NIKOLAI Topor-Stanley has been impressed with the quality of the "new blood" at Jets training and believes young players and unknowns will get the chance to shine this A-League season.
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The Jets open their pre-season account against the Central Coast Mariners at Tuggerah on Friday.
While it will be a chance for Topor-Stanley and other senior players to get minutes in their legs ahead of the December 27 start to the competition proper, it will also be an opportunity for a host of contract hopefuls to impress.
Jai Seldon (Canberra), Takeru Okada (Wollongong), Jack Armson (Bonnyrigg), Antony Burke (Seattle Sounders), Valentino Yuel (Western United), Jeremy Brockie (Maritzburg United) and Jack Duncan (Al-Qadsiah) have been training with the Jets.
All bar Brockie and Duncan are in the early stages of their careers.
"There is a bit of new blood at training which has lifted the intensity," Topor-Stanley said. "It's good to give younger talent a chance. I think this year will be an opportunity for younger players to get experience at the highest level in this country."
The Jets have four players - Angus Thurgate, Johnny Koutroumbis, Connor O'Toole, and Ramy Najjarine - in camp with the Australian under-23s for the next week.
Kosta Petratos, Makis Petratos, Lucas Mauragis, Jack Simmons and Noah James are 22 or younger.
With the salary cap reduced by a third to $2.1 million, and the difficulty in getting imports and their families into the country due to COVID-19, Topor-Stanley expects A-League clubs to rely heavily on Australian-based players to fill rosters.
"I am not an administrator but the way the football landscape is at the moment, I would assume that will be the case," he said. "For young Australian players, it has been documented that they get starved of minutes.
"That is the most important thing when it comes to development - to be thrown in the deep end. That is how I developed. I got thrown in and had to fend for myself."
As well as the OIyroos, the Jets will be without wantaway forward Bernie Ibini, who is on 10 days stress leave.
However, Topor-Stanley said the absentees would not alter their approach.
"We don't play a game to lose," the 318-game veteran said. "Winning is a habit."
It is a bit of a cliche but it's true. You get on a roll and it builds morale. Like-wise if you lose it can destroy it.
"We want to win, we want to win everything we play at. That is why we have a good core, a good group of players in terms of attitude. We all want to win things. We are not just here to make up the numbers.
James Gardiner
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
James Gardiner, chief football and rugby writer at the Newcastle Herald.
