Newcastle Jets defender Joe Shaughnessy admits his side are primed for any kind of test Sydney FC throw at them ahead of this weekend’s semi-final first leg at Allianz Stadium.
Having captured the Premiership crown on the penultimate weekend of the season the Jets earned the bye in Week One of the Finals Series and subsequently watched on as Sydney FC defeated Melbourne Victory to set up a two-legged semi-final showdown.
CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE ISUZU UTE A-LEAGUE
“I think you can just tell from training that everyone’s kind of upped it a gear,” said Shaughnessy when speaking earlier this week.
“Everyone’s switched on, everyone’s buzzing to get involved, and, yeah, everyone’s pushing each other to do better each day.”
VOTE NOW: Isuzu UTE A-League Dolan Warren Awards voting now open for 2025-26
Often labelled the ‘Box Office Jets’, Mark Milligan’s side have been the Isuzu UTE A-League’s great entertainers this season as they romped their way to the Premiership.
However, in Sydney FC they face a side that’s seemingly reinvigorated under new Head Coach Patrick Kisnorbo.
The Sky Blues are unbeaten since the Championship-winning coach took over at Sky Park, chalking up three draws and two wins from his five matches in charge, the latest of which came against bitter rivals Melbourne Victory in the Elimination Finals.
MUST READ: Experts weigh in on the A-Leagues’ big burning question
Furthermore, Sydney FC have conceded just two goals during Kisnorbo’s tenure but despite their defensive resilience, Shaughnessy believes his side have the tools to break open an airtight defence.
“Yeah, I suppose that’s something we’ll just have to come up against,” said the Irish defender who joined in the off-season from Scottish Premiership outfit Dundee.
“We’ll have to break them down. I think a lot of the teams probably over the last, whatever, maybe six weeks that we’ve played against, have kind of done that, try to shut up shop against us and try and frustrate us.
“So it’s just another challenge to try and break them down and crack them open. And, you know, we’ve got whatever, 180 minutes to do that now. So it’s yeah, something to look forward to.”
When it comes to the form between these two sides it was the Sky Blues who took out the first meeting of the season 4-1 at McDonald Jones Stadium before the Jets then sealed back-to-back victories both at home and on the road.
