THE Ipswich Jets have ended a seven-year wait for finals football, securing eighth place on the Hostplus Cup ladder and booking their spot in the 2025 postseason.
Head Coach Tye Ingebrigtsen has steered the TAE Aerospace Ipswich Jets to their first finals appearance since 2018, capping off a strong finish to the season.
Ingebrigtsen joined this team at the helm with a team record of only one win from the previous 32 games, and he has turned the ship around and into a post-season tilt.
The Jets will now face the Sunshine Coast Falcons in a sudden-death elimination final next weekend, with everything on the line.
Ingebrigtsen praised his team’s resilience and commitment throughout the year.
“We are super stoked to be playing finals,” Ingebrigtsen said.
“We set a goal in November to turn the club around and make the top 8 – we have achieved that goal.
“We go into the finals series as underdogs and we will give it our best.”
The Jets will be looking to bounce back after going down to a dominant Souths Logan Magpies outfit 34-16 at Davies Park on Saturday.
It was a tough opening 40 minutes for Ipswich, with Souths Logan racing to a 22-0 halftime lead after scoring four unanswered tries.
The Jets struggled to build momentum early and were forced to defend for long periods as the Magpies controlled possession.
The second half told a different story, as the Jets came out determined to claw their way back.
Nicholas Halalilo sparked the fightback in the 51st minute with a powerful try close to the line.
That effort lifted Ipswich, and Jonathon Reuben and Oliver Pascoe both crossed soon after to close the gap to 28-16 with just over 10 minutes to play.
Despite the resurgence, Souths Logan steadied late, with Latrell Siegwalt scoring his second try in the 77th minute to put the result beyond doubt.
The contest wasn’t without controversy, with three players sent to the sin bin in the second half – Luke Maddaford for Ipswich and Anthony Milford twice for the Magpies.
The men in green and white will be hoping their supporters come out in force this weekend to support them.
