Seventeen years. That is what stood between Newcastle Jets and winning trophies.
Young substitute Oscar Fryer set the stage for Newcastle to claim their maiden Australia Cup trophy in front of 10,000 fans at Lakeside Stadium, where the 19-year-old came off the bench and scored a stunning solo goal in the sixth minute of extra time.
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Fellow substitute Ben Gibson sealed the win with five minutes remaining after Newcastle rallied from behind in the first half – man-of-the-match and Mark Viduka Medallist Max Burgess cancelled out Heidelberg’s opener.
Reward for Mark Milligan’s Jets was both a drought-ending triumph and qualification for the 2026-27 AFC Champions League Two. It not only gives Newcastle continental football but a lucrative payday.
Newcastle could pocket $300,000 USD – which equates to around AUD $450,000 – for just qualifying for the group stages, like rivals Sydney FC and Macarthur Bulls have netted previously. Winning the entire competition could result in a windfall of AUD $4.92million.
“We should all strive to do well, to be a part of and to do well in Asia,” said Jets head coach and retired Socceroo Milligan, who played in Asia with Shanghai Shenhua (China), JEF United Chiba (Japan), Baniyas (United Arab Emirates) and Al Ahli (Saudi Arabia), via AAP.
“Especially with my history as well. I played a lot of football through Asia. I have a great appreciation for a lot of countries over there and how they go about their business.
“It’s a tough competition, but now I believe it’s more rewarding for clubs to want to do well in it.
“As a nation, as a footballing nation, we should want to be a part of it and we should want to do well in it.”
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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.
Saturday night was Newcastle’s first ever Australia Cup final and it was met with a strong travelling contingent of Jets supporters in Melbourne after a large portion jumped on a 4:30am bus to make the trip.
The Jets have not reached the Isuzu UTE A-League Finals Series since losing the 2017-18 Grand Final but Newcastle are moving in the right direction under the A-Leagues and Socceroos great as they turn their attention to an F3 Derby against rivals Central Coast Mariners in Round 1 on October 19.
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“We want to be a team that plays finals football. We want to compete for things. We’re trying to build a brand of football that we think will do that,” Milligan told reporters.
“We’re trying to create a squad in terms of the competitive nature that will do that. We want to be fighting for things. I want our fans to be excited by this.
“Expectation’s not a bad thing. I want these players to be driven. I don’t want them to feel like just because we’ve won the Cup we’ve succeeded, because we’re a long way away from succeeding.
“There’s still a lot of growth in this group to go. There’s a lot of hard work to do, but I’m not going to cap what success looks like for them.”
A key part of Newcastle’s Australia Cup success was Fryer.
Fryer’s pain-staking journey to Saturday night was 15 months in the making.
In August, the teenager made his bow in the Australia Cup following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury 13 months prior that denied him the opportunity to debut for Newcastle, where he arrived from Sydney FC’s youth team in July last year.
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After helping sink Heidelberg, the goalscoring youngster told Paramount+: “Not bad. Speechless after that one.
“Was out for 12 months. To come back and win a final, it’s a dream come true.
“Like 12 months of anticipation building up, and to let it all our on that left foot felt amazing.”
Jets defender Aleksandar Susnjar, meanwhile, dropped an f-bomb in a passionate post-game moment.
“I’m happy with the boys. They f*****g gave a 120-minute shift. Just stoked with that,” he added via Paramount+.
“I have no words to say. It’s another trophy for the club, the players and staff.
“We’ve changed the club around a lot in the last couple of months. Everyone deserves this.”
