NEWCASTLE Jets players will each have clocked up 40 kilometres for the week by full-time in the friendly against Edgeworth at Jack McLaughlan Oval on Saturday.
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It has been their toughest week in a tough pre-season.
But that doesn't mean caretaker coach Craig Deans will accept a below-par performance.
"The idea of the game is to get them fatigued, push through and maintain the quality," Deans said. "This week has purely been a week about fitness. It was always planned as our biggest week. The players will have ticked over 40 kilometres by the end of the game.
"We had a double session on Tuesday. Everything has been game-specific and done with intensity. We have played a lot of six v six, eight v eight, ten v eight working on overloads ... The training environment has been really good. The trialists are working hard trying to impress, and the boys who are contracted are trying to make sure the trialists don't out-perform them.
"Edgeworth will be a good test. We put the offer to them because they won the premiership and championship again. They have some young kids who will want to prove a point. With the fatigue factor out of it, it won't be an easy game.
"We want to get back to winning games as well. It's pre-season and you can say we don't care, but we do. We want to win."
Oyroos quartet Angus Thurgate, Ramy Najjarine, Connor O'Toole and Johnny Koutroumbis will start after missing the 2-0 loss to the Mariners while in camp in Sydney.
"We will start with the strongest team available," Deans said. "The Olyroos played two games, but each player only got about 60 to 70 minutes. Their workload probably hasn't been much bigger than the players who stayed behind."
Thurgate, who was one of the standouts from the Oyroos camp, is looking forward to his first club hit out of the pre-season.
"It will be a good test," he said "It was good week away with the Olyroos. You always go into those camps trying to impress. For Graham Arnold to give us (Jets players) a rap was nice, but there is a lot of hard work to go with the Olyroos and the Jets.
"I like playing Edgey. They have been the best team in Newcastle for a while. We will be focusing on ourselves and getting ready for the season. We want to implement what we have been working on at training."
As well as the Olyroos, trialist Valentino Yuel will start after catching the eye off the bench against the Mariners.
Jack Duncan, Jai Seldon, Antony Burke and Jack Armson will also get game time.
"Jack will get at 45 minutes," Deans said. "Valentino made an impact when he came on against the Mariners. We will give him a go from the start and see how he goes. It is always different starting."
JETS (3-5-2): Lewis Italiano; Nikolai Topor-Stanley, Nigel Boogaard, Johnny Koutroumbis; Connor O'Toole, Steve Ugarkovic, Angus Thurgate, Ramy Najjarine, Jason Hoffman; Valentino Yuel, Roy O'Donovan.
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