A-League: Newcastle Jets rue ALM derby loss, celebrate seven-goal ALW thriller
Newcastle Jets young gun Mark Natta has been crucial for the team this season, with the centre-back revealing the one thing that’s helped him take on more of a leadership role.
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It was a mixed bag for the Newcastle Jets, with the club’s men’s and women’s team experiencing vastly different fortunes over the weekend.
In the A-League Men, the Jets put in one of their most disappointing performances of the season in the 3-1 loss to local Rivals the Central Coast Mariners in Gosford.
Meanwhile the women’s side continuing its run of playing entertaining football with an exciting 4-3 win over Canberra United.
Catch up with the latest news and talking points below with Jets Central.
NATTA TAKING THE LEAD
As someone celebrating his 21st birthday on Tuesday, it’s sometimes easy to forget just how young Jets defender Mark Natta is.
The centre-back, who joined Newcastle from Western Sydney ahead of last season, has well and truly become a regular for the Jets over the past season and five games.
In a sign of how highly regarded he is, Natta has already racked up 48 A-League games.
He featured in all but six fixtures in the last campaign, although he did spend much of the back end of the season coming off the bench as more experienced players Matt Jurman and Carl Jenkinson were preferred in the centre of defence.
But this season, under new coach Rob Stanton, Natta has become central to the team’s plans, starting in all five games so far as he takes on more leadership in defence.
“We’ve got a very young backline and I’ve been trying to play a more senior role in the backline and lead them,” he said.
“I think I’m fortunate to have played as many games as I have at my age and be in more of a responsible role at the back. It’s something I want to do and I think I’m getting better at it as the games go on.”
Even though he’s only just turned 21, Natta says it feels like an eternity since making his A-League debut for the Wanderers as a skinny 18-year-old.
“I feel like I’ve been around for much longer than I have, to be honest,” he laughed. “To play that many games by 21, I’m very lucky, especially as a defender. I know not too many have had that experience.”
And over the last couple of years he’s certainly adapted to the rigours of professional football.
“As you gain the experience against … the top strikers in the league you get used to how they play,” he said. “What they’re like and what they’re good at. Just the experience of those players, it gets more comfortable.”
And one the main things that has made him feel more comfortable is playing next to centre-back partner Phil Cancar.
Cancar’s arrival at the Jets this season was somewhat of a reunion for the two centre-backs, who came through the Wanderers system together.
“Playing with someone like Phil is easy,” said Natta.
“I’ve played with him for four or five years now, we played our first game together, so we’re used to each other, how each other play and we trust each other, which makes it a lot easier at the back.”
Natta’s form hasn’t just been recognised at club level, with the 21-year-old called into the Olyroos set-up for a 2-1 friendly win over Qatar last week.
He’ll be hoping he can impress selectors to book a spot in the under-23 Asian Cup, to be held in Qatar in April.
In the meantime, the focus will be on the Jets. And as he approaches the half-century of games in the A-League, has Natta picked up some of the darts of defending? Those behind-the-play shirt pulls and shoves in the back that escape the eyes of the referee and VAR?
“Still working on that, still learning, always room for improvement,” he laughs.
STANTON TAKES THE BLAME
Newcastle Jets’ ALM coach Rob Stanton took the blame for his side’s disappointing performance in the 3-1 loss to the Central Coast, saying that he worked the side too hard in the fortnight leading up to the match.
The Jets appeared sluggish particularly in the first half of the derby, with the team unable to match the energy and movement of the Mariners.
“To be honest, it’s probably an area that I got wrong last week,” said Stanton. “We pushed them pretty hard.”
“That’s probably on me, less so the players. They all looked quite heavy. We had a few boys returning from international duty as well.
“So I think I have to own that one, that first-half performance. But to the boys’ credit, they came back in the second half and showed a little more intent… But the first half really hurt us. We didn’t match their intensity and desperation.”
GOODWIN PROVIDES A SPARK
While it was a disappointing day for the Jets, there were some silver linings as Archie Goodwin made a positive return from injury.
The 19-year-old striker looked sharp after being subbed on in the 63rd minute, beating the off-side trap and deftly heading past Mariners keeper Danny Vukovic to score Newcastle’s only goal.
The young gun has been plagued by a back complaint that has sidelined him for much of the last couple of years and resulted in back surgery.
After last playing for the team against the Melbourne Victory in an Australia Cup qualifier back in July, Goodwin was pleased to back out on the park.
“It’s been a long journey, I had a few big setbacks coming back from the off-season, played that game in Darwin then broke down again,” he told Paramount + after the game.
“But I think I’ve had a good 14 weeks to build myself back up and I think I’m in a good place now. It’s all positive on my end and I’m just looking to get more gametime and have an impact for the team.”
TROOPS RETURNING
Goodwin is not the only attacking player who is set to return to the side in the coming weeks.
Reno Piscopo, who has been sidelined since the beginning of the season, looks likely to return to the playing squad in the coming weeks, and would further add some attacking spark to the side.
NEW SIGNING MAKES AN IMPACT
Speaking of strike players, new Jet Sarina Bolden made a huge impact for her new club, scoring a brace in the Newcastle’s 4-3 win over Canberra in the ALW.
It only took the Philippines international five minutes to get on the scoresheet when he latched onto a through ball from Emily van Egmond and buried the ball into the back of the net.
In the 60th minute Bolden once again showed just how dangerous her runs in behind the opposition defence can be, getting on the end of an excellent pass from Cass Davis to lob the ball over Canberra keeper Chloe Belle Lincoln’s head to put the side ahead 3-2.
It capped off a brilliant debut for the 27-year-old, who Jets fans will be hoping can continue her goalscoring run.
VAN EGMOND EFFECT CLEAR TO SEE
Goals have certainly been flowing for the Jets in recent weeks as the team looks far more potent in front of goal.
After scoring just two goals in their first four games, the Jets have netted six in their last two.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, this coincides with Emily van Egmond’s return to the club on a short-term deal
Having played two matches of her four-game stint, the veteran Matilda already has two goals and two assists, pulling the strings from midfield and transforming the way the Jets play in attack.
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