The Jets Intrust Super Premiership season gets underway on Saturday, 10th March

Newtown’s 2018 ISP NSW campaign begins this Saturday when the boys in royal blue travel to the northern end of the Central Coast for their opening competition round against Wyong Roos.

The match details are:

NSWRL Intrust Super Premiership NSW – Round One

Saturday, 10^th March 2018

Morry Breen Oval

Wyong v Newtown

Kick-Off: 4.30pm

Referee: Ryan Jackson

Touch Judges: Adam Reid and Mitchell Stone.

Newtown’s team for this first competition round is:

Fullback: Will Kennedy (ex-Cronulla Sharks Under 20’s. He is the son of former Balmain and NSW Country Rugby League centre William “Bubba” Kennedy).

Wingers: Matt Evans (Ex-South Sydney and North Sydney; has been with Newtown since 2014); Edrick Lee (ex-Canberra Raiders; has represented Queensland in State of Origin Under 20’s; current member of the Cronulla Sharks NRL squad. He has played more than 70 NRL games)

Centres: Jesse Ramien (Product of Coonamble RLFC in north-west NSW; member of the Cronulla Sharks NRL squad; has represented the Junior Kangaroos; NSW State of Origin Under 20’s; member of the 2017 NYC Team of the Year); Reubenn Rennie (Product of Otahuhu RLFC; represented New Zealand under 18’s; ex-Canterbury-Bankstown NSW Cup; ex-Mounties ISP NSW; has represented the Cook Islands in international rugby league)

Five-Eighth: Jack Williams (De La Salle Caringbah product; ex-Cronulla Sharks Under 20’s team captain; can play five-eighth and halfback; grandson of Rugby League Immortal Reg Gasnier)

Halfback: Jesse Marschke (Product of Bundaberg, Queensland junior system; ex-Sydney Roosters Under 20’s; member of Queensland emerging under 20’s squad; twin brother of Ben Marschke)

Lock: Jack Williams (Product of Cooma RLFC; ex-Canberra Raiders under 20’s and was the Raiders NYC player of the year in 2016; current member of Cronulla Sharks NRL squad; member of the ISP NSW 2017 rep team)

Second-Rowers: Anthony Moraitis (Cronulla Sharks junior product; former captain of Cronulla Sharks Under 20’s; had a big season with the Newtown Jets in 2016; 2017 Canberra Raiders NRL squad member); Scott Sorensen (has one of the most famous surnames in rugby league and is a nephew of Kurt and Dane Sorensen; Cronulla-Caringbah juniors product; Cronulla Sharks 2014; South Sydney 2015; Canberra Raiders 2016-17; Cronulla Sharks NRL squad member in 2018; has played NRL with the Sharks and Raiders)

Front-rowers: Brock Ilett (Cronulla-Caringbah juniors product; NSW under 18’s representative; ex-Cronulla Sharks Under 20’s); Wes Lolo (Mascot juniors product; ex-Wests Tigers ISP NSW; has represented Niue in international rugby league)

Hooker: Blayke Brailey (Aquinas Colts juniors product; ex-Cronulla Sharks under 20’s; Australian Schoolboys representative; younger brother of Sharks NRL hooker Jayden Brailey).

Interchange:

Jaimin Jolliffe (Wagga Kangaroos product; ex-Cronulla Sharks Under 20’s; played with Newtown Jets in 2017)

Billy Magoulias (Mascot and Cronulla-Caringbah product; ex-Cronulla Sharks Holden Cup; current member of Cronulla Sharks NRL squad)

Malakai Houma (Product of Mt Albert RLFC, NZ; ex-New Zealand Warriors Under 20’s; Newtown NSW Cup squad in 2016; member of Cronulla Sharks NRL squad in 2017 but suffered a season-ending injury; has come back very strongly in 2018. In 2016 Malakai and his older brother Saulala made history as the first siblings to pack down together in the front row in the same game for the Newtown Jets)

Ben Marschke (Product of Bundaberg, Queensland junior system; ex-Sydney Roosters Under 20’s; Ben and his brother Jesse become the first twins to play in Newtown’s top grade since Paul and Chris Dawson played first grade for Newtown in the 1970’s. Stu McCarthy reminds me that Channarith Ly and Channareth Ly played Jim Beam Cup for Newtown in 2003).

Coach: Greg Matterson, who is beginning his 11^th season as head coach of the Newtown RLFC.

Wyong’s team for Saturday is:

Luke Sharpe, Chris Centrone, Joshua Mantellato, Matthew Ikavalu, Nicholas O’Meley, Dean Matterson, Paul Momirovski, Eloni Vunakece, Mitchell Williams, Poasa Faamausili, Reuben Porter, Sitili Tupouniua, Nat Butcher.

Interchange: Chris Smith, Brock Gray, Jake Lewis, Benjamin Thomas, Bradie Smith, Bradley Keighran.

Coach: Rip Taylor.

Last Tuesday night’s 2018 Jets season launch at the Petersham RSL Club was an outstanding success. Highlight of the night was the emotional farewell made to Barry Vining, who has stepped down after an extraordinary 32 years as President of the Newtown RLFC. Terry Rowney, who has served on the Newtown RLFC Board with Barry since the early 1980’s, made a heartfelt speech outlining the many trials and tribulations they dealt with in the past 36 years. Club legend Colin Murphy received a great welcome from the crowd and Phil Gould was in top form in his interview with Graeme Hughes.