With a new coach, new captain and at least four new players, it will be a very different Newcastle Jets side that takes to the field in A-League season 10.

Phil Stubbins is the new coach, captain Ruben Zadkovich has left and the Jets have got some new attackers in Marcos Flores and Edson Montano.

The two South Americans will have some large goalscoring boots to fill with top-goalscorer Adam Taggart joining Fulham and marquee Emile Heskey departing.

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They will also have David Carney and Joel Griffiths in support, but one of Stubbins’ hopes for this season will be that the Jets provide more goals from right across the park, not just from the front third.

The departures from Hunter Stadium have been heavy – skipper Zadkovich and midfielder Zenon Caravella have departed, James Brown and Connor Chapman have joined Melbourne City, and that’s not mentioning Josh Mitchell and fringe squad member Joey Gibbs.

Other new arrivals have come in the form of Adrian Madaschi and Western Sydney Wanderers youngster Josh Barresi. It’s so far so good from the Jets. Madaschi has a good pedigree and Flores, if he can regain his fitness and form, is undoubtedly a class player.

Little is known about Montano except that he has played for the Ecuadorian national team four times and appeared for the country at the 2011 Under-20 World Cup. Newcastle has had a chequered history with South American imports, like Mario Jardel, so Jets fans will wait with bated breath.

But Stubbins has not finished recruiting and there are still some holes to fill. Another defender is on the wish list, along with another playmaker and some more midfield strength.

Luckily for the Jets it seems like they have held on to Josh Brillante and Mark Birighitti for this season, a big bonus considering their talent and potential.



Season 10 looms as a big one for the Hunter club. Last season was a failure, with the Jets finishing seventh and missing the finals for the fourth time in a row.

It was the same old story – inconsistency and some big upsets rolled in with dismal capitulations. The Jets rarely managed to string wins together and the campaign petered out as it has done since 2011.

It’s fair to say the Newcastle public has tired of the Hunter Sports Group regime. The controversies with the Newcastle Knights hasn’t helped, nor has incidents with the Culinas or the sacking of their advisory board.

Four years out of the finals and little to cheer about on the field hasn’t helped. There have been cheap ticket prices and Emile Heskey was a success in his first season with the club, but that progress has not been built upon.

Crowd figures back up a waning of support. In the season just gone the Jets averaged crowds of 11,949, compared with 13,388 in 2012-2013 and 12,117 in 2011-2012.

It appears unlikely the Jets will have the funds to attract a big-name marquee, which is a shame, but it’s more important that they bring in the right recruits and create a fluid and entertaining playing style.

Gary van Egmond’s possession-based philosophy never really worked in Newcastle, with the team keeping possession but unable to deliver the finished product, apart from Taggart. Too often they would resort to predictable crosses and long balls as they lacked the ability to break teams down.

Stubbins has waited a long time to get a top A-League job and he has earned his shot. I’m intrigued to see how he does.



If Flores is fit and firing, and with former and current Socceroos in support (Carney, Griffiths, Brillante, Madaschi and Birighitti), the Jets could surprise a few teams.

The stage is set for a new canvas at Turton Road. Stubbins and company get their first chance to impress in the FFA Cup against Perth at home on August 5.