Former Local man Ben Shea changed clubs this year after making the move from Wynnum Manly Seagulls to the Ipswich Jets. Shea said “Ive really enjoyed the change, its been something different after 8 years at Wynnum.” Ben has taken little time finding his feet in the green and white. He doesn’t always take the credit he deserves, often passing it onto his teammates and praising them of doing their job before mentioning that there is always room for improvement, individually and as a collective.
In 2016, Shea ruptured the patellar tendon and separated the knee cap on his right leg and had to have two surgeries which sat him on the sidelines for 12 months. After having 8 months off work, Shea returned to play Reserve Grade with Wynnum but the chance of a re-injury was too much pressure on his family life. Shea was told when he got the call to join the jets that he was to not change his style too much, that they would tailor a few things to the way he plays his game.
Shea has scored 3 tries this season with the Jets. He said, “The season has gone really well, I’ve had a pretty good season personally and the body has held up well, so I have managed to play every game so far.” With 540 tackles made with the Jets, Shea’s tackle efficiency is at 93%, just in time for the elimination semi-final in Townsville this Saturday.
