Franco, now 23, debuted in the W-League at age 16 with Brisbane Roar - who the Jets face on Sunday (6.40pm) at McDonald Jones Stadium.

An under-17 and 19 star for Australia, Franco went on to also play for Sydney and Western Sydney in the W-League before taking time away to focus on work.

Now an air-conditioning apprentice, Franco was asked about a comeback with Newcastle after playing alongside Jets stalwarts Tara Andrews and Cass Davis with Manly in their NPL NSW Women's success last season.

With the go-ahead from work, Franco has returned and carved out a starting position with the Jets, who have lost 2-1 to Wanderers and Sydney to start the season.

"Sunny has been a great pick-up for us," Jets coach Ash Wilson said.

"She's come off a NPLW season where she's been playing in a team with Tara Andrews and Remy [Siemsen] up front so she was coming on a lot as an impact player.

"But I still saw a lot of potential there and I was happy to get her in here and see her fit into our team.

"She can play inside, wide or higher and she gives us a lot of versatility.

"And she works hard, which at Newcastle is a good characteristic we look for."

Franco was excited to be back in the competition but conceded the intense training load was a shock to the system.

"The first week back, I thought I was going to die," she said.

"My whole body was so sore, I didn't think I was going to recover, but being back into it has been really good and it's nice to feel fit."

She said the time away from the top league had given her a new perspective on football.

"It's just to have fun," she said of her football goals now.

"I feel like coming back, I've got that bit or maturity behind me. When you're a bit younger you don't know what you want, you don't know what style of football you want to play as well, but now I'm just having fun and I feel like I have all this weight off my shoulders and I can go out there and perform better than I probably could when I was younger.

"I feel like Ash, as a coach, has helped me find that love for the game again. Just because she's so good with everyone and connecting with every individual."

Despite the opening losses, the new-look Jets squad have proven a competitive force. Franco believed the pressure to grab their first points would bring out the best in them on Sunday.

"We've been close both times and I find we're still learning each other's strengths and weaknesses so we're going to keep working on that on the field," she said.

"But it will come. It will come with a bit of pressure on us now I think. We work well under pressure."

Newcastle were originally scheduled to play leaders Canberra on Sunday but their opponents were changed midweek.

Wilson was philosophical about the switch and its impact on preparations.

"It is what it is," she said. "We spent the first half of the week concentrating more on ourselves and what we wanted to do to get better.

"We'll use the last couple of sessions to put some tactical things in place for Brisbane, but at the end of the day we're just happy to be playing football.

"I thought both games so far we've shown a really good intent to press and win the ball back and battle with teams and make sure we're putting them under a lot of pressure, so I don't want that to necessarily change, but I'm just looking for a bit more quality with the ball."

The Jets will be without Chloe O'Brien (hamstring injury).

AAP reports: The Sydney derby double-header shapes as a family affair for Princess Ibini.

Ibini will play for Sydney's W-League team against Western Sydney at Stadium Australia - just hours after older brother Bernie takes the field for the Wanderers in the same match-up in the A-League.

"It's actually the third weekend in a row that we've played one after another," she told AAP.

"So it's good for the family to be able to watch us play - so we're really happy about that.

"No matter who he's playing for, I always want to see him play well and do his best."

While Bernie's move from Newcastle to Western Sydney attracted attention, Princess has started her W-League season with a bang.

The 20-year-old scored two superb goals against the Wanderers first-up and has been crucial to their opening two wins.

"I'm really happy with myself. I'm just getting into my own game and hopefully I can keep it going," Ibini said.

"(Coach Ante Juric) has talked to me about stepping up my game, especially since a lot of the girls have left.

"He's told me to be more involved in everything - so it's been good."

Following the departures of Caitlin Foord, Chloe Logarzo and Alanna Kennedy, Ibini, Rachel Lowe and Taylor Ray have taken centre stage at Sydney.

"We've been lucky enough to all play with each other one way or another before with Young Matildas," Ibini said.

"So we still have that chemistry and connection."

Ibini has played in the W-League since she was 15 and made her Matildas debut at 17.

She still aims to put her name up in lights before the 2023 Women's World Cup.

Most of all, she's relishing a season where young players have gone from bench-warmers to regular starters.

"It's definitely been a season for younger players, and you can see that," Ibini said.

"No-one's playing with any fear, really, the young players are just going out there and doing their thing."