Jets zero in on A-League finals after flush preseason

With a new coach, new CEO, new roster and new style of play, could the Newcastle Jets be ready to end a finals hiatus that has hampered their course for the past seven seasons? 

LOOKING BEYOND: The Jets' squad during 2017/18 preseason training. Photo: Newcastle Jets

Already in their 2017 pre-season campaign they have knocked off Melbourne City, Sydney FC and Wellington Phoenix.

In 10 trial games over the last three months, the Jets have lost just once in a closed-doors match against their arch-rivals Central Coast Mariners. 

While most of those games have been against inferior opposition, the results are runs on the board; good form.

A cautious assessment of their turnaround over the offseason heeds at suggesting the stars are aligning for the Hunter franchise, but its clear things have changed at the Jets and it’s fair to say their fans should be excited about the season ahead. 

WINNING RUN: Newcastle's results so far this preseason.

After a tumultuous few years following the ownership of Nathan Tinkler, in which the club transitioned from being run by the FFA to eventually being sold to the Chinese Ledman Group, the Jets appear to be a more settled club heading into season 12 of the A-League. 

But it hasn’t come easy.

The wooden-spoon they collected in April was followed by the sacking of then head coach Mark Jones after less than a year in the job. 

His tenure followed the 15-month spell under what the fans were led to believe was a rising coach in Scott Miller, who was touted as one of the best up-and-coming managers in Australian football. 

Miller’s sacking was dealt with by former Central Coast Mariners’ kingpin Lawrie McKinna after just a few weeks into his new Jets’ CEO role. 

Even for the charismatic football veteran, it was some entrance; by all means, one which had the loyalest of fans stirring in dismay at what their team had become. 

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The direction of the club was further questioned once the wooden-spoon was in hand and another coach – Jones – was shown the door.

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But proving old allegiances never die, the wily Scotsman went out and secured the services of countryman and two-time A-League Championship winner Ernie Merrick.  

While Merrick had been on a sabbatical after resigning from the troubled Wellington Phenoix midway through last season and was perhaps considered a risk by some fans, there is no doubting the man’s ability to coach with a career spanning 268 games in-charge and a near four-decade association with the elite levels of football. 

Some astute signings during the mid-year break allowed Merrick to turn-up on day one of preseason with firm optimism about what lay ahead. Recognising the problems that had a plagued Newcastle’s last couple of seasons would be important, but a fresh outlook on what was to come would be essential.

Jets coach Ernie Merrick delivering instructions on Day 2 of pre-season. #ALeague #Newcastle pic.twitter.com/AyGqTxhOXq

— Max McKinney (@MaxMckinney) June 27, 2017

He wasn’t part of the past, so there was little point thinking about it. 

Roy O’Donovan was signed from the Mariners almost immediately after last season finished, Nikolai Topor-Stanley was picked up for a return to the club after four years at the Wanderers and a short stint in Dubai, Daniel Georgievski shifted from Melbourne Victory, and Dimitri Pertratos came from Brisbane Roar to join his brother Kosta – who signed in the January transfer window. 

Whether Merrick was looking for it or not, he’s clearly gained a lot of experience in that crop of signatures. Combined with captain Nigel Boogaard, Jason Hoffman and Wayne Brown, the Jets shouldn’t be short for a leadership group. 

The club’s evolving group of players in Andrew Nabbout, Nick Cowburn and Steven Ugarkovic will benefit from both the strong emphasis of experience in the squad and Merrick’s time spent at the Victorian Institute of Sport before becoming a full-time A-League coach. 

NEW LEADER: Merrick handing out instructions at training. Photo: Newcastle Jets

No doubt Merrick’s focus will be on developing those he has while adding the spice and knowledge of those on the recruited list. 

And the pool of players new to the club was iced with the recruitment of 30-year-old Venezuelan international, Ronald Vergas, just three weeks before the start of the season. 

Ronny, as they call him. 

The final piece of the puzzle according to Merrick. A player who can create goals and score just as many. An out-and-out creative dynamo. 

Signed to play No. 10, the linkage between former Fulham midfielder Wayne Brown, Vargas and striker Roy O’Donovan will be vital to the Jets success. 

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Indeed, it provides a tantalising prospect of the partnerships that could invoke an exciting style of play under the play-to-win desire of Ernie Merrick.

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In the 2016/17 season, the Jets notched just five wins from 27 matches in the A-League. 

A woeful record, really. 

Surprisingly, when they did win; they scored goals. Not once did they win scoring just one goal.

But when they lost, they lost big. Only once in their 15 defeats was it just a single goal they had scored against them. 

The fix? You ask.

With O’Donovan and Vargas ready to add the goals, and Topor-Stanley ready to sure up the defence with Boogaard, there is no reason why the Jets shouldn’t be aiming for the finals if they can remain injury-free.

