LAWRIE McKinna expects the recruitment of Mariners flyer Matt Millar to “add a bit of spice to the F3 derby” but, first and foremost, the Jets boss was thrilled to have a genuine excitement machine at the club.
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McKinna confirmed on Friday that Millar had signed a two-year deal with the Jets from next season.
The 22-year-old winger has been a bright light in an otherwise bleak season for the last-placed Mariners.
“He is an excitement machine,” McKinna said. “He is very, very quick, has set up a lot of goal-scoring opportunities and has scored a goal or two himself. He gets up and down the touchline and does all the hard yards. He has won their player of the match seven times and will be a great addition.”
News that Millar would be heading up the freeway was not well received in Gosford. The player was banished from training on Thursday after informing coach Mike Mulvey that he had committed to the Jets despite the Mariners’ desire to extend the his stay on the coast.
“Matt Millar knew, and his agent knew, very well, that we wanted to keep him. We just didn’t have the opportunity to table the offer before he signed the contact at Newcastle,” the coach said. “He came in yesterday morning and said he changed his mind four or five times and he thought he would be better developed by going to Newcastle. He’s a really popular guy among our group, but he’s made a decision and he needs to live with that decision. By sending him home yesterday, it allowed him to clear his head and allowed us to clear our heads.”
The Jets attempted to secure Millar before the A-League transfer window closed on Thursday, but were knocked back.
“When we heard the boy had been sent home from training, I contacted the Mariners CEO and asked if they would release him early," McKinna said.
“They wanted a player in return, so we gave them three names but they weren’t interested.”
Though aggrieved, Mulvey said Millar would start for the Mariners against Melbourne Victory on Saturday with the coach saying: “You don’t cut your nose to spite your face.”
Mulvey questioned the legality of the Jets’ approach to Millar but McKinna insisted the club had followed A-League protocols.
“Joel [Griffiths] notified the Mariners on December 27 that we were interested in speaking to Matt,” McKinna said.
“He was a stand out in a team that had been struggling and we knew there were four other clubs interested.
“When we agreed to terms with the boy he wanted to keep it quiet and we were happy to do that out of respect for the Mariners. It’s unfortunate it came out the way it did.”
Millar is the second star player in two years the Jets have signed from their fierce rivals, after securing the services of Roy O’Donovan last season.
“It will add a bit of spice to the derby,” said McKinna, who was the Mariners foundation coach and had a 10-year association with the club. “Last year they had a pop at Roy and I for being up here. It backfired on them a wee bit. It does get people talking about the derby.”
McKinna said the Jets’ decision to release Mitch Austin on Thursday was separate to the Millar negotiations.
Austin has since signed with Sydney FC for the remainder of the season.
Th winger, who made five appearances off the bench for the Jets after recovering from a knee reconstruction, was involved in a heated exchange with assistant coach Clayton Zane at training on Thursday.
“I had a phone call from the agent saying that he wanted to leave,” McKinna said. “We said if he doesn’t want to be here, he can leave, no problem.”
