Newcastle Jets coach Gary van Egmond is hoping his side will find some consistency and rhythm when it takes on Queensland Roar at EnergyAustralia Stadium on Sunday.
The defending Hyundai A-League champions’ 2008/09 season has been disrupted by a combination of injuries and representative commitments but the fact that van Egmond has the rare luxury of being able to name an unchanged line-up for this week’s clash has him hoping to find some form.
“It is all about getting your rhythm as a player week in week out and there has been a few interruptions here and there that a few of the boys have had,” van Egmond said.
“If you have a player who goes to play a World Cup game it is like they are out with injury.”
“It does interrupt us but you just have to have the right mental attitude to overcome that and it is all about having the confidence and belief in the group that is taking the field on any given week and this week it will be no different.”
“We’ve shown that we’re obviously a decent team but it hasn’t been often enough. We’ve actually shown that on various occasions that we can play some good football but we might not have got a result from it and that’s not going to be good enough. What we need to do is step that up.”
Van Egmond indicated he will be looking to a fully match fit Joel Griffiths to once again prove the thorn in the side of the Queenslanders.
Last season’s Johnny Warren Medallist has a phenomenal record against the Roar netting six times in eight games and van Egmond is confident his star striker will be ready to fire after having his first full match back last start after a three-week lay-off with a hamstring injury.
“When you say was Joel 100 percent fit? Yes he was. But was he short of a gallop? Yes he was,” said van Egmond.
“And the same can be said for Mark Milligan. Both of those guys will be better for last week’s game,”
“All week it’s been about hitting the back of the net.”
“It’s about the timing of runs and the placement of shots and obviously the final ball which gets delivered which gives the person in the front third the best option of either scoring or at least hitting the target.”