POLARISING FIGURE: Former Mariners' striker Roy O'Donovan will be in the spotlight this season. Photo: Newcastle Jets

The turnover in players at the club, a fresh outlook, and a successful, confidence-boosting preseason have them locked and loaded for an effective campaign. 

A minimum of 12 wins – just over double what they achieved last season and one more than third-placed Melbourne City in 2016/17 – should be the target. 

It’s bold, but so it should be. 

For a club that has not made the post-season for what’s becoming close to a decade, they must play without fear or in awe of anyone. 

With three home games inside the first five rounds, including an opening-round derby away to the Mariners, by early November it should be clear which way the Jets’ season is headed.   

Perhaps they could have even amassed the perfect start. 

Is four of those targeted 12 wins too audacious? 

SEASON PREDICTION: Fourth. 

Jets and Mariners off the mark



Fabio Ferreira scored twice for the Mariners in their 3-2 win over Perth.

Photo credit: Jason Pratt Photography
Source: www.ccmariners.com.au

The Newcastle Jets and Central Coast Mariners both started their seasons in style over the weekend recording wins in round one of the 2015/16 A-League competition. The clubs’ were given little chance to enjoy success this season by the experts with many predicting a finish at the bottom of the ladder. Most commentators had labelled them as re-building or bare of the star players the big-city sides fortuitously possess. But do the two east-coast teams have a genuine chance to kick-on from their solid showings and play consistent football for the rest of the season? Will the Mariners or Jets feature in the finals?

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.

Jedinak & Cahill: Standing tall and flying high

On the return from the halftime break at last night’s Asian Cup Final, two inspirational leaders led the Australian team back onto the pitch; Mile Jedinak and Tim Cahill. Both are vastly different men, from their personalities to the path of their careers, but their stature in Australian and world football is high above. Their influence on the relatively new Socceroos squad has been instrumental, with the young squad feeding off their leadership qualities.

Leading the way, Mile Jedinak and Tim Cahill.

Four weeks ago Tim Cahill came out and said he would take full responsibility for the goal scoring during the Asian Cup. For any player, in any team, in any competition; that’s a big statement, but leading into one of the biggest competitions of international football, that’s huge. Cahill was undeterred by a media response questioning whether he had placed too much responsibility on himself. Australian Manager Ange Postecoglou was unfazed by the statement, professing that it is Cahill’s job to score the goals, so he should be taking responsibility. 

Cahill, the all-time leading Socceroos goal scorer, took an approach that had ‘follow me’ written all over it. Realising the pressure that could be building on the young Socceroos strikers’ pre-tournament, Cahill’s decision to put his hand up and head the responsibility and media focus was done with a team mindset and extra mental belief in his own ability. Whilst Cahill alleviated the pressure on his teammates, he still had to score goals for his thought process to be effective. So in the 33^rd minute of Australia’s first game against Kuwait, none other than Tim Cahill rammed home the Socceroos first goal of the competition. Cahill went on to feature heavily in Australia’s pool matches, and when the team needed someone to stand up in the quarter final against China, Cahill arrived scoring two of arguably his best ever goals. 

Tim Cahill is without question Australia’s greatest ever Footballer. His ability to position himself on the football field to find an opportunity is world class. His self-belief in taking on the world’s best on the game’s biggest stage is downright inspiring. He is the type of player that just does not care who he is playing, but still maintains a healthy respect for all his rivals. Cahill’s will to win and unfazed determination to be successful make him one of Australia’s best sports competitors. The never-give-up attitude and courageous fight personifies the Australian spirit. Cahill is a fiery and aggressive player with plenty of opinion off the field, but he backs up any words with his displays every time he pulls on a jumper. Whether it is club, international or something else, Cahill’s loyalty and the way he represents a team are some of his most valuable traits. You always know what you’ll get from him, 100% every time. And in today’s age, that’s hard to find. 

Posing a different set of traits is Australian Socceroos captain Mile Jedinak. Mile was made captain before the 2014 World Cup in Brazil by Ange Postecoglou. Not as well-known to the average fan as Tim Cahill back then, Jedinak’s stature has been there for all to see since taking on the role. Through Brazil and into the Asian Cup, Jedinak’s leadership has stood taller than the man himself. Standing at six-foot-two and playing the in the middle of the park as a defensive midfielder, he has been a prominent figure and leader for the rest of his teammates. 

Jedinak’s style is much different to Cahill’s, he could be thought of as an introvert who lets his actions do the talking. While keeping his commitments to the media with regular interviews, he never seems to let too much out. Behind closed doors and in the team circle, he may be a vocal captain, but leading the way with impermeable performances, the Socceroos have had a staunch and grand leader to follow.   

Mile’s style may reflect the path he has taken on his way to becoming Australian, and English Premier League club, Crystal Palace’s captain.  Born in Western Sydney and playing junior football in Parramatta and Mount Druitt, Mile spent years playing in the NSW premier league for Sydney United before making it into the A-league, and later into Turkey before being drafted into the Crystal Palace side. The fact that Jedinak drove six times a week from the western suburbs with no contract to train with the Central Coast Mariners before earning a spot shows his work ethic and devotion. 

