Clare Wheeler's first taste of W-League was as a 15-year-old, thrown into a Jets side whose budget was dwarfed by other clubs.
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It was a baptism of fire in a Newcastle squad reliant on young local talent with no big names and no imports.
The Jets finished last with just one point, secured in a last-round draw after an 11-game losing streak.
Six years on, Wheeler is a captain of her beloved home-town side in a season where the club faces similar challenges.
While Jets coach Craig Deans retains 15 players from last year, high-profile Matilda Emily van Egmond has joined Melbourne City and United States quartet Britt Eckerstrom, Katie Stengel, Taylor Smith and Arin Gilliland-Wright will not be back.
But 21-year-old Wheeler is confident the experiences between her first season and now puts Newcastle in good stead.
"That season was definitely a season that made me realise what it was like to cherish a win and what it's like to deal with losses," Wheeler said.
"We finished the year on a point. But this year is definitely not the same. A lot of us who were there then are 21, 22 now, so it has a different vibe this year and we're definitely not going to have a repeat of that year."
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Like others before her, Wheeler could have easily left Newcastle to pursue football elsewhere. Instead she chose to stay.
"It's home and I love it here and I love the girls and the culture here and I wouldn't trade it for anything," she said.
The talented midfielder has been a standout for the Jets in the past couple of seasons and is rated by Deans as one of the most important players in his squad. He has added Wheeler to his leadership group with Gema Simon and Cassidy Davis and the responsibility has not been lost on the former Young Matilda.
"It's a fantastic opportunity to not only represent the Hunter but also a great bunch of girls and I'm really excited," Wheeler said of the co-captaincy.
She plans to lead by example and is happy for others to be writing off the Jets.
"Newcastle is never shy for being the underdogs, so I don't think it's something we've never dealt with before," Wheeler said.
"Two year ago, the men weren't even picked to make the finals and they made the grand final.
"A lot is done based on attitude and if we create the right attitude and we can stick with it then we can do what we can do."
The Jets head to Wagga Wagga this weekend to play W-League champions Sydney in a friendly and will open their 2019-20 campaign by hosting competition heavyweights Melbourne City on November 17.
"It's a tough start; they have arguably one of the best teams on paper and we've never won against them, which is also psychologically what we have to deal with," Wheeler said.
"But why not verse one of the best at the start and see where we need to improve, if we need to improve, or get a win and shake up the season."
As well as being a leader, Wheeler also has added responsibility in midfield after the departures of van Egmond and Gilliland-Wright, who announced on social media last week she was pregnant.
"Missing Arin and Emily is huge," Wheeler said.
"They're really great footballers and I wish them both luck. However, for this year it's more just keeping the ball, keeping it simple and us keeping possession. I think that's something we lacked last year - someone that would keep the ball and keep things consistent, so this year I'll just be looking to do that."
