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It’s the F3 derby in Round 1 of the A-League as bitter New South Wales rivals the Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets meet in Gosford. Join The Roar from 5:00pm (AEST) for all the action and scores.
These two clubs don’t like each other and the rift has been further exacerbated by recent claims made by Marcos Flores. The Argentine, now with the Jets, was a Mariners player last season but was cut by the Central Coast after picking up a season-ending ACL injury. Flores says the club didn’t support him, coach Phil Moss denies this, all adding further fuel to the fire for Saturday night.
The Jets and the Mariners have played each other 32 times in the history of the A-League with 11 draws, 12 Mariner wins and nine Jets wins, indicating the closeness of this contest. It’s one separated by 86km and most famously played out in the 2008
grand final.
Both teams come into this opening season fixture with changed squads. The Jets have had much more turnover, with a new coach in Phil Stubbins and new signings like Flores, Jeronimo Neumann, Adrian Madaschi, Johnny Steel, Edson Montano and Billy Celeski arriving at Hunter Stadium.
The Mariners still have the same core of Liam Reddy, Zac Anderson, Josh Rose, Matt Simon, John Hutchinson, Nick Montgomery and Mitch Duke, but Bernie Ibini and Michael McGlinchey have departed and they have brought in imports Malick Mane and Richard Vernes.
It’s very hard to know what to expect from Newcastle as they are missing a clutch of midfielders and Flores isn’t back to full fitness. Expect the former Adelaide United man to make an appearance at some point, but the Jets are pretty much unrecognizable from last season.
Joel Griffiths and David Carney should play key roles in the front third, while Mark Birighitti will get the nod at the back.
Moss will most likely aim for the same formation and playing style from the 2013-2014 campaign, making the Mariners tough to beat, especially at home.
No one is expecting much from Newcastle so it will be fascinating to see what Phil Stubbins can conjur up in his first match at the helm. Equally, the Mariners have been quiet on the transfer front while several other clubs have been busy.
With the quality of talent rising across the A-League, will the Central Coast boys be able to keep up with the rest this season? They’ve made a history of over-achieving in the first 10 years of the competition.
All should be answered on Saturday afternoon. Join us from 5.00pm (AEST) for all the action from Central Coast Stadium.
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