Jets just fall short in State Championship thriller

Norths Devils became just the third Queensland club to win the NRL State Championship with a thrilling 20-18 win over the Newtown Jets at Sydney’s Accor Stadium today.

It was four tries each in a tough contest, with the Jets holding the lead right up until six minutes from full-time.

Jets winger Sam Stonestreet scored a hat-trick – making it 16 for The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup side this season – but had a premature end to his State Championship, leaving the field for a head injury assessment (HIA) in the 71st minute.

The NSWRL CABE Under-19s Men’s Player of the Year for 2022, Oryn Keeley, emerged the hero for the Devils with two second-half tries that helped steal the win.

Since the State Championship began 10 years ago, bringing the champions of the NSW Cup and Queensland Cup face-to-face, Queensland clubs have only won three times: Northern Pride over Penrith Panthers in 2014, Ipswich Jets over Newcastle Knights in 2015, and now the Devils.

The Jets won the State Championship in 2019 and today were trying to win their second trophy in a week, after they defeated North Sydney Bears 28-22 in The Knock-On Effect NSW Cup Grand Final last Sunday.

Players wore black armbands and there was a minute’s silence for former Jets president Barry Vining, who led the club for 32 years (1986-2018), but passed away after suffering a heart attack last weekend.

The Stonestreet double laid the foundation for the Jets’ 14-10 lead at halftime.

They had scored three spectacular tries in the opening 40 minutes, but ill-discipline through a forward pass and a knock-on gifted the Devils with a ‘coach-killer’ try to fullback Jordan Lipp just seconds out from the halftime siren.

Norths were first to post points when halfback Jack Ahearn sent a lovely short pass right into Kumuls international, Jeremiah Simbiken’s hands.

But most of the rest of the half was Newtown’s. Stonestreet scored his side’s first four-pointer in the 16th minute after he and fullback Liam Ison twice traded the ball between themselves in a 90-metre movement.

Then seven minutes later a flick-pass from prop Braden Hamlin-Uele, as he was .falling to the turf, put his No.7 Niwhai Puru over.  

In between Stonestreet’s second in the 31st minute came one of the tackles of the 2024 grand final – hooker Jayden Berrell brought down Lipp and rolled him into touch with the line open after the Devils’ No.1 had stepped three Jets defenders.

In the second half, Stonestreet scored his third through nice ball movement down the short side, to set up an eight-point lead (18-10).

But again Jets mistakes invited the Devils to set up camp on Newton’s line leading to a try for Keeley, who busted through three defenders. The lead narrowed to just two points with 20 minutes left (18-16).

Berrell emerged the saviour once again getting his hands under the ball, carried by Devils centre Jacob Gagan, to prevent a try with 10 minutes to play.  

But off the back of another Jets error, the Devils worked their way upfield with Keeley running another great line to score his second in the 74th minute and tip the scale the Devils’ way 20-18. That ended up being the match-winner and the Devils celebrations began.