IPSWICH Jets try-scoring sensation Michael Purcell has passed away following a car accident that claimed his young life.

Some players bring you through the gate. Purcell was one of those.

Purcell played 72 games for the Ipswich Jets in the state league, wowing fans with his 66 tries.

In Purcell’s career at the Jets, he brought the North Ipswich Reserve to their feet whenever he touched the ball. He made the impossible seem possible and the ridiculous the norm.

Standing still when he received the ball, going nowhere and waiting, Purcell would explode through a non-existent gap.

Purcell has the third most tries for the Jets and the 10th most points with 302.

Purcell was an attacking force from the start, scoring on debut against Norths in 2016. He would come off the bench against the Devils and it would take until the 78th minute for him to get that first try but then he was away.

Coached by Ben and Shane Walker, Purcell quickly showed the Walkers what they had on their hands.

“We heard from some people in Charleville about his skill and then we got him down here and we were blown away from the start,” Ben said.

“Such a great athlete, speed, strong and such a happy young man.”

Photo: Queensland Rugby League

Purcell was a marathon runner completing the New York marathon at 17 and that told Ben Walker plenty about the young man.

“He was super fit,” Ben said. “We brought him on slowly off the bench his first games and then be broke his arm the first season and we had to put him in BRL for two weeks when he came back.”

Purcell would play 15 games in his first year and score 13 tries, including a double two weeks in a row against the Pride and Capras and then three against the Cutters.

But it would be the two weeks in Brisbane Rugby League that would make Jets BRL coach Mark Bishop the happiest. Purcell scored 10 tries in two games against Carina and Logan Brothers.

“He came back from the broken arm and Ben and Shane Walker said we will give him some confidence back,” Bishop said.

It didn’t take him long to get that confidence.

“He was like the big kid, standing flat-footed just give him the ball and he’d score again,” Bishop laughed as he remembered the Kangaroo Catcher.

“I remember saying to Ben and Shane, can I have him for a few more weeks, don’t think he’s right for Cup.

“They said no.”

Purcell would never play anything but Cup for the Jets again.

Photo: Queensland Rugby League

Shane Walker remembered an athlete that couldn’t be broken.

“We would make new Jets do repeated fitness every training night and then if we broke them we knew they couldn’t be a Jet,” Walker said.

“We are standing there and waiting for Purcy to break but he is leading everything just running along with a huge smile on face.

“We knew then we had something special.

“Dane Phillips came to us one of his first sessions and said how good is this club, he wouldn’t even get a run at any other club and here he will score 30 tries a year.

“Our friend from Chinchilla came to a Jets game and at the end of warm up he’s grabbed me and said is that Michael Purcell?

“I said yeah he is playing for us why?

“Foordy said he played reserve grade in Chinchilla last year, he scored seven tries and kicked seven goals before half time.

“The A Grade coach took him off and we got beaten by two without him.”

Michael Purcell Jets’ legacy was solidified against the Townsville Blackhawks in the 2018 finals. It was his first finals game, the Jets first in two years. It was third v sixth away from home.

Purcell turned in a startling performance with two tries and it could have been three before halftime when he was pulled down just short of the line.

It was 20-0 up at half time after Purcell put on a finals’ game masterclass that would end with 195 metres, three-line breaks, 11 tackle breaks and two tries.

The Jets had their last finals win and Purcell was outstanding.

Scoring 22 tries in 2018 from 19 games to finish the state league leading try scorer, Purcell was a sensation that year with NRL players Scott Drinkwater and Kotoni Staggs unable to run down the flying Jet.

That will be the enduring image of Purcell. He will always be running, the crowd standing, the Kangaroo Catcher scoring and everyone smiling.