JETS co-captain Brandon O'Neill is set to miss his fifth consecutive match - and a homecoming - after being ruled out of Saturday's clash with Perth Glory at Macedonia Park with a knee injury.
O'Neill has not played since the 2-0 loss to Sydney FC on January 1, when he suffered medial-ligament damage in a tackle by Rhyan Grant.
The 28-year-old was initially hopeful he would miss one game at most, but his recovery has been slower than expected and the Herald has been told he will not travel with his teammates across the Nullabor.
It would have been O'Neill's first game in his home town since he parted company with the Glory at the end of last season.
At the time, Perth CEO Tony Pignata voiced his frustration by saying: "Brandon was made captain of the club and for him to now ask for a release one year into a three-year deal is naturally very disappointing.
"However, if a player no longer wishes to play for Perth Glory, there is no point in forcing them to stay."
O'Neill has since explained he "didn't feel like me" last season and, after much thought, opted for a change of environment.
"I had to pick the place that was going to make Brandon O'Neill happy again. And Newcastle under [coach] Arthur [Papas] was definitely the right decision," he told the Herald in October.
Even with O'Neill out, Saturday's match will still have a "trading places" theme.
Perth coach Ruben Zadkovich is a former Jets captain who served his coaching apprenticeship at Broadmeadow Magic.
His squad includes defender Jordan Elsey, who was released two weeks ago by Newcastle, and fellow ex-Jets Adam Taggart, Johnny Koutroumbis and Mitchell Oxborrow, as well as former Broadmeadow striker Jacob Dowse.
Newcastle's roster features Dane Ingham, Daniel Stynes, Callum Timmins and Jack Duncan, all of whom have spent time in Perth.
The Jets are hopeful Japanese import Manabu Saito will make his A-League debut against Perth.
AAP reports: Perth could be boosted by the return of Socceroos striker Taggart on Saturday. Taggart's brace in the 3-1 win over Melbourne Victory a fortnight ago came at a cost after he tweaked his troublesome quad.
The setback ruled Taggart out of last week's 2-all draw with Wellington, but the 29-year-old has trained well this week and is in line to return.
"Tags is a chance," Zadkovich said on Thursday.
"He's progressed well. The medical team has been doing a fantastic job working with him and Tags' attitude has been first-class.
"He's doing everything he can. He's got that little look in his eye like he wants to be there, which is always nice."
Zadkovich said he will wait to see how Taggart trains on Friday morning before making a final decision.
The news isn't as good for star midfielder Salim Khelifi, who faces a race against time to play again this season.
Khelifi suffered a serious foot injury two weeks ago.
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