if your nephew is Willie Mataka, i was extremely impressed with the way he handled our much fancied centre, Karl Filliga...
you just out enthused us and we played like we expected it to fall in our laps, full credit to ya, the moment Walker was penalised for the dum play the ball 15 metres out from your line I knew you had us, it was the sniff you needed...
Francis Vaiotu - Usually #4 Centre..But was On The Wing #5 - Due to An Injury to Kheiralla & Pritchy Going up to The Roosters.. Matto The Coach Slotted him at Wing.
NSWRL Match Report
Heroic Ford the Jets match-winner
Glen Dwyer
Newtown Jets
7/06/2011 8:50:54 AM
Newtown Jets club historian Terry Williams rated Saturdays come-from-behind 16-14 win against Wentworthville at Henson Park as one of the clubs best since re-entering senior Rugby League back in 1991.
Both the Jets and their partnership club the Sydney Roosters have a large number of players unavailable through injury, and Saturdays victory was the Jets third win in a row when the odds have been heavily stacked against them.
This 13th round NSW Cup match against Wenty looked to be a case of Mission Impossible, with Parramatta players of the calibre of Carl Webb, Reni Maitua, Chris Walker, Chris Hicks and Daniel Mortimer all turning out with the Eels NSW Cup partnership club.
Jets coach Greg Matterson wouldnt tolerate any hint of pessimism in the Jets ranks, telling his players prior to kick-off that the names on the opposition team-sheet dont necessarily translate into points on the score-board. He called for the same level of commitment and team spirit that had carried the Jets to wins in recent games against Canterbury-Bankstown and the North Sydney Bears.
Wenty scored in the 5th minute but the Jets responded with a try to skipper Khalid Deeb who ploughed through the Magpies defence about five minutes later. Wentworthville led 10-6 at half-time and increased this lead to 14-6 early in the second half. While the Jets second half performance was anything but faultless, they hung tough in defence for the remainder of the match and refused to let Wenty take control of the game.
Ten minutes from full-time back-rower Brad Takairangi and centre James Trotter combined for fullback Byron Ford to score next to the northern end goal-posts. Ford badly injured his shoulder soon after scoring that try but rather than leave the field he opted to move to the left-side wing. With barely three minutes left to play, the Jets drove play deep into Wenty territory and forced a goal-line drop-out. In the next set Jets halfback Blake Lazarus laid on a superb cut-out pass to the unmarked Ford, who caught the ball one-handed and romped in triumphantly at the broadcast-box corner, right in front of a large concentration of ecstatic Jets fans.
Newtown survived a last desperate surge from the Magpies and claimed one of their most memorable victories at this historic Rugby League ground.
Coach Matterson rated this as a gutsy team performance where Newtown hung in and stayed within striking distance of their well-credentialled opponents. Newtowns scoring chances came late in the game but both tries were well executed. The Jets coaching staff rated Khalid Deeb, Ryan Verlinden, Kurt Kara and Ahmad Ellaz as the best of the Newtown forwards, along with Byron Ford, Francis Vaiotu, James Trotter and Willie Mataka in the backs but the occasion ultimately belonged to the inspirational Ford, who emulated greats of the games past like Alan Prescott and John Sattler in defying injury to seize victory for his club and his team-mates.
The Jets travel away to the Morrie Breen Field, Wyong on Saturday, June 11th to play the Newcastle Knights NSW Cup partnership club Central Coast Centurions, with the kick-off timed for 3.00pm. This 14th round fixture shapes up as another danger game for Newtown with the Jets having had an indifferent record at this venue in the past two years
