It is March today, isn't it? Did I miss an announcement?
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Told you last week that I wouldn't believe any more stories about the sale of the Newcastle Jets until I see "signed, sealed, delivered".
I do believe though the news that some of the Jets players might be off overseas at season's end, particularly Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, Clayton Taylor and Lucas Mauragis.
Great for those individuals, yet another rebuild for the Jets?
Groundhog Day looming for the faithful punters once more.
Sure there may be some transfer fees paid, but there are a group of contingency owners who will see that windfall as an opportunity to reduce debt, and reduce their largely unappreciated contribution.
Can you blame them?
The coaching and playing group continue to do their best, notching their third draw against highly placed opponents in their past five games.
It ain't going to result in semi-final football, but we shouldn't expect that anyway having succeeded once in the past 12 seasons.
It's all a bit doom and gloom Lowe, let's lift a bit and concentrate on this week's game.
Ah the Mariners, our fiercest rivals, beaten only once or maybe twice in their past 15 or so games.
It's Paul McCartney's fault, remember.
After losing four games in a row, the Mariners switched venues with us for round five because the pitch was unplayable, and promptly won their first game for the season.
I may have mentioned pre-game that week that little things like that can change seasons.
It might have saved a coach in that instance.
That probably wasn't the best attempt at lifting the tone, but an unexpected win over the Coasties could.
If I'm being totally objective, I think that's a big ask but far from impossible.
The Mariners deserve a good deal of credit for their performances after a shaky start. They are usually very reliable defensively and very mobile and dangerous up top, which is a good balance, and their midfield is as capable and hard-working as any team in the competition.
That's a hard combination to dismantle and, though I think the Jets will dominate decent chunks of the game, sustaining that for 90 minutes-plus may be the problem, and not for the first time this season.
A loss for the Jets tonight would extinguish the tiniest of top-six chances, with almost a third of the season remaining. That says enough about the improvement required from the squad next year.
Immediately after the Jets v Mariners contest the Sydney derby takes place and appeals as probably the best match of the round. I think Marko Rudan may be back in the coaching box for the Wanderers and that may prove interesting.
Meanwhile the Matildas qualified for the Olympics after routing Uzbekistan 13-0 on aggregate in the final qualifying step.
A result totally expected, and a contest (and I use that word loosely) that was really a fait accompli before a ball had been kicked. Job/frolic completed.
They will face much sterner tests obviously in Paris, including a lot of pressure on the older generation to medal in what will be a final chance for many.
My parents once told me to find something positive to say if at all possible, so here goes; great crowd, lucrative gate for Football Australia, and a small collect for your columnist who took the $7 about +7.5 goals in the match.
I was sweating until almost half-time when the eighth goal went in!
It will give me a little bank for 2 or 3 slow horses today , and that's always greatly appreciated .
