NEWCASTLE coach Arthur Papas has called on the A-League to reschedule the washed-out F3 derby for a time slot suitable to players and fans alike after the Jets' season got off to a soggy and anticlimatic start.
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The much-hyped clash between the Jets and Mariners set for Saturday night was postponed after a deluge made the pitch unplayable.
The major weather system which drenched the eastern seaboard left Central Coast Stadium resembling a lake.
"It is obviously not what you expect for round one, and not what you want to happen in a derby match especially," Papas said. "It was a sensible decision. A logical decision. If somehow it did go ahead, you could have really done some damage."
Initially, the game was pushed back by 30 minutes to 5.30pm. Referee Alireza Faghani inspected the pitch at 5.20pm and made a second assessment at 5.35pm as conditions continued to deteriorate.
Central Coast Mariners chief executive Shaun Mielekamp said he would work with the league to "find a gap in the draw" to replay the game.
"It will get rescheduled similar to the COVID matches that were rescheduled last year," he said.
Many of the rescheduled games during the COVID-19 interrupted 2021-22 campaign were played mid-week.
Papas was confident that the Jets would be consulted in determining a new date.
"I hope, between both clubs, the scheduling allows us to play a derby match at the right time, not just for the players but the fans as well," he said.
A crowd of 5019, including a bay of Jets supporters, had braved the conditions at Central Coast Stadium.
After the game was called off, the Jets players went across the field in the rain and thanked their supporters for making the effort to attend.
"The players are driving that," Papas said.
"They are really appreciative of the fans who travelled, and there were a lot of them considering the forecast.
"We want our supporters behind us.
"Now we have two home games in a row and we want as many people there as possible."
The Jets host Perth Glory at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday and welcome Wellington Phoenix a week later.
The Jets won't alter their training schedule leading up to Saturday, but will change what they do at each session. Instead of a recovery session on Sunday, they held a field session.
"Schedule-wise we won't change, but the content within the session will," Papas said.
It was the second F3 derby to be washed out and third game involving the Jets to be postponed due to extreme weather.
A similar situation occurred in round 26 of the 2009-10 season when Branko Culina was in charge of Newcastle.
A ferocious storm left the pitch under water.
In the same season, the Jets' clash with North Queensland Fury in Townsville was postponed due to tropical cyclone Olga.
On Saturday, the players had just started their warm-up at about 4pm when the heavens opened.
Initially, lightning forced the teams from the ground. The thunderstorm was followed by a torrential downpour. And it didn't stop.
