I planned to dedicate today's column to important milestones and those who have achieved them, or are about to. That will still be the focus, but we can't ignore the recurring theme of near misses for the Jets.
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Maybe I get more cynical and pessimistic with age, and some Jets fans would call it learned behaviour, but the longer the game went on Sunday in Adelaide - in almost unbearable heat - and the stronger and more dominant the Jets became, the more I felt the creeping sensation of impending disaster.
You could hardly fault the effort, intensity and output of the team, and they were clearly superior to Adelaide in every department except the one that really counts - the goals column.
Deja vu? You bet. Surprising? Not at all. Painful? No question. Can it be fixed with tactical tweaks, more effort, better luck, game management or a combination of those and other minor factors? To a point.
But a proven goalscorer would probably trump hundreds of hours of training pitch work, and that ain't happening any time soon, as a proud but frustrated coach Ernie Merrick noted at his press conference.
Newcastle have been better overall than Adelaide twice this season, but James Troisi and Riley McGree have lifted their team to victory with moments of quality. That's how football often works, and it's certainly why talented difference makers earn the big bucks.
It's also why I'm so often bemused by the obsession of controlling games ad nauseam, when so many games are won by the team with less possession.
Is it about men and moment or having a sense of control in a chess match? Did the Jets' efforts going forward in extreme conditions lead to the two defensive lapses in concentration, when cover was late or non existent in arriving?
To be fair, sometimes it's easy to get excited as a player when you sense blood in the water and go all out for the killer blow. Would a more circumspect approach late in the game and a draw in oppressive heat at a difficult venue look OK today?
Those who watched the early game on Sunday could scarcely have missed the approach of Western United in the second half against Melbourne Victory. Granted, they were protecting a 3-1 lead, and it wasn't pretty, but they had completed only 39 passes by the 38th minute of the second stanza, and didn't get one ball into Victory's penalty area until injury time. Job done.
A first win in three weeks for a team well capable of taking the game to opponents in the second half, as they demonstrated against the Jets a fortnight prior.
And I didn't see the cultured Alessandro Diamanti, Greek international Panagiotis Kone or Besart Berisha shaking their heads at their second-half output.
Nor did I see the fans tut-tutting during celebrations. Do what you gotta do.
The Jets are competitive, mobile and have passed the ball very well at times. However, as Merrick noted post game, they have scored only four times from open play. Sure, they will tonk five past an opponent at some stage this season, but can they consistently win games if they have to score two or more goals to get three points?
Both wins this season so far have coincided with keeping a clean sheet. Is there a message in that?
If there is, then you can be sure that Nikolai Topor-Stanley will be smack bang in the middle of a frugal defensive unit. The big man is scheduled to play his 300th A-League match against Melbourne City, fittingly at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday, and surely deserves a large home crowd, a great reception and three points.
He is one of the club's best-ever players, most reliable servants and universally popular characters. And those who have witnessed him develop from the super casual talent - dress code op-shop less than chic - during his first spell, into the professional leader he is today, will smile knowingly.
Steve Ugarkovic and Matt Ridenton are in line to play their 100th A-League games, but both will probably remember the day more fondly if the team can grab victory for the stand-in skipper. We wish them well also.
And belated congratulations to Hannah Brewer, who notched a century of W-League games the weekend before last.
I have to admit I was a little concerned about how much the physical output required last Sunday would affect the Jets this weekend, but I am now somewhat reassured that the milestones reached this Sunday will provide an emotional and psychological boost for a determined team.
Well done on 300 "Gundy", football fans of this city wish you well on Sunday.
They will tonk five past an opponent at some stage this season, but can they consistently win games if they have to score two or more goals to get three points?
