Sure, they would have worked out in the long hiatus that semi-final participation was a long shot.

But before they have kicked a ball in anger, results in two of the three games since the resumption mean that the Jets must win all four of their remaining games and rely on myriad combination of unlikely results to feature in the top-six play-offs.

Victories to Perth and Adelaide leave both of those sides in good positions to make the top six, and anything less than a win against Sydney FC at Jubilee Oval tonight will pretty much extinguish the Jets' slim hopes.

The fact that the Sky Blues can seal the minor premiership with a win tonight, and all but guarantee it with a draw, means Newcastle can't expect a complacent opponent, surely?

Perhaps Sydney FC, could be a little flat on a four-day turnaround, after their 3-1 win against Wellington on Friday evening. But most coaches would be expecting improvement after a hit-out against good opposition, on the back of a long period without competitive matches, especially with a piece of silverware within touching distance.

From Newcastle's perspective, they might be a touch fresher in the legs. But they could be a little rusty in terms of combinations and timing. Ideally you would fancy that coach Carl Robinson would like to press Sydney high, disrupt their rhythm, and force them to play long to their relatively diminutive strike pairing.

He will be conscious, however, that his side may not be fit enough at this stage to implement that approach for 90 minutes.

If the Jets do go that way, they will likely need a back-up plan, particularly if Sydney have success playing through the high-pressing early exchanges.

Whatever the approach, it will be interesting to see where the Jets are at, and the direction Robinson takes with the squad.

The players are no doubt itching to play again at this moment. But they may be faced with the distinct possibility of playing the remaining three matches with one eye on the following season, if they are out of the running tomorrow.

Yes, they will be professional, and yes, some are playing for contracts, but none will want to pick up injuries in games of little consequence. Imagine a long rehab, and another pre-season ...

And I wonder if that sort of thinking tempted Perth's talisman Diego Castro to jump in a caravan with the family rather than play out the season?

The fact that he is unsigned for next season at this stage, and possibly facing a pay cut due to the reduced TV deal, would just be a coincidence, surely?

I wrote last week that he was hungry to win a championship, and I did check to see he was still a Glory player before penning that, because news had been scarce.

I also suggested with an eye to the hard-nosed pros that some players would be less than enamoured with wages being stopped, and contracts reduced.

Sentiment tends to be short among those who have plied their trade in bigger professional arenas, where players expect to come first regardless.

In Castro's case, the comments of Glory skipper Neil Kilkenny, no doubt shaped on the foundation of hundreds of battles and dogfights in the English second tier - where ''luxury" players are looked on with suspicion, and at times derision - will do little to entice the Spaniard's return.

Whatever your take on the merits of team versus the individual, in an Australian sporting landscape, artists like Castro and the departed Victory striker Ola Toivonen are difficult to replace, particularly with diminishing player budgets.

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