It's been a while since words like 'exhilarating' and 'entertaining' have been attributed to the Jets.

Only last campaign, the Hunter-based club crashed to the wooden spoon under Mark Jones, with exactly one-third of Sydney's record 66 points and a total 28 goals.

Twelve rounds into Merrick's revival, they sit second with a league-high 29 goals and 26 points - five points shy of the Sky Blues who defeated Wellington 4-1 away on Saturday night.

Merrick hailed Friday night's thrilling 4-0 demolition of Western Sydney as the Jets' most-complete performance this season.

But, ever the realist, he did not conclude it lifted his title contenders to level terms with Graham Arnold's record-breakers.

"Sydney FC have a really mature team that can cope under all sorts of situations," Merrick said.

"They've been together for a while, they've had success and have lots of leaders on the field.

"So they're probably a year or two ahead regarding having that type of team.

"But if we can consistently play like we did (against Western Sydney) ... we can certainly be competitive with any team."

Newcastle's domination was all the more remarkable given the absence of key personnel.

Many observers predicted long-term injuries to Venezuelan playmaker Ronny Vargas and Irish striker Roy O'Donovan would spell the end of the Jets' high-flying start.

Quite the contrary.

Into their place has leapt the outstanding Dimi Petratos, the heart of the team's stunning success and a perplexing prospect for opponents.

Others have stepped up, notably make-shift striker Andrew Nabbout, youngster Joe Champness and the even younger Johnny Koutroumbis, who on Friday netted his second A-League goal in persuasive fashion.

"I keep drumming into them, it's about scoring goals and entertaining the crowd," Merrick said.

"That's what's bringing people back to the game.

"Sometimes, if you commit to a very high attacking-type game, you're going to concede goals, and we did early on.

"But look what it does in the long term ... you score four and don't concede any."

Merrick couldn't predict how long it might take the Jets to start backing Sydney into the same sort of corner the Wanderers found themselves in.

"I don't know, but I'm excited about having Roy O'Donovan, Ronny Vargas, Daniel Georgievski and (new signings) Patricio Rodriguez and Riley McGree back in the team," he said.

"That's a mouth-watering thought and, come February, we're going to be a bit special."