| Thursday, 01 October 2009 09:36 |
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Defeating or matching teams when expected, the Newcastle Jets had a very consistent season one. Largely due to an even balance of youth and experience Newcastle’s forwards fired and their defence contained to leave the side in second place.
In season two, the Newcastle Jets are another side forced to rebuild following the retirements of Matildas veterans Cheryl Salisbury and Joey Peters. New coach Wayne O'Sullivan has also had to contend with the loss of midfielder Emily Van Egmond to Canberra United.
The Jets new squad is many parts youngsters with a sprinkle of mature and seasoned campaigners. Matildas Amber Neilson, Stacey Day and Alison Logue are a few of the older heads retained from last season with former Canberra United forward Hayley Crawford enticed back home. They will be helping newcomers Maddie Searle and Caitlin Jarvie adapt quickly to ensure that the Jets are in contention for a finals place.
Second only to Brisbane Roar in goals scored, Newcastle’s attack drove the side’s success in season one.
This season it’s a new look forward line but the main components have been retained in midfielders Amber Neilson, Nicole Jones and Gema Simon.
Adding to last season's attack the Jets have recruited proven goalscorers in Crawford, Emma Stewart from the Mariners and Loren Mahoney from Sydney FC
In the retirement of Salisbury and Peters, the Jets lost 261 games of international experience. That is not going to be easy to replace. Beyond that, they lose the on-field leadership and stability in the key posts of central defence and midfield.
While Crawford, Dewhurst, Ingles all come in with significant experience, the majority of the squad are still new to the caper with the youngest being 15-year-old Maddie Searle.
The challenge for Wayne O’Sullivan will be to find the right team balance on the park.
Newcastle defender Kirstyn Pearce and midfielder Amber Neilson represent the mixture of youth and experience present in the Jets’ side.
Last season Kirstyn Pearce had the opportunity to play alongside an Australian great in Cheryl Salisbury. This time round Pearce and her cohorts will have to manage on their own but the strong 18 year old is not easily fazed.
Neilson has racked up 14 caps since her national team debut in 2006 and at 24 she suddenly finds herself one of the elder statesmen of the Newcastle Jets ushering in the next generation. Neilson provided two goals last season and will need to repeat the performance as well as anchoring a midfield comprising of the green Nicole Jones, Gema Simon, Bronte Bates and Carlie Ikonomou.
 
Left: Amber Neilson; Right: Kirstyn Pearce
Photo Credit: Cameron Wheeler (www.camwheeler.com) |
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