Jets co-captain Cassidy Davis believed Newcastle could back up a gutsy win over Canberra by making a statement against last-placed Western Sydney at Marconi Stadium on Saturday night.
The Jets registered their first points of the season in sensational fashion last weekend when Courtnee Vine produced possibly the best ever W-League goal in a 1-0 victory.
But the goal was not the only talking point. The fact Newcastle had overpowered Canberra without injured stars Emily van Egmond, Larissa Crummer and Tara Andrews made it even more noteworthy.
Van Egmond returns as the Jets chase back-to-back wins with a performance Davis said can state their championship intentions.
“Because the season is so short, you need to get points early,” Davis said.
“It was disappointing losing [2-1] to Melbourne Victory but we got the win against Canberra and will hopefully get another one against Western Sydney.
“That will put us higher on the ladder and show teams that they don’t want to play us and we’re going to be hard to beat this season.”
Davis has seen a shift in team mentality since she joined the Jets in 2013-14.
She had her first taste of W-League finals football last year and had no doubt Newcastle could produce the city’s first championship this season.
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“Deansy [Jets coach Craig Deans] has always driven into us to have a strong mentality and to go out there and be the team that people don’t want to verse because we run and we give it to them,” Davis said.
“Making semis last season was really important and I think this year we can move on even further. I think everyone believes we can do it and our mentality is strong and I think that shows in games.”
The 24-year-old expected a desperate Wanderers side. Western Sydney are winless after three starts, have conceded seven goals in losses to Sydney, Perth and Brisbane and are yet to find the back of the net.
“They’ve always been a good team and they haven’t had very good results the past three games, so it’s probably a harder game for us knowing that they need to win,” Davis said.
“They’ve got some good Americans and internationals, so they’re always people to watch, but we just need to concentrate on ourselves. That’s always our thing and when we do that we can get results.”
The game kicks off at 7.30pm on Saturday.
W-League ladder: Victory 7 points, Adelaide 7, Perth 5, Roar 4, Canberra 4, Sydney 3, Jets 3, City 3, Wanderers 0.
Round 4: Adelaide 2 beat Canberra 0 on Thursday; Wanderers v Jets on Saturday; Sydney v Victory on Sunday; Perth v City on Sunday; Roar bye.
