Newcastle Jets head coach Phil Stubbins and striker Joel Griffiths say the Jets’ focus in the fortnight leading up to the start of the Hyundai A-League season is to fine tune the team’s playing style and build on-field chemistry within the squad.
The Jets open their 2014/15 campaign against F3 rivals Central Coast Mariners on October 11 and Griffiths said the side is steadily progressing in a positive direction ahead of that match.
“I think it’s a lot better than a month ago and we’re always on the improve at the moment,” Griffiths said.
“If everyone buys into what Phil is trying to do, I think we’ll be OK.
“It has been an up and down pre-season in many ways, because of injuries and what not.
“We’ve only got a couple of weeks until the first game and we’re still trying to get as many fit bodies on the pitch as possible.
“It is what it is and we can’t afford to dwell on it, we’ve just got to keep moving forward.
“For the players that come in, it gives them a chance and hopefully they can prove themselves.”
Stubbins agreed, saying he is confident the Jets will be ready for the intense action expected from a Round 1 F3 Derby.
“I think that come Round 1 we will have addressed a few things that we need to work on in terms of fluency and cohesion and we’ll be a better team for it,” Stubbins said.
“We’ve transitioned and we’ve had a lot of change at the Club this pre-season, but I’m certainly confident that come the start of the campaign and moving forward we’ll get better and better.
“Seeing our training pitch in the condition it is in allows us to work in a way that we haven’t been able to in the past.
“The quality of the surface is pristine at the moment and that will only service the needs of the team moving forward.”
