Fabio Ferreira scored twice for the Mariners in their 3-2 win over Perth.Photo credit: Jason Pratt PhotographySource: www.ccmariners.com.au |
Rebuilding
wasn’t in Mariners’ coach Tony Walmsley’s pre-season vocabulary after he
appointed himself as the head-coach following an initial worldwide search for
Phil Moss’s replacement. What’s clear is Walmsley doesn’t muck around; he has
recruited former Sunderland player Roy O’Donovan from wherever he was in the
Football world, gone about recruiting some handy players from within Australia,
and told anyone who cares that the Mariners will be playing an attacking and
exciting brand of football this season.
With the merry
years under Graham Arnold long gone, the Mariners struggled to deliver last
season and Coach Walmsley knew the club had to bring some spice to the pitch
this voyage. Re-establishing their connection with the community has been the
focus from owner Mike Charlesworth - who last year flirted with moving matches
to the north of Sydney - and part of building and strengthening those bridges is
offering a pleasing product. Enter Walmsley and his intentions.
Any sports’
fan just wants to see their team have a crack, and any football fan sure as
hell doesn’t go to a football match to see a goalless draw, they want to see the
ball put into the back of the net and this is what Walmsley is all about. While
the Mariners might not win the majority of their matches this season, at least
the fans will be able to walk away having seen a side willing to take risks in
order to win the game. On the weekend they played with grit, determination and
flair. They backed up Walmsley’s pre-season preaches and ended up having 24
shots on goal, compared to Perth’s 13. Their goals might have come from
penalties and a re-bound, but they were loading the cannons and finding their
range.
Just like
their F3 counterparts, the Newcastle Jets began their pre-season with a new
coach. Former Fulham Assistant Coach, Scott Miller, has taken on his first
head-coaching role and with Football Australia controlling the club; Miller had
little room to spend big on new arrivals. After a mass-exodus following the stripping
of the club from Nathan Tinkler, he did however; have to bring in some of his
own recruits. The Jets were able to secure new-captain; Nigel Boogaard,
defensive-midfielder; Mateo Poljack, and Serbian striker; Milos Trifunović.
The
Jets started their round one game against the Wellington Pheonix as big
outsiders, but they were able to clinch a victory with goals from former Socceroo,
David Carney, and the Serb, Milos Trifunović. Despite being expected to lose
the game in New Zealand, Coach Miller interestingly stated after the game that
the team fully expected to win the game, showing his high expectations of the
side. Many have questioned whether Miller was ready for a Manager’s role, but
don’t be fooled, he has spent almost a decade working in and around the English
Premier League with Fulham, and that is invaluable experience. So far, he has
been all class in his media appearances for the Jets, who are also trying to
re-establish a community connection.
Much
like the Mariners, the Jets are looking to have a big year both on and off the
field after their fallout from the Nathan Tinkler ownership. However with
problems come opportunities, and the Jets have a real chance to fire this year
and move away from the stench of Tinkler’s reign. They are probably going to
wait longer for some sustained success than the Mariners but it’s hard to say
they will be waiting long after knocking off one of last year’s best sides in
their opening game. The Jets face a real test on the field Saturday night
against Sydney FC along with a test of their community engagement at the
turnstiles. They have put in some real work to cement a solid association with
the Hunter football fans and hopefully the fresh start pays off.
The
two teams’ border on each other’s territory and it’s going to fascinating to
see how their seasons unfold after their indifferent yet similar winter build
ups. They both have new and stimulating coaches; are almost desperately trying
to build their link in their respective communities, and have both started the
season with impressive victories. Here’s to hoping they can continue to bump
shoulders with the big boys in 2015/16.
How good is that photo by Jason Pratt of a celebrating Fabio Ferreira at the picturesque Central Coast Stadium. In the coming weeks Sport/Life/Australia will be reviewing both the Mariners and Jets game-day experiences.