JETS coach Ernie Merrick was satisfied with his team's all-round performance despite losing their opening match in the Surf City Cup 3-1 to Brisbane Roar on Sunday.
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Brisbane, who also beat Perth Glory 1-0 on Friday night in the pre-season tournament on the Gold Coast, led 2-0 at half-time after goals by Brad Inman and Mirza Muratovic.
Off-season signing Nick Fitzgerald pegged one back for the Jets early in the second half, only for Inman to seal the result with his second goal in the 81st minute.
Merrick said he was "very happy" with what he saw from his team, especially as senior defenders Nigel Boogaard, Nikolai Topor-Stanley and Lachlan Jackson are still unavailable because of injuries.
"We played some really good football, very intense, and given our heavy training schedule, it was a really good conditioning workout for us," Merrick said.
"Credit to Brisbane, they scored three goals to our one, but I was particularly impressed with the way our midfield played.
"Matty Ridenton really ran the show in the middle of midfield ... we probably had more possession in their defensive half and defensive third than they had in ours, and more shots. There were lots of good signs there."
Veteran midfielder Ben Kantarovski received his first game time of the pre-season after returning from a groin strain and provided immediate authority.
Tuesday's clash with Perth will give the Jets another chance to fine-tune before their FFA cup quarter-final in Adelaide on September 17.