Newcastle Jets head coach Rob Stanton believes his side are better placed to challenge their F3 Derby rivals Central Coast this season and end the Mariners’ recent dominance in the local rivalry.
With less than a month to go until the start of the 2024-25 Isuzu UTE A-League season, coaches and players from both sides of the F3 Derby divide convened this week to discuss the upcoming campaign and their respective ambitions.
Having lost to the Mariners in all three F3 Derby fixtures last season, Stanton hopes an improved showing by the Jets in this season’s derby clashes will prove his side are on the up after a 10th-place finish in 2022-23.
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“Look, you’ve got to give credit where credit’s due,” Stanton said. “They (the Mariners) have had a tremendous turnaround in the club in the last five years, and that’s reflected in performances, winning titles and developing players as well.
“I think it’s a good platform for us to look at and see if we can do similar things.”
The Mariners have won the past two Isuzu UTE A-League Championships and last season, under new head coach Mark Jackson, won the Premiers Plate, Championship and AFC Cup title in an unprecedented treble campaign.
“I like the challenge of playing against the Mariners, it being a Derby,” Stanton continued.
“We feel we’re bridging the gap on last year on some of the games, difficult games for us, but I feel this year we’re in a position to win.”
Rivalries aside, Stanton is taking inspiration from Central Coast’s recent resurgence as a club.
From 2015 to 2021 the Mariners failed to reach a single Finals Series, and finished bottom of the table four times before a dramatic turnaround which saw the Gosford side finish third, then fifth before consecutive Championship seasons.
The Jets finished second in 2017-18 and made the Isuzu UTE A-League Grand Final but haven’t played finals since; after 7th, 8th, 11th, 9th and consecutive 10th-place finishes in the past six seasons, Stanton hopes not only to break the post-season drought, but emulate the Mariners’ push to the top of the table.
“Everyone aims to be in the finals – but not only the finals – I think you should aim to be the best team in team in the competition,” Stanton said.
“I just don’t want to be in the finals, I want to aim to get to the top.
“To be honest, I think if you’re not aiming to be the best, I think you’re wasting your time. And at the moment, we’re the 10th-best team. So the aim is to be number one, and if we finish second, I’m going to be not as happy.
“People might be happy, but the aim is to be number one, and we’ve got to keep building things, developing the individuals and the team and the club if we want to be number one. And there’s a lot of work to do before we get there.”
The Jets and Mariners don’t have to wait long for the first F3 Derby of the season, with the two old foes set to face off in Unite Round on Friday, November 22 at Allianz Stadium.
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Central Coast swept the Jets last season to extend their F3 Derby winning streak to five games; former Mariners captain Danny Vukovic became accustomed to lifting the iconic F3 Derby trophy aloft in recent seasons but following his retirement, star recruit Trent Sainsbury will hope to carry on the tradition at the club in 2024-25.
Sainsbury, who posed for pictures with the trophy alongside Newcastle Jet Kosta Grozos this week, was asked whether he is feeling any sense of pressure as he prepares to lead the Mariners into battle following the treble win.
“I don’t think pressure has anything to do with it, really,” he said.
“I think it’s up to the boys to keep standards and then excel and go above and beyond what they did last year, not just rest on their laurels.”
And as for what Sainsbury believes Mariners fans can expect from their team in 2024-25? “A lot more of the same.
“We’re going out with a beast mentality that we want to go out there and win it all again.”
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