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Newcastle Herald
Newcastle Herald
Sport

The Lowedown: A win in Perth would be invaluable for the Newcastle Jets

And the wheel rolls on! How on earth would you explain the machinations of the A-League to anyone looking in from the outside.

Perth Glory coach Ruben Zadkovich served his apprenticeship at Broadmeadow Magic. Picture by Jonathan Carroll

The Jets are four points off third place, and one point ahead of second last.

The Wanderers, who occupy third place, have won one game of their past eight, Melbourne City having drawn their last three games are still five points clear after 14 games.

It makes having a bet a scary leap of faith, and a couple of three-pointers in a row an absolute godsend.

Sydney FC, winners over Melbourne Victory, and Newcastle, who swamped Brisbane Roar in a second-half feeding frenzy at McDonald Jones Stadium, were the beneficiaries of three high-scoring draws in the other fixtures last week. Whose turn will it be this weekend?

I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that Melbourne City, Adelaide and the Wanderers will collect three points, in home fixtures against MacArthur, Brisbane and Western United respectively.

That leaves a tough home game for Sydney against the Mariners on a prospective warm afternoon, while the Jets may be facing a later kick-off at 7.30pm Perth time (10.30pm here) in conditions that are meant to reach 38 degrees earlier in the day.

Marko Rudan's Wanderers will, according to predictions, find their unfavoured 3pm time slot on Sunday, starting in the early 30s temperature wise.

A big warm and hearty greeting to all the new signings joining the A-League!

Twelve degrees in Melbourne on Friday night perhaps, and maybe 35 in Perth on Saturday night! Out on the patio we sit ...

And I finished my weather report quite deliberately focusing on the Jets match in the west, because it's vitally important to both sides.

Surely the yo-yoing up and down the table that has highlighted the season for at least seven teams has to fracture at some point, some finding consistency and fortitude, others fading away. Or will all teams still be nibbling away at positions four to six, with two games left in the season?

I don't think anyone is expecting a comfortable match on Saturday night.

Former Jets captain and now Perth coach Ruben Zadkovich has to take a lot of credit for accepting some pain last season, blooding some youth, and galvanising his squad into a far more fluent and competitive outfit this time around. And now he finds the opportunity to bring in some experience and quality.

The move to Macedonia Park also seems to have provided a more conducive atmosphere, and a less cavernous, expansive playing surface.

The Jets, after a valuable pair of draws and a good victory over Brisbane, can ill afford a halt in momentum, despite conditions that will test both playing groups. It's hard not to envisage an energy-sapping slog and desire playing a big part in this result. Historically, Perth has not been a happy hunting ground for the Jets.

That needs to change on Saturday night if the Jets are to genuinely make a solid run at the semi-finals spots available, in my humble opinion. Momentum certainly seems like it could be gold at the moment.

A win would be welcomed like an icy beverage or two, but I doubt a draw would shatter anyone's long-term ambitions on Saturday night. Not just yet anyway.

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