Jets co-captain Cassidy Davis knows Newcastle did not give the best account of themselves in a 2-1 loss to Sydney in round three and believes they can turn the tables in "a massive test" at Cromer Park on Sunday.
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The disappointment remains raw after Newcastle forfeited a 1-0 half-time lead against the Sky Blues on January 8 and has been motivation in the lead-up to the round-six rematch.
The Jets have the bye in round seven, making a win this weekend important to their top-four hopes. They will take confidence into the match after a 4-1 rout of Western Sydney last round propelled them to four points and fifth place and within three points of the four.
Sydney are the unbeaten leaders with nine points from three games.
"It would be massive to go up the ladder before the bye then coming into Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory, so it's a really important game for us this weekend," Davis said.
"Sydney wasn't our best game but meeting them again so soon is good. That was similar with the Wanderers game. We'd only played them in round one and it provides a lot of motivation to know that you lost that first round and you're not losing again.
"That was the mentality we took into the Wanderers game. We kept saying all week we're not losing again to this team. It's one of those things where that mentality comes into play and we're going to do everything we can to beat Sydney on the weekend and put ourselves in a great position."
Newcastle's dominant performance in their rout of Wanderers will not have gone unnoticed by the rest of the league and has brought plenty of belief to the Jets.
"We knew what we could do but now we can see it and it's different when you can feel it and see it and you get those results," Davis said.
"So now we know what we need to do to win. Everyone has got that winning feeling and sometimes that's all it can take.
"There's no easy game but it shows us that they're there for us to take and we just have to make sure we turn up each week and fight. We're going to come up against quality teams and quality players but I feel like on our day we can beat anyone."
The long-serving Jet has played her most recent W-League seasons as a centre-back but has been "loving" a return to midfield in the past two outings. Chloe O'Brien started there for the first two rounds but has missed the past two through injury.
O'Brien was back at training during the week and will come into calculations for this weekend. Her return gives coach Ash Wilson a full complement to choose from for the important clash.
For Davis, O'Brien and Tara Andrews, Sunny Franco and reserve goalkeeper Nicole Simonsen the match will feel like a home game. They played for Manly in National Premier League NSW Women's with Cromer Park their home ground. Sydney trio Remy Siemsen, Ally Green and Claudia Cholakian also played for the NPL NSW Women's champions.
The game kicks off at 6.05pm.
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Renee Valentine
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au
Renee Valentine is a sports journalist with more than 20 years of experience in Newcastle. She is passionate about increasing the visibility of sportswomen in the media. Got a sports story, email Renee at r.valentine@newcastleherald.com.au
