TheWomensGame | Womens Football | W-League

The Newcastle Jets have  been a very busy club in the off-season with several big signings joining from the coach down.  Former  Socceroo Clayton Zane  leads the Hunter  club with Matildas legend Joanne Peters his assistant.

After a semi-final berth in their first season, Newcastle have  struggled in subsequent seasons. As a result,  this season the playing group has  also undergone a revamp.

“The main focus when I took over was trying to form a good back bone  to the team  through  the centre of the park,” states Zane.

Well, he certainly has  that now.  Matildas captain and goalkeeper Melissa  Barbieri was announced after the 31 year  old had a public split with the Melbourne Victory.

Not long after her Matildas teammate Lisa De Vanna  was her way as were dual World Cup winner Ariane Hingst and Novocastrian Emily Van Egmond.

All this new talent  signifies a change in the playing style of the Jets. With De Vanna, Van Egmond in front third alongside Young Matildas Linda O’Neill, Nicola Bolger and last season’s club top scorer Tara Andrews,  look for a more attacking, faster  transitioning Jets outfit.

“With our players comes a little bit of attacking talent  but there  needs to be balance.”

“I am quite a believer  in establishing a good base defensively but letting the attacking players have role with a little bit of freedom.  We have  some players who we can  afford that luxury with.”

The Strength

There  is plenty of excitement surrounding the Newcastle Jets.  Zane  and  his coaching staff were  the most proactive recruiters of all clubs approaching the W-League season and have gained the services of  senior Matildas, Young Matildas and  a World Cup winner.  Most importantly the changes are  in the spine of the team. Barbieri, Hingst, Van Egmond, De Vanna. Not a bad  core  at all and  if they blend right, Newcastle could be a big threat  to the rest of the League.

The Challenge

On last season’s form, the attack  will need to score more  and  the defence will need to be tighter.  They have  the players to do both but with so many  new faces, and  so little time for them  all to prepare, Zane  and  his Assistant Peters have  a task ahead of them  to combine several very good  individuals into a cohesive and  productive unit.