
Jets spring an ambush on the Intrust Super Premiership competition leaders
Details from the ISP NSW 15th Round match between Newtown and the New Zealand Warriors, played at Henson Park on Saturday, 18th June 2016 by Glen ‘Bumper’ Dwyer.
The Newtown Jets turned on a most impressive first half display against the top of the table New Zealand Warriors, who were coming off a seven-match winning streak. The Jet led 24-6 at halftime and then shut the Warriors out of the game in the second half, adding two more tries late in the match to run up an imposing 38-6 winning margin.
Newtown remains in third place on the ISP NSW competition table behind Mounties and the Warriors, but the Jets now have the best points for and against in the competition.
The NSWRL ISP NSW competition table after 15 rounds is: http://www.nswrl.com.au/intrust-super-premiership-nsw/ladder1.html
Here are the results of all the other 15th round matches:
Wests Tigers 14 d North Sydney 6; Penrith 44 d Newcastle Knights 6; Manly-Warringah 22 d Mounties 10; Illawarra Cutters 24 d Wentworthville 12; Canterbury-Bankstown and Wyong had byes.
Newtown’s next game details:
NSWRL ISP NSW – 16th Round
Saturday, 25th June 2016
St Marys Stadium
Penrith v Newtown
Kick-Off: 3.00pm.
Please also make note of the game details for Newtown’s postponed ISP NSW match against the Illawarra Cutters:
NSWRL ISP NSW – Rescheduled 13th Round match
Friday, 1st July 2016
Henson Park
Newtown v Illawarra Cutters
Kick-Off: 7.00pm.
Saturday’s game details:
Newtown 38:
Anthony Moraitis, Travis Robinson, Matt Evans, Malakai Houma, Kurt Capewell, Kenny Niko tries;
Fa’amanu Brown 5 conversions, 2 penalty goals
defeated
New Zealand Warriors 6:
Mason Lino try and conversion.
Half-Time: Newtown led 24-6.
Referee: Daniel Olford. Touch Judges: Benjamin Teague and Richard Daizli.
Playing surface: Very good.
Weather: Cloudy, mild, 19 degrees C. Had rained earlier in the morning.
Newtown’s team on Saturday was:
Mitch Brown, Travis Robinson, Jaline Graham, Matt Evans, Jacob Gagan, Josh Cleeland, Fa’amanu Brown, Kurt Kara, Anthony Moraitis, Kurt Capewell, Harrison Muller, Matt McIlwrick, Jesse Sene-Lefao.
Bench: Malakai Houma, Corin Smith, Kenny Niko, Tarek Elmasri.
Coach: Greg Matterson.
The New Zealand Warriors team was:
Henare Wells, Tomas Aoake, Matthew Allwood, Marata Niukore, Chales Nicoll-Klokstad, Mason Lino, Jeff Robson, Upu Poching, Ali Lauitiiti, Shaun Lane, James Gavet, Jazz Tevaga, Bunty Afoa.
Bench: Ofahiki Ogden, James Bell, Patrick Sibley, Viliami Kaukinga.
Coach: Stacey Jones.
Timeline and post-match comments:
Newtown to kick off and running to the Sydenham Road end of the ground (southern end).
Newtown’s short kick-off goes awry, penalty to the NZ Warriors.
Under early pressure from the Warriors but the Jets defence holds strong.
Penalty to Newtown 40 metres out from the NZW try-line.
Another penalty to Newtown 10 metres out from the Warriors try-line.
Anthony Moraitis shows great strength to power over despite the attention of several Warriors defenders
Try scored in the 6th minute
Converted by Fa’amanu (Nu) Brown. Newtown 6-0 after 7 minutes.
Warriors kick-off goes dead.
Penalty to Newtown on halfway.
Repeat set at NZW’s end – 10th minute
Nu Brown’s in-goal grubber kick causes a great scramble, but it is grounded for Newtown by Travis Robinson in the south-eastern corner
Converted from wide out by Nu Brown
Newtown leads 12-0 after 12 minutes
Jacob Gagan is off with a hamstring injury in the 15th min
Replaced by Corin Smith
Great break by Josh Cleeland inside his own half
As the defence converges on him he kicks infield
Matt Evans gathers and scores midway between the goal-posts and the south-western corner
Not converted
Newtown leads 16-0 after 17 mins
Kick-off knocked by Newtown
The Warriors reciprocate by knocking on in the next set
Penalty to Newtown midfield in the 20th min
Penalty to Warriors in the 22nd min
Another penalty to the Warriors (30 metres out from the Newtown try-line) but they knock on in the next set
Jets work the ball down to the southern end
Malakai Houma shows tremendous determination as he crashes over under the posts in the 26th min
Converted by Nu Brown
Newtown leads 22-0 after 27 mins
NZW turn the ball over virtually on their own line
Then the Warriors incur a penalty for lying on the tackled player
Nu Brown kicks the penalty goal
Newtown 24-0 after 30 mins
Newtown puts in a well-controlled set, ending with Nu Brown kicking into and finding touch in the NZW right-side corner (32nd min)
NZW knock-on on the halfway line (34th min)
Turnover by Newtown 30 metres out from the NZW line (35th min)
Warriors finally start to show some cohesion and Jets dropping off tackles
Mason Lino scores and converts his own try (38th min)
Halftime: Newtown leads 24-6.
Warriors have a very low completions rate and high error count
