ERNIE Merrick has had to asked Bobby Burns to tone down his tackling at Jets training. It's at the other end, that Merrick wants the Northern Ireland under-21 international to go full bore. Burns, on loan from Scottish Premier League Club Hearts, will start his second game for the Jets at left back in a trial match against the Australian under-20s behind closed doors at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday morning. "We lost two fullbacks in Ivan Vujica and Daniel Georgievski and we have brought in two really good fullbacks in Bobby Burns and Matt Millar," Merrick said. "I feel as though we have covered that well. "Bobby has a very good left foot. He loves a hard tackle. I have tried to calm him down at training. "When he gets forward, he whips in a tremendous ball which was where our penalty came from against Sydney. He will give us thrust down the left. That is the way we play, our fullbacks have to get forward. He and Matty and Johnny Koutroumbis have been doing a great job in that respect." In a blow, Kaine Sheppard requires surgery on his foot and will be sidelined until at least January. He is the second attacker to suffer a long-term injury after star Wes Hoolahan. Signed last season from the Victorian National Premier League, Sheppard scored three goals in 22 A-League appearances. The striker had shed four kilograms in the off-season and after the injury to Hoolahan was set to play a major role. His absence leaves Abdiel Arroyo, the versatile Jason Hoffman and Kosta Petratos as the only central strikers in the squad. Saturday's friendly is the Jets' final hit out before they open their A-League campaign against the Central Coast in Gosford on October 19. They have the bye in the first round. However, Merrick is not treating the clash against the Young Socceroos as a dress rehearsal. As well as Sheppard, Ben Kantarovski (hamstring) is also out injured. Abdiel Arroyo is also recovering from a hamstring strain and will play limited minutes and Johnny Koutroumbis is away in camp with the Olyroos. "Kanta's hamstring is still very tight," Merrick said. "We are looking at whether the tightness is coming from his back. He is going to see Neil Halpin again and we don't want to risk him until we know more. Today was Abdiel's first major run back and, even then, it was only for about half an hour. I'm not sure how much game time he will get on Saturday if any. He is not 100 per cent so we have to be very careful with him." The striker has been selected in the Panama side for the CONACAF Nations League clash against Mexico in Mexico City on October 15 but is unlikely to travel. "We have informed Panama that he has a hamstring injury," Merrick said. Injuries aside, Merrick is happy with where the Jets are placed three weeks out from their season-opener. "We have played nine matches and six have been against A-League sides," Merrick said. "Even the last game in the FFA Cup, I thought we played really well with 10 men for 80 minutes. "Where we are fitness wise is good, technically we are good and strategically, I think we have our structures pretty well in place. We have sustained two injuries through game play so I don't want to risk our senior players too much. We have played enough games. It's now about the quality of training. We will play at least 18 players and give everyone a run. We want a high intensity match where we practice quick transition into attack and make more of our set plays." "We have so much height in our team. We should be doing more at corner kicks and freekicks. In the league last year, a third of all goals were from set plays. We don't score enough from them. " MORE: HOOLAHAN TO MISS HALF OF SEASON
HARD AT IT: Bobby Burns puts foot to ball at Jets training on Tuesday. Picture: Max Mason-Hubers
ERNIE Merrick has had to asked Bobby Burns to tone down his tackling at Jets training.
It's at the other end, that Merrick wants the Northern Ireland under-21 international to go full bore.
Burns, on loan from Scottish Premier League Club Hearts, will start his second game for the Jets at left back in a trial match against the Australian under-20s behind closed doors at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday morning.
"We lost two fullbacks in Ivan Vujica and Daniel Georgievski and we have brought in two really good fullbacks in Bobby Burns and Matt Millar," Merrick said. "I feel as though we have covered that well.
"Bobby has a very good left foot. He loves a hard tackle. I have tried to calm him down at training.
"When he gets forward, he whips in a tremendous ball which was where our penalty came from against Sydney. He will give us thrust down the left. That is the way we play, our fullbacks have to get forward. He and Matty and Johnny Koutroumbis have been doing a great job in that respect."
In a blow, Kaine Sheppard requires surgery on his foot and will be sidelined until at least January. He is the second attacker to suffer a long-term injury after star Wes Hoolahan.
Signed last season from the Victorian National Premier League, Sheppard scored three goals in 22 A-League appearances.
The striker had shed four kilograms in the off-season and after the injury to Hoolahan was set to play a major role.
His absence leaves Abdiel Arroyo, the versatile Jason Hoffman and Kosta Petratos as the only central strikers in the squad.
Saturday's friendly is the Jets' final hit out before they open their A-League campaign against the Central Coast in Gosford on October 19. They have the bye in the first round.
However, Merrick is not treating the clash against the Young Socceroos as a dress rehearsal.
As well as Sheppard, Ben Kantarovski (hamstring) is also out injured. Abdiel Arroyo is also recovering from a hamstring strain and will play limited minutes and Johnny Koutroumbis is away in camp with the Olyroos.
"Kanta's hamstring is still very tight," Merrick said. "We are looking at whether the tightness is coming from his back. He is going to see Neil Halpin again and we don't want to risk him until we know more. Today was Abdiel's first major run back and, even then, it was only for about half an hour. I'm not sure how much game time he will get on Saturday if any. He is not 100 per cent so we have to be very careful with him."
The striker has been selected in the Panama side for the CONACAF Nations League clash against Mexico in Mexico City on October 15 but is unlikely to travel.
"We have informed Panama that he has a hamstring injury," Merrick said.
Injuries aside, Merrick is happy with where the Jets are placed three weeks out from their season-opener.
"We have played nine matches and six have been against A-League sides," Merrick said. "Even the last game in the FFA Cup, I thought we played really well with 10 men for 80 minutes.
"Where we are fitness wise is good, technically we are good and strategically, I think we have our structures pretty well in place. We have sustained two injuries through game play so I don't want to risk our senior players too much. We have played enough games. It's now about the quality of training. We will play at least 18 players and give everyone a run. We want a high intensity match where we practice quick transition into attack and make more of our set plays."
"We have so much height in our team. We should be doing more at corner kicks and freekicks. In the league last year, a third of all goals were from set plays. We don't score enough from them. "
