IF JETS striker Roy O’Donovan wasn’t fired up for his first clash against former club the Mariners in Gosford, a giant banner depicting the Irishman as a snake did the job.
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O’Donovan scored a first-half hat-trick as the Jets inflicted their biggest win over the arch enemies, 5-1, to set the tone for a successful campaign.
The Jets and O’Donovan return to the Central Coast on Saturday.
The balance of power has shifted significantly since round one.
The Jets, fuelled by a club record 49 goals, have secured second place and a home grand-final qualifier on April 27.
The Mariners sit in ninth spot, are chance of collecting the wooden spoon, and are under the care of interim coach Wayne O’Sullivan.
O’Donovan doubts the Mariners fans would have “the gall” to unveil the snake banner again, but he is expecting a hostile reception at a venue he called home for two seasons.
“That is what football is about: passionate supporters supporting their colours,” he said. “I’m not sure if they will have the gall for it this time. We have flicked the switch a little bit. Either way, I am going to get a pretty hostile reception. As always, I want to win games and score goals, and it won’t be any different there.”
Buoyed but the triple treat, O’Donovan netted seven goals in the opening five rounds.
However, injury and suspension have since halted his progress and the goals
Saturday will be the 32-year-old’s third game back from suspension.
“My season has been stop-start,” he said. “With the [groin] injury I had 12 games out. I came back for a game or two and then the [two-week] suspension. It has been frustrating in that regard. But the team has done terrifically well. Tomorrow, if we can play our football, I’m sure I can tick some boxes.”
As well as find consistency with his own game, O’Donovan is getting used to a re-shaped front four, after the departure last month of Andrew Nabbout to Japan, and changes to the spine.
“We lost Boogaard, we lost Kantarovski out of midfield and Nabbout on the left,” O’Donovan said. “It has created a different dynamic. Ronny Vargas is a different kind of player, Lachy Jackson, if he plays, is a different kind of player, Riley McGree is a different kind of player. It takes a bit of time to jell in. I will make the same runs and they have to get used to where to play the ball. I want to get in the six yard box. That is pretty standard stuff. We have good players it is just a different dynamic.”
McGree is likely to be deployed as a box-to-box midfielder on Saturday as coach Ernie Merrick searches for the right combinations to end a mini-slump. Jason Hoffman pushes forward to provide speed in behind and Dimi Petratos reverts to the No.10 role.
“There is no more trial and error after tomorrow,” O’Donovan said. “We had a situation where we knew we couldn’t win the championship. We have had four weeks of where; Have we really been at the races? Have we hit a slump? Is it a bit of both? Definitely.
“It is a cup final tomorrow against the Mariners. We certainly need to up our game from the last couple of weeks because we haven’t been at our usual high standards.”
