IT'S the elephant in the room that Newcastle Jets coach Rob Stanton and his players are doing their best to ignore.
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Will Saturday's clash with F3-derby rivals Central Coast be Newcastle's last-ever game in the A-League?
As Stanton's troops prepare for their season finale, the club's future remains shrouded in doubt.
The sales process that kicked off six months ago is yet to deliver a new owner, and while it is understood negotiations have been continuing behind the scenes, there is no guarantee a positive outcome will be achieved.
A-League officials have made it quite clear that the temporary-funding arrangement, which has now been in operation for more than three years, will not continue beyond the end of this season.
And with a new Auckland franchise about to enter the A-League, anyone with an emotional attachment to the Jets is entitled to be nervous.
Somehow, despite all the uncertainty, Newcastle's players have kept their eyes on the ball to register two wins and two draws in their past four games.
That has enabled them to avoid the wooden spoon, and while they can't make the finals, a win tonight would ensure the Jets finish with more points and a higher ladder position than last season, which would be a commendable improvement.
Stanton said the prospect of the club folding had not been broached this week, because everyone was aware of what was at stake.
"I'm sure it's floating around there, because there is that potential," he told the Newcastle Herald. "I'm relatively confident it won't be the case, but you never know.
"It's not something we want to discuss at this point, because we actually have no control over that.
"Our discussions are more about what we need to win the game."
Stanton added, however, "we really need answers", because players and staff have to start making plans.
He said his players have been "fantastic" in dealing with the uncertainty.
"I can't give them enough credit for staying focused," he said.
