The towering centreback had just finished the NSW NPL season with Sutherland. A graduate of the Sydney FC academy, he had a taste of A-League football and yearned more.

Fast forward five months. Grimaldi is set to start his fifth straight game and is poised to secure a two-year contract.

"I came in a month or so into preseason on a trial," Grimaldi said ahead of the must-win clash with Western United at AAMI Park on Friday night.

"I trained hard and wanted to impress. When I got that [scholarship] contract, I obviously wanted to make my debut.

"I like to set goals. I did have a whiteboard back at home in Sydney. Now I write goals in notes on my phone. I like to look at them every now and then and tick them off when completed.

"First of all, was to make my debut. Then after I did that, the goal was to stay in the team and play as many games as I can. I feel like I am doing a good job. I just want to give my all and prove to the players every week."

The transition from the NPL to A-League regular has been steep.

"The quality of player is very high compared to the NPL," Grimaldi said. "The speed of the game is much higher. You have to be able to think on your feet. You have to be a couple of steps ahead of the play."

Jets coach Rob Stanton has indicated that Grimaldi is part of his plans for next season and beyond, but "nothing is in concrete yet."

"I'd love to recommit," the 22-tear-old said. "I love it here. The area is great and I love the community. I feel like we are building something special and believe I can play my best football here."

The Jets gave up a late equaliser to draw 3-all with Wanderers last round and sit in 10^th spot on 18 points.

Anything less than three points against last-placed Western United will put a large dent in their playoff aspirations.

"Where we sit on the ladder is not a true indication of how we have been playing, especially the last three weeks," Grimaldi said. "We have come up against teams towards the top - Wellington, Victory, Wanderers - and although we haven't got a win, we definitely held our own.

"We are in games and dominating teams for long periods. Our consistency over 90 minutes and holding out to get the result, is where we can improve."

The Jets have beaten Western United twice this campaign - 1-0 in Ballarat in round four and 2-0 at home in round 10.

"Every game in the A-League is a hard game," Grimaldi said. "On their day, anyone can beat anyone. We will be switched on and need to play our best football against Western."