You’re dealing with a good player when you can speak about him all week, you can analyse and identify what he does and when he does it; and yet he gets the job done anyway.
The Jets prepared this week to contend with everything Capras half Matt Minto might do in the game, but it didn’t amount to stopping him.
The Capras were unchanged while the Jets welcomed back Sam Martin after missing the first two weeks.
The visitors started the game with promise, making two breaks in the first set of six, with Jets’ half Dane Phillips overcoming a knee injury to be involved in everything for the Jets.
Minto – who is in his second season at Central Queensland – started his involvement with a towering bomb that Carlin Anderson couldn’t handle and from the scrum, Minto stamped his name on the game; he took the ball at the back of the scrum and skipped through to get his side off to a 6-0 start with the Ian Webster conversion.
The Jets answered back with Nemani Valekapa running 40m to score his first try this year and his 31st try in the Intrust Super Cup after some slick lead up work from Anderson and Marmin Barba.
The Jets had plenty of chances; a forward pass to Barba in space was called back and a ball was bounced over the line in an attempt to score.
It was 6-4 to the Capras halfway through the first half when Reece Baker took off down the left and challenged the Jets’ right side defence to pull them down. Baker won the race to the corner and the race to the lead getting his side up 12-4
It was closing in on the break when the Jets kept defending their line and turning the Capras away.
Minto was rolling it into the in-goal and testing out the Jets’ back three, keeping them on their toes.
The Jets had a go at applying their own pressure when they received a penalty to go inside the Capras’ half and then earned a repeat set.
It seemed things would turn and eventually the Jets would be afforded the chance to attack when Nat Neale placed an off-load straight onto the chest for Sebastian Pandia to score his first try for the Jets in his third game for the Jets.
That left the score at 12-8 at half-time; and while the Capras had certainly played well, the feeling was the Jets were finding some groove and would start to capitalise on chances in the second half.
However, the Capras and Matt Minto didn’t receive that script and they started the half by taking the two points on offer to extend the lead to 14-8.
But in a tightly-contested period of the game, Jets’ lock Rory Humphreys made a break and placed a clever kick for Bill McConnachie to score to lock up the game and give the Jets another chance.
With scores now 14-14 with 14 minutes to go, the Capras again took the two points when offered to retake the lead 16-14.
Minto then took on the line and split the Jets’ defence to record his second try and give the Capras the lead 22-14 with only moments remaining in the match.
Minto wasn’t done yet and decided to turn the screws a little more on the Jets calmly potting the one point to give the Capras a 23-14 win over the Jets.
The Jets will take on the Souths Logan Magpies next week while the Capras will have the bye.
See the final team lists for this game at QRL Live
CQ CAPRAS 23 (Matthew Minto 2, Reece Baker tries; Ian Webster 4, Matthew Minto goals; Matthew Minto field goal) def IPSWICH JETS 14 (Sebastian Pandia, Nemani Valekapa, Richard Pandia tries; Haydan Lipp goal) at Browne Park.
Read the Round 3 match reports:
Easts snare win in thriller v Mackay
Gallery and Wrap: PNG secure close win v Tweed Heads
Opacic treble gets Phins first win
Blackhawks clip Magpies wings
