Jets

KOE NSW Cup Round 16

FRANK HYDE SHIELD

Sunday 22nd June 2025

3pm

 NORTH SYDNEY OVAL

Norths 2024 220
Nathan Stapleton lands the conversion that locked the scores at 30-all. He kicked 5 from 5 in extremely difficult conditions and scored a try on debut in the Jets’ miraculous come from behind victory. Photo: Mario Facchini, mafphotography
Nathan Stapleton lands the conversion that locked the scores at 30-all. He kicked 5 from 5 in extremely difficult conditions and scored a try on debut in the Jets’ miraculous come from behind victory. Photo: Mario Facchini, mafphotography

2014 RD19 – Jets stay in the finals race with a stunning second-half comeback [31-30]

Report on the 19th Round NSWRL VB NSW Cup match between Newtown and the Penrith Panthers, played at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, 19th July 2014 and televised live on Fox Sports by Glen ‘Bumper’ Dwyer.

In one of the most remarkable NSW Cup matches of recent years, the Newtown Jets turned around a 30-6 points deficit with twenty minutes left to play into a 31-30 victory against the competition leaders Penrith. The Panthers are the NSW Cup premiership favourites and were aiming for their 12th successive win in this season’s competition rounds, after having beaten Newtown 36-20 last Saturday at Sportingbet Stadium.

The Jets needed to win this game at Allianz Stadium to remain in touch with the top eight teams. Newtown’s first half didn’t look too promising as the Panthers strode away to a 20-6 lead after 25 minutes, with the Jets’ points coming from a try and conversion to the former Cronulla winger Nathan Stapleton who was on debut with the Blues. The Panther were having the better of the forwards’ battle and Newtown had made poor decisions in defence. The Jets had probably done reasonably well to restrict Penrith to twenty points and to prevent them from scoring again in the back end of the first half.

Coach Greg Matterson’s halftime message to the Jets was basically that they weren’t out of the game, and that they should draw on their experience from the previous Saturday’s match when they had fought back to get within a converted try of the Panthers late in the second half. Matterson urged Newtown’s big forwards to lift their game and really put it to their opponents in the second half.

The first ten minutes of the second half looked grim for the Jets as the Panthers added two more tries and extended their lead to 30-6. It all seemed to be a matter of by how many points for the competition leaders. Newtown supporters were hoping that their team could at least be competitive in a match that was going out live across the country on Fox Sports.

With Penrith still leading by 30-6 as the game moved into the fourth quarter, a transformation took place when the Jets back-rower Dave Harris scored after the Panthers failed to defuse a Jets cross-field kick into their in-goal. Stapleton converted and four minutes later Harris was again involved, when as the stand-in hooker he won the ball against a Panthers scrum-feed at Penrith’s end of the field. In the ensuing set, Jets prop Kane Evans charged at the line, was knocked down and not held and then safely grounded the ball for Newtown’s third try. Stapleton’s third conversion had Newtown back in the game with the Panthers in front by 30-18.

The game’s momentum had seemingly swung to the Jets and they dominated possession and field position. The tireless Harris put a grubber kick into the Panthers in-goal in the 69th minute, which evaded several Penrith defenders and allowed fullback Jonathon Reuben to display his acrobatic skills to gather the bouncing ball and score Newtown’s fourth try. From the sideline and with a blustery southerly blowing, the nerveless Stapleton nailed the conversion for Newtown to trail 30-24.

Newtown’s big forwards had commandeered the midfield and drove the ball deep into Panthers territory. Eight minutes from fulltime, the Jets moved the ball quickly through several pairs of hands to Matt Evans who scored in the right-hand northern corner. Stapleton’s goal-kicking was flawless as he landed his fifth conversion to tie the scores up at 30-all. Luck broke the Jets way as the Panthers kicked out on the full. The Jets forwards made several metre-gaining drives towards the posts before Scott Dureau, one of the best field-goal exponents in the business, slotted over what was to be the match-winning one-pointer five minutes out from the final siren. Newtown still had to defend two sets at their own end and the Panthers missed with two field goal attempts, before the full-time siren brought to an end what had been an engrossing contest.

While clearly delighted at his team’s amazing win, coach Matterson was concerned about what had gone wrong in the first sixty minutes of the game. He stressed that greater discipline and defensive awareness would be needed in the upcoming games. The coaching staff commended the great work of forwards Ryan Verlinden, Ray Moujalli, Kane Evans (Fox Television’s man of the match) and Saulala Houma, Dave Harris for his livewire opportunism, Sio Siua Taukeiaho for another strong all-round game, Nathan Stapleton for an outstanding all-round performance on debut, and Scott Dureau for his cool-headed organisational role and his masterful drop goal.

The Newtown Jets face another must-win appointment on Friday evening (25th July, 2014), against Canterbury-Bankstown at Belmore Sports Ground. This 20th Round NSW Cup match kicks off at 7.00pm.

Image: Harrison Tse

Newtown Jets Team List v North Sydney Bears (Frank Hyde Shield) Sun 22nd June 2025

Dick Poole, the captain-coach of the undefeated Australian Rugby League World Cup team in 1957, is chaired from the SCG by Australian team-mates (from left to right): Kel O'Shea, Brian Clay, Norm Provan and Ken McCaffery. (NSWRL Media).

Farewell to the great Dick Poole

Jets backrower Blake Hosking powers through the Warriors defence to score in the first half on Saturday.  Photo: Mario Facchini/mafphotography

The Jets narrowly beaten in hard-fought tussle with the top of the table Warriors

The Newtown Jets might have been off their game on Saturday, but they still retained the Tom Raudonikis Cup for 2025 by virtue of their better points for and against over the two games played against Western Suburbs this season. Glen Warner from the Australian Mutual Bank (one of the Newtown Jets best sponsors) is holding the trophy. Photo: Mario Facchini/mafphotography

Newtown Jets turn on a lacklustre performance in shock loss to Western Suburbs

Image: Harrison Tse

Newtown Jets Team List v Warriors Sat 7th June, 2025

Newtown second-rower Dylan Coutts (in the middle of the photo) is congratulated by his Jets team-mates after scoring in Saturday night's game against the Sydney Roosters. Coutts scored two tries in his debut appearance in the NSW Cup competition. (Photo: Mario Facchini / mafphotography)

The Jets surge back into winning form with a huge victory against the Sydney Roosters

Australian Mutual Bank
Front of Jersey

Petersham RSL
Back of Jersey

Deicorp
Back of Jersey, Training Gear, Socks

Eclectic 365
Chest

John Singleton Group
Sleeve

PHILTER
Shoulder blades, Brewing

Coverforce
Front of Shorts

VIC on the Park
Back of Shorts

Strive Fitness
Gym

Sports Medicine Institute
Medical Services & Rehabilitation

Henson Park Hotel
Back of Shorts

Arista Technologies
Technology Partner

Newtown Jets respect and honour the Traditional Custodians of the Land and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge the stories, traditions and living cultures of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples on the lands we meet, gather and play on and that the land area encompassing Henson Park traditionally belonged to the Gadigal people of the Eora nation.