals: Wes Conlon 4. Northern Pride18: Tries: Jason Roos, Ethan Lowe, Cameron King Goals: Shaun Nona 3
The Jets and Pride have played some epic battles in our short history together, Round 8 2014 produced another grand chapter of comebacks whenThe Ipswich Jets found themselves down 18-0 after 30 minutes. Before Wes Conlon, Brendan Marshall and Marmin Barba set about righting the wrongs of the first half. At half time a calm Ben and Shane Walker spoke about composure and what the job ahead needed which was quick play the balls and up tempo football at the Pride big forwards the second half that followed saw the Jets home 24-18 in another stunning Jets’ comeback.
Ipswich Jets1. Javarn White 2. Kurt Capewell 3. Nemani Valekapa 4. Brendon Marshall 5. Tautalatasi Tasi 6. Josh Cleeland 7. Dane Phillips 8. Kurtis Lingwoodock 9. Troy O’Sullivan 10. Rod Griffin 11. Josh Seage 12. Sam Martin 13. Keiron Lander (c) 14. Tariki Peneha 17. Marmin Barba 19. Wes Conlon 22. Matt Parcell.
Great Defence.
2014 Elimination Final:
Ipswich Jets 28 (Marmin Barba, Kurt Capewell, Rod Griffin, Liam Capewell, Wes Conlon tries; Marmin Barba 3, Kurtis Lingwoodock goals) def Tweed Heads Seagulls 10 (Ricardo Parata, Jamal Fogarty tries; Blake Anderson goal) at Piggabeen Sports.
The bookies were winding the Luxury Paint Ipswich Jets out further and further as kick off approached. The situation read as a Jets’ nightmare; never won at Tweed from 13 attempts, cold, windy and wet, in an elimination final away from home in a hostile environment. This Ipswich Jets’ side seemed to revel in the underdog situation, written off as no plan, playing touch football and light on for forwards the Jets continued to play their brand of football but the day at Tweed saw a brand of defence that wins finals and ends hoodoos. The Jets were called on to defend their own line set after set and they kept coming up with the big defensive play.
Ipswich Jets: 18. Marmin Barba 2. Kurt Capewell 3. Nemani Valekapa 4. Brendon Marshall 5. Carlin Anderson 6. Josh Cleeland 7. Dane Phillips 8. Kurtis Lingwoodock 9. Troy O`Sullivan 10. Rod Griffin 11. Liam Capewell 12. Sam Martin 13. Keiron Lander (c) 14. Billy McConnachie 19. Wes Conlon 21. Rob Worsley 22. Matt Parcell.
Wayne Bennett is of the belief that eventually teams start to look and act like their coach, the Luxury Paint Ipswich Jets and the Walker brothers prove that theory correct. In the last four years the Ipswich Jets have become great exponents of attacking football, based on a steely defence with a high level of fitness and a cool calmness that never claims to be out of the contest. The very football traits that Ben and Shane Walker have instilled in their side will be on show again in 2015. When Ben and Shane took over, the Jets were in last place and floundering; now they have made the finals four years in a row and they’ve done it by playing football the way it should be played with flair and ‘backyard’ quality that was honed in Toowoomba many years before they began coaching.