NPL: Lambton Jaffas bolster attack after tough campaign
COMING TOGETHER: Mitch Oxborrow contests a header with Jaffas Tom Waller and Andrew Pawiak while playing for Broadmeadow this year. Picture: Marina Neil
LAMBTON Jaffas coach James Pascoe believes gun recruits Mitch Oxborrow and Scott Pettit can give his side the goals they need to challenge for silverware in the 2020 Northern NSW NPL.
Pascoe confirmed Oxborrow (Broadmeadow), Pettit (Hamilton) and Riley McNaughton (Charlestown), who had all been linked to the club, were coming on board, as well as Lake Macquarie's Jayden Barber. They will replace Josh Sutton, who is travelling next year, and New Zealanders Brock Messenger and James Pendrigh.
The changes put Lambton in a strong position to improve on their second-place finish and semi-final exit to Edgeworth this year. The 2017 grand final winners took plenty of positives from the campaign, which was marred by long-term injuries to Pendrigh, Andrew Pawiak and Bren Hammel and came after the loss of Jobe Wheelhouse, Ryan and Joel Griffiths, Ben Hay, Marcus Duncan and Ridge Mapu.
Pascoe was pleased to have a stable and bolstered squad before pre-season training.
"This time last year we'd lost six players, so it's nice to have it all done and relax for a while," Pascoe said.
He believed the addition of Oxborrow and Pettit especially would improve Jaffas, who finished on 38 points with Edgeworth and Broadmeadow, five behind premiers Maitland.
Lambton had the best defensive record and for and against but scored five goals less than grand finalists Edgeworth and Maitland, despite having top-scorer Braedyn Crowley (14 goals).
"Other people scored four or five goals, but Braedyn was our main source of goals and teams started doubling up on him," Pascoe said.
"So I had my eye out from early in the season for someone who could share that load, and Scott Pettit was that player. Oxborrow came on the scene late.
"If you pay too much attention to Crowley - Pettit or Oxborrow are going to hurt you now.
"I'm happy with how it's all gone. It's going to allow us to be more balanced and have a fraction more quality than we did this year. All signs are good."
McNaughton, a grand final winner with Jaffas in 2014 and 2017, returns after two seasons at the Blues. Pascoe said McNaughton and Barber, a former Jets Youth player, would provide cover at right-back after the loss of Messenger. He was confident Jaffas would have greater depth next year.
"I think what killed us at the end was that we just ran out of gas," he said of 2019.
"We'd relied on the same players week after week, then we lost Will [McFarlane] and Finn [Parris] for that second semi-final.
"When the crunch came, we just didn't have quite enough, so I think we're in a position now where we can rotate a bit more."
McNaughton joins Adam Hughes (Valentine), Tom Smart (Broadmeadow), Jamie Byrnes, Peter McPherson and Rio Nishiura as departures from Charlestown.
New Blues coach Graham Law has added Jack Wilkinson (Cooks Hill), Cal Bower (Lakes), Regan and Jackson Lundy (Weston), Jackson Frendo (Jets Youth) and Matt Johnson (Woongarrah).