While Ange Postecoglou may have found his path a reason to make him captain considering the amount of A-league players now in, or stalking the squad from the competition, being made captain of an English Premier League side has to be a feat that would have once been considered impossible. Jedinak obviously stands tall in height on most football fields, but when he plays for Crystal Palace or Australia, he stands even taller in stature. His involvement in and around the centre of the park provide a stable base to build game plans from. Hard work, prominence, and commitment are what you get from Mile Jedinak. 

Australia finished off the Asian Cup last night with a win over South Korea in extra time thanks to a goal from a committed James Troisi, set up by Tomi Juric’s never-give-up dribble. Both young players in the Socceroos squad who have spent the last month in the company of two of Australia’s finest sport’s leaders. Without Tim Cahill and Mile Jedinak, one has to wonder whether Troisi and Juric would have displayed the actions they did to win the game. The leaders’ influence has been critical in turning the generation-changing Socceroos into a force for years to come. Who will be leading the way in Russia in 2018 for the World Cup? With Cahill and Jedinak to follow as examples, we should have some players itching at the bit to turn their dreams into reality.

Arnold disrespected by Mariners in return to the coast

A-League Football returns to the Central Coast on Saturday night with Sydney FC visiting Central Coast Stadium for the first time this season, up against a Mariners side still trying to return to their best form. The game is an important clash for both sides, with Sydney looking to keep pace with the top four sides, and the Mariners trying to claw their way up from the bottom depths of the ladder. In what should have been a dignified and respected return to Gosford for former Mariners, and now Sydney FC Coach Graham Arnold, the match has been tarnished by the Mariners cheap and tardy advertisement released this week.

Arnold will now be out to make the Mariners eat their words

Arnold, who coached the Mariners for three years, leading them to two grand finals, a premiership and the club’s first and only championship, was the subject of a distasteful advertisement showering him in money and branding him ‘cashed up’. Asking fans to ‘be there as we take on the bling’, the Mariners have failed to truly capitalise on an opportunity to get fans back through the gates for the right reasons, and have instead embarrassed themselves to their own, and rival clubs’ fans. Graham Arnold is the reason the Mariners have got through the last few seasons, with his development of players leading to over $4.5 million in transfer fees for the club. The little club that punches above its weight just threw a low blow and ran away; back stepping faster than a dancer doing the foxtrot when Arnold mentioned defamation and legal options. At times during his three years on the coast, Arnold would have to lend players money when they weren’t paid on time, personally mow training fields and built his team on the lowest budget in the A-League. But this is not to say he wasn’t happy; Arnold, who regularly enjoyed a schooner of VB at the Terrigal Bowling Club, used the club’s predicament to build his culture and ultimately further the club’s identity as the battlers who no one gives a chance.

The Mariners as a club should have positively promoted Arnold’s return with close NSW rivals Sydney FC and tried to capitalise on the sunny Central Coast weather, grabbing those still on School holidays and visitors for the Australia Day long weekend. In what is the third of their School holiday matches, the club has posted crowd totals of 9932 and 7409 failing to meet the number required by owner Mike Charlesworth to be deemed viable for keeping matches in Gosford. With a continued trend by Charlesworth this season to move games into the North of Sydney, the Mariners need a response from local fans this weekend and one has to wonder what effect the advertisement will have on the already tough-to-get-through-gate coasties’.  

Positive showings from the Mariners in their last two outings against Brisbane Roar (3-3) and Melbourne City (2-0) before the Asian Cup break should have left supporters eager to return to the grass under the palms for the enticing encounter with Sydney FC. Building on such results will be in the minds of both Coach Phil Moss and Captain John Hutchinson, who will both be desperate for a win. The Mariners welcome back Nick Montgomery and Matt Simon from injury to the side after a three week break.

Sydney FC will be with new signings Jacques Faty, Mickael Tavares and Robert Stambolziev, who have all been purchased by Arnold to cover for indefinite injury losses to key players Nick Carle, Sasa Ognenovski and Ali Abbas. Sydney will also be without Terry Antonis who is on international duty with the Socceroos at the Asian Cup. Arnold will be using the deep knowledge of his former side to his advantage, and will run with Shane Smeltz up front trying to penetrate the Mariners line.  

The spirited clash will no doubt be well attended by true Mariners fans, and with Josh Rose inking a new two-year deal with the club last week and their recent results, the Mariners have plenty to be building on. The figure of Arnold back on the sidelines, albeit on a different end than usual, will be a startling scene for fans, which were used to Arnold’s at times dramatic presence while leading the navy and yellow. Hopefully Sydney fans make the trip up the Freeway for the long weekend and holiday-makers take the opportunity to watch a first class game on the Central Coast. With tickets under $25, there’s no better time of the year to take in the sunset overlooking Brisbane Water from the picturesque Central Coast Stadium stands.

See you on Saturday night folks!