One of their trainers says it has been their worst half of football for the year
Jets coach Greg Matterson hammers the message into his players
Don’t let them back in, shut them down
No repeat of Newtown’s halftime lead in Auckland and then second half collapse
Second half:
Jets running to the northern end
Malakai Houma limping with a leg injury but seems to fight through it
NZW knock down a Newtown pass when the Jets looked dangerous on their left-side attack in the 45th min
Is the anticipated Warriors fightback going to materialise?
Jets defending resolutely
Newtown loses the ball in the 46th min
Then they’re forced into a goal-line drop-out in the 47th
NZW caught in possession on the last tackle in the 49th min
Jets fail to take advantage of good break by Josh Cleeland (50th min)
Jeff Robson’s kick into the Newtown in-goal is defused (51st min)
Another good line kick by Nu Brown in the 56th min
Harrison Muller off the field for a head-knock check
Great take of a high ball by Mitch Brown
Penalty to Newtown in 58th min
Penalty to Newtown in 59th min (lifting in a tackle on Kurt Capewell)
Penalty is 40 metres out from NZW line
Nu Brown kicks the penalty goal
Newtown now leads 26-6 with 20 mins to play
Harrison Muller allowed to resume playing
Warriors are getting choked out of the game by Jets relentless defence
Jets lose the ball 30 metres out from NZW line
The Warriors in turn lose the ball in the next set
Kenny Niko goes close to scoring in the 65th min
Penalty to NZW 30 metres out from Jets line
NZW held up over the Jets try-line (67th min)
Newtown up 8-4 in penalties after 69 mins
Warriors frustrated by Newtown’s tight defence
Cleeland cuts through, kicks ahead and Capewell snaps it up to score a spectacular try at the north-eastern end (72nd min)
Ipswich Jets combination from 2015 coming to the fore
Nu Brown converts the try, Newtown home at 32-6 in the 73rd min
A try-scoring opportunity comes to grief when Jaline Graham’s flick pass goes astray
NZW drop the ball in their half in 77th min
Warriors have completed better and made fewer errors in the second half
Unable to broach Jets determined second half defence
Hawkes Bay product Kenny Niko burst through several tackles to score in the 77th min
Converted by Nu Brown in 79th min
Full-Time: Newtown wins 38-6.
Greg Matterson at full-time:
Despite late withdrawals and injuries affecting the Newtown line-up, the Jets rose to the challenge today.
Warriors started badly and Newtown took their opportunities
Strangled them out of it in the second half
Great credit to you all
Penrith next Saturday
They are the competition’s big improvers and we must be ready for them
Greg Matterson’s later comments:
Warriors made a lot of errors in the first half
We took our chances and opened up a lead
In the second half we had to defend for extended periods
It was an outstanding second half effort where we defended our lead and shut them out of making any concerted comeback
We scored twice late in the game for an impressive win against the competition leaders
They were coming off a seven-game winning streak
Kurt Kara was the best Newtown player
He has adapted to playing at lock very well
Also favourably mentioned Jesse Sene-Lefao, Matt McIlwrick, Kurt Capewell, Anthony Moraitis, Nu Brown, Josh Cleeland, Mitch Brown
Special mention to all the Newtown part-timers who stepped up for this crunch game and took on the challenge with huge enthusiasm.
Match photos from Gary Sutherland: http://www.pbase.com/gsphotography/newtown_vs_warriors_180616&page=all
Steele Sports post-match interviews with: –
Jesse Sene-Lefao: https://soundcloud.com/teeleports/jesse-sene-leafao-newtown-jets
Josh Cleeland: https://soundcloud.com/teeleports/josh-cleeland-interview-newtown-v-warriors
Warriors coach Stacey Jones praised Newtown’s performance and said his own team had paid the price for their errors. He jokingly pointed out that the Newtown Jets had eight former New Zealand players in their 17 at Henson Park for this game and that undoubtedly explained their good form!
Newtown Jets Director and financial mainstay Terry Rowney said that this year the mix of Cronulla NRL full-timers and Jets part-timers is working particularly well. The part-timers had all stood up today and really got stuck in. He was very impressed with the enthusiasm and skills of the two boys from the 2015 Ipswich Jets National Second-Tier Championship team, Josh Cleeland and Kurt Capewell, who have contributed a lot to Newtown’s wins and place on the table. Now we have to get ready for the new emerging challenges from the likes of the Panthers and the Cutters.

Newtown’s first NSW Cup trial game for 2025 is against Penrith at Henson Park on Saturday, 8th February at 4.00pm

The Newtown Jets celebrate what was a magnificent year in the history of Australia’s oldest rugby league club

Henson Park Hotel
Chest
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.