A-League soccer, 2022: Early signs good as Papas plays catch up with Jets

So far, so good.

After an intense 10-day training block, the Jets drew 1-all with Melbourne City at Scully Park, Tamworth, on Saturday.

Beka Mikeltadze celebrated his 25^th birthday with a well-taken goal to put the Jets ahead in the 23^rd minute. They held the advantage until midway through the second half when City's Norwegian Valon Berisha struck with a volley. Both teams had made a number of changes by that point.

"Performance-wise it was strong," Papas said. "We had a really tough training block the last 10 days. A few of the boys were probably pretty cooked going into it.

"We were able to control a large portion of the match with the ball. It was hot and it was important to keep the ball for longer periods. We scored a good goal from our press. It was a good press in the front third and a good finish."

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As well as heavy legs, a stomach bug forced Brandon O'Neil to sit out the match, while Jaushua Sotirio and Daniel Stynes were also affected. Jack Duncan started in goals and Mo Al Taay came in for O'Neill.

"There were some really positive performances from guys who maybe haven't got as many minutes," Papas said. "Jack Duncan did well, Mo had a good impact until he got a strong kick to the ankle and had to come off. Stynesy came on and did well. He worked really hard. That's what we wanted out of this period. It was a really good few days in Tamworth. It was a great facility and it was great to engage with the community, and we got some really good work into the boys."

The Jets take on Macarthur at Campbelltown Stadium on Friday and back up against Sydney on Saturday.

Most other A-League clubs are playing one friendly during the break.

"We have a few training sessions before then as well," Papas said. "It has been a pretty robust period. We saw some improvement on Saturday, which we were pleased with. We might mix the team up against Macarthur and Sydney and make sure everyone gets 90 minutes under their belt.

"We played about five less games than the rest [of the league] in the preseason. It is a good period with the work we have done. It doesn't guarantee you anything, it just gives the chance to prepare like you should."