Jets opposed with Maroons: 'Really experiential learning'

Going up against the Queensland Maroons in an opposed session was an invaluable experience, if you ask Jets forward Brett Greinke.

The Jets were on hand to help the Maroons prepare for State of Origin Game I and Greinke said it was a really good learning experience for his side.

“It was great to go up against a benchmark team for us to see what they do and the habits they have," Greinke said.

Greinke said with his side yet to win a game in Hostplus Cup season 2023, there was plenty of room for improvement.

"We're currently not doing too well in our competition so hopefully some of that will rub off… it's really experiential learning for us, which I think is the best type of learning,” Greinke said,

"We can watch a video and we can do the theoretical stuff, but to actually feel it in practice was really good. We had Christian Welch and Tommy Dearden in our team. So for them to steer the ship around and really show us what it's like with those comms and how they play... hopefully it'll raise our standards a little bit.

"I think it's more just about those little processes and comms that they do so well.

"The game plans are similar and footy is a really simple game, but they have the really small attention to detail, things locked down and I think that's for us, we've got a lot of guys who are a bit inexperienced or are still getting used to that.

"If we can all get better at that, I think we will see improvements as a whole. It's just a lot of little things that we can take away, I think also the width that they play and the line footy that they play in terms of a technical aspect.

"That's what we want to play as well. So for us to see and feel what that's like, hopefully we can take that out of it too."

Greinke said he used to play with a lot of the players in the Maroons side – including Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and Tom Gilbert in the 2019 XXXX Queensland Residents side -  so it was good to see them all.

"There's a heap of my old teammates playing here, which makes me feel old... there's Tino… he took my head off once… and Tommy Gilbert,” Greinke said.

"Actually I've got quite a few ex-teammates and blokes that I've played with in this team and it was really just great to see them and, it's also great to see how well Queensland are at the moment.

"I'm just looking forward to seeing them play... they'll hopefully smash the Blues.

"We're really grateful for the Maroons boys to give us the opportunity. Hopefully it'll help us this week and moving forward."

Jets captain Rhys Jacks said the whole experience was "pretty awesome".

"I know all the boys were very nervous at the start, which was a bit a funny… more nervous than our normal games I reckon," Jacks said.

"It’s just awesome to see how the best do it. We've had a tough year, form-wise. So something like this really, it does buzz the boys up.

"I'm a bit older so I've played a lot of them when they were coming through. Like Harry Grant… I played with him at the Falcons. It's cool to see what he can do now, how far he's come.

"The boys did ask if Welsh could come play for us on Saturday."

Jacks agreed there was plenty his side could take away from the experience.

"Their small talk is really good... how fast they do things is definitely another level," Jacks said.

Jets coach Ben Cross agreed there was plenty to take away from the experience,  including doing everything with purpose and intensity in training and games.

“It’s about knowing everything we do has a real purpose and we do it at a certain level of intensity… they're realising now that there's another level of intensity that you’ve got do things at, but everything you do has to have a real purpose to get to a certain spot,” Cross said.

“We’re doing everything for a reason. And it's not just because you want to go somewhere to do something else, it's for better for the team.

“Having a certain level of intensity and purpose in everything they do would be the biggest takeaway.

“Hopefully, in the not too distant future, a few of the players could be in the position of the Maroons players.”

The Jets will take on the Burleigh Bears at North Ipswich Reserve on Saturday.