THEY scarcely had a chance to make an impact this season, but Wes Hoolahan, Joe Ledley and Bernie Ibini could all get an opportunity to show their true value during a second stint with the Newcastle Jets.
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Jets chief executive Lawrie McKinna told the Newcastle Herald that the club has already held discussions with the accomplished trio about extending their tenures.
"We've spoken to Joe and Wes and they're both interested to discuss next season," McKinna said. "And Bernie Ibini is keen to talk, too.
"We can't offer contracts at this point, because nobody knows what the salary cap will be, but we've started discussions with them about whether they'd be interested in staying with us.
"And all three of them are."
Hoolahan, the former Norwich City club legend and Irish international, was expected to play a key role for Newcastle this season but suffered an ankle injury in the FFA Cup that required major surgery.
He was sidelined until February but returned to make five appearances, helping the Jets to three wins and a draw in that time.
Hoolahan turned 38 later this month, which makes him Newcastle's oldest-ever A-League player, but coach Carl Robinson said in March that the veteran was still "passionate" about the game and the sort of player he wanted at the club.
Capped 43 times by Republic of Ireland, Hoolahan and his family have stayed in Newcastle since the A-League was shut down on March 24.
Leldey, the Welsh international midfielder, joined Newcastle in February and has made three appearances.
The 33-year-old has returned to his homeland during the competition hiatus and appears unlikely to return for Newcastle's remaining four games of this campaign.
But he said in a recent podcast that he was impressed by the standard of the A-League and had enjoyed his time with the Jets.
"I signed until the end of the season and have loved it ... they were a great group of boys, good professionals, good manager," he said. "I just wanted to try something different. I have always wanted to play abroad ... to say I have tried a different place, a different culture."
Ibini, the former Socceroos striker, signed with Newcastle in February and made two appearances, both off the bench. At 27, he would appear to be coming into his prime years and should only improve with a full pre-season under his belt.
Newcastle's major off-contract player is skipper Nigel Boogaard, who will be 34 by the time next season kicks off but has indicated he still has the desire to play on.
On-loan striker Abdiel Arroyo is still in Newcastle because he has been unable to return to Panama.
Meanwhile, McKinna said the Jets "need to start looking into" how they can get Robinson and his assistant coach, Kenny Miller, back into Australia if this season resumes.
Robinson is in Canada and Miller is in Scotland.
