ROY O'Donovan reckons it will be "scary" for Newcastle's opposition if he and Abdiel Arroyo are deployed alongside new signing Bernie Ibini in a three-man strike force.
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Ibini, the former Central Coast, Sydney FC and Socceroos forward, joined the Jets this week on a short-term deal until the end of the season.
He and fellow new recruit Joe Ledley, a Welsh international midfielder, have both been rushed into Newcastle's squad to face second-placed Perth Glory at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday.
New coach Carl Robinson faces some tough decisions about how to configure his reinforced roster, but O'Donovan had no doubt that an attacking triumvirate could work.
"I'm sure, but you'd have to ask the manager what kind of formation he wants to play," O'Donovan said.
"But I'm sure if you want to play with a front three, that'd be a pretty scary task for any opposition defence.
"There's a lot of pace in that front three. So yeah, if that's what the gaffer wants to do, I'm quite happy.
"But at the moment he's playing a different style of football.
"He wants to find his formation as a coach that's going to work with our personnel, so that's an ongoing process."
O'Donovan scored his 21st goal for Newcastle, and his first since returning from a 12-game stint with Brisbane Roar, in Newcastle's 1-all draw with Melbourne Victory last weekend.
Arroyo, the Panamanian international, has looked the part but scored only twice in 12 games since joining the Jets.
Ibini's 125 A-League games for Central Coast and Sydney have delivered 31 goals, but never more than seven in a season.
If the Jets are to have any hope of bridging the 11-point gap between themselves and sixth-placed Brisbane in their remaining eight regular-season games, they need to start hitting the target fast and often.
"We haven't talked about we need X,Y and Z, but we do know we need to win games and start turning our positive performances and draws into wins," O'Donovan said.
"It's as simple as that, really.
"But there's lot of heart to be taken from how we've been playing the last month or so, I think. We've been creating chances, we've been scoring goals and we've been resolute ... we've played some decent stuff."
O'Donovan was looking forward to more game time alongside his Irish compatriot, Wes Hoolahan.
The 37-year-old playmaker made his A-League debut last week, a 28-minute cameo off the bench, after ankle surgery forced him to miss Newcastle's first 17 games.
"Obviously I've played against Wes quite a bit in the past, he's someone as a player I've come across a lot," O'Donovan said.
"He's someone I've got a lot of respect for. He's an excellent football player. I think the A-League has been starved of his talents this year, not just the Newcastle Jets. We're all buzzing to have him back."