The COVID lockdown has made life difficult in many respects.

But for a Jets team boasting 14 new players, the extra time together has proved invaluable.

"It is a good opportunity for us to all get acquainted with each other," said Elsey, who joined the Jets from his home-town club Adelaide.

"We don't really have a choice. There is not much else to do outside of training right now. It is a lot easier to get to understand your teammates if you are spending long hours with them.

"We are playing internal games at the moment which is also a positive. The intensity is far higher than playing against an NPL team or things like that.

"Everyone is on the same wavelength and we are working hard towards success."

A strong understanding is crucial for a central defensive partnership.

Elsey and Jurman have had three months to "connect".

"When you spend so many hours around someone, you get to know what they eat for breakfast," Elsey said. "Not only how they play but what they do outside of football, which is good for me and Matty.

"We have connected well. I knew Matty having watched him in the Socceroos and watching him in the A-League.

"We both know what we are about. We are both hard defenders who are willing to put our body on the line to win. We have a great connection and I'm looking forward to testing that in round one."

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And with the aggressive, attacking style coach Arthur Papas plans to employ, Elsey and Jurman will need to be "switched on".

"When Arthur first contacted me he explained his style of play - attacking, aggressive, exciting," Elsey said.

"Everyone remembers the Brisbane side that in the A-League went unbeaten for a lot of games. It a similar style to that - keeping the ball, touch passing, moving and aggressive football.

"At the end of the day, we want to play exciting football for the Newcastle fans and score goals. It's my job to be switched on and make sure the other team doesn't score goals.

"The way we play, Matty and I have to be switched on for every second of the game."

The rigorous pre-season has been engineered with that in mind.

"We are training like we are in the season," Elsey said. "Since day one, it has been the same. We are getting the best out of each other.

"Not so much isolated running, but the hours on the track and each drill - how intense they are and how much Arthur and the coaching staff want from us.

"It is intense and you have to be on your A-game but I am enjoying it so far.

"The players we have, we have a lot of winners in the side. You can see that at training. It reminds me of the Adelaide side I was involved in when we won the premiership. We were all winners and we were all fighting for the same goal. I'm really looking forward to round one and seeing where we are at."

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