Jets W-League coach Craig Deans expects to have American Arin Wright back for the trip to Perth to take on Sam Kerr’s Glory in round seven on Saturday night.
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Wright was rested because of hamstring tightness last Sunday in the 3-1 loss to Melbourne City at home. The tenacious midfielder started 10 days earlier in the 1-0 loss to Brisbane, just a few days after her surprise return for a third season with Newcastle.
“This is the first session back so we’ll see how she goes,” Deans said of Wright on Wednesday.
“At recovery on Monday she did a little bit in the gym, and she had some physio and everything yesterday, so she’ll have a run today and see how she looks, but I think not playing the game on the weekend was probably the smartest thing.
“If we had have won it would have been an even smarter option but I think she’ll be fine for this one.”
Newcastle trained at No.2 Sportsground for the first time this season on Wednesday. The ground became the team’s home last season but the poor state of the surface has forced them to train at Magic Park and the club’s A-League base of Ray Watt Oval, as well as move two games to McDonald Jones Stadium.
The pitch is almost back to top condition and Deans’ squad were glad to be back.
“We’ve been training at the boys’ field which is more than adequate, it’s perfect,” he said. “But it’s just nice to be back at your own facility.
“The girls walked in straight away today with a big smile on their face because it feels like they’re home and we’ve got our change room back, our medical room back and our video room, so it’s just nice to be back here and just happy to see the pitch looking as good as it is.”
The Jets, who have only Tara Andrews (ankle) sidelined, sit second last on six points, just three points behind second-placed Perth.