Newcastle Jets’ Mark Milligan is one of three new coaches in the Isuzu UTE A-League this season. aleagues.com.au looks at the challenges facing the trio in a three-part series.
Newcastle Jets. They already have a trophy in hand after a 17-year drought. So, what needs to change?
Well, the historic Australia Cup triumph is just the tip of the iceberg for Mark Milligan’s Jets.
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“We’re trying to implement a new way of doing things here,” Milligan said after the club’s thrilling 3-1 extra-time win over NPL VIC champions Heidelberg United in the Australia Cup decider.
“As I said, I ask a lot of them from a physical point of view from. A footballing point of view.
“It just helps me with this process that we’re going through. I mean, make no mistake where I see us in future, we’re nowhere near that.”
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Newcastle had gone nearly two decades without silverware, but now they not only have a title and AFC Champions League Two qualification, but renewed belief so early into Milligan’s rein.
Milligan’s tenure is in its infancy after replacing Rob Stanton heading into 2025-26 but the Jets’ new era under the A-Leagues great is continuing to take shape.
But there is still work to be done heading into an F3 Derby showdown against Central Coast Mariners in Round 1 on October 19.
As Milligan insisted prior to Newcastle’s Australia Cup success, cup football is a different beast compared to the rigours and mindset of league competition.
The Jets have also not reached the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series since losing the 2017-18 Grand Final after finishing ninth last season – eight points adrift of the top six.
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“I want the players to be ambitious,” Milligan told aleagues.com.au previously. “I want them to be the best version of themselves.
“With this group and the attitude that they have, and the amount of growth that’s in this sort of team and in this region as well, I don’t think we should put those goals or limitations on players as well.
“We want to be a finals team, but to be a finals team, we have to be better today. We have to be better tomorrow. It doesn’t matter what sort of three weeks looks like if we don’t get it right now so that that’s that’s been the main focus that we want to compete.”
Under Stanton’s guidance, talented prospects Clayton Taylor and Eli Adams thrived while the likes of Lachlan Bayliss, Thomas Aquilina, Callum Timmins and captain Kosta Grozos also impressed in 2024-25.
Now, Milligan is trying to build on that with a new vision and way of playing. Players, young and old, are buying in to what the 80-cap Socceroo wants. It comes down to consistent messaging from the head coach and his staff, which includes Nicholas Stavroulakis and Jess Vanstrattan.
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The biggest thing for Milligan this season will be extracting consistent performances from the Jets. There have been glimpses in recent campaigns but they have been unable to back up displays.
Winning the Australia Cup, and the confidence from that trophy-winning run, will undoubtedly help.
Scoring goals will be an area of attention for Milligan. In 2024-25, Newcastle found the back of the net on 42 occasions – only Brisbane Roar (32), Central Coast Mariners (29), Wellington Phoenix (27) and Perth Glory (22) managed fewer.
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The first-time senior professional head coach, though, will be encouraged by the fact the Jets scored 15 goals en route to claiming the Australia Cup with an even spread of goals among the likes of Ben Gibson and Kota Mizunuma (both three), and Xavier Bertoncello, Max Burgess and Daniel Wilmering (two).
There has been a previous question mark over Newcastle’s defence. With Milligan at the helm, the Jets have gone about bolstering that area of the park with the arrival of Irish central defender and former Dundee FC captain Joe Shaughnessy.
The 33-year-old brings a wealth of experience to a backline that features Thomas Aquilina, Mark Natta, Aleksandar Susnjar and Wilmering.
Looking a bit further back and the Jets’ goalkeeping department was also boosted in the off-season via the signing of James Delianov from Adelaide United after the club struggled to settle on a number one in 2024-25.
To provide some context. Newcastle kept five clean sheets last season. It is a number that needs improvement if they are to translate their Australia Cup success to the Isuzu UTE A-League. Why? Champions Melbourne City and Auckland FC each registered 13 clean sheets last term, while Grand Finalists Melbourne Victory managed nine of their own.
In other words, defence wins titles.
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“It’s not just a belief I have for the Jets, it’s a belief I have for Australian football,” he told aleagues.com.au. “One coach in particular, obviously being Ange (Postecoglou), one thing that really stuck with me was I remember him talking about how he was sick and tired of hearing that Aussie players weren’t good enough to play a certain type of football.
“But his belief was that if he was to give us the tools, then the sky was the limit.
“That really resonated with me at the time, and it really had an effect on the way that I played the game, in the way I saw the game. It’s something that’s always stuck with me.”
