COACH Carl Robinson wants to bring the best young Australian players to the Newcastle Jets for what he anticipates will be a very different looking A-League post COVID-19.
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Robinson is "itching to get back on the training field" and is eagerly awaiting the lifting of Australian border restrictions so he can return from Vancouver, Canada, where he has spent the past month with wife Laura, 17-year-old daughter Lowri and son Milo, 11
The A-League, postponed on March 24, is expected to resume in August.
The Jets have four games remaining, which are likely to be played behind closed doors at a central hub, and are an outside chance of making the play-offs. Western United hold sixth spot on 27 points, three ahead of the Jets, but have played two less games.
Robinson, who along with assistant coach Kenny Miller faces 14 days in isolation on return to Australia, is preparing to be without imports Joe Ledley, Bobby Burns and Wes Hoolahan.
Ledley and Burns have returned to Wales and Northern Ireland respectively.
Hoolahan, whose wife Emma is pregnant, departs for Ireland this week.
"There are no guarantees that international players, one, will be allowed back in the country and, two, can actually get back based upon the league rules," Robinson said. "I have to prepare as though I won't have my international players.
"Arroyo is still in Australia which is good. It's tough because we are in a good place and on a good run of form. It also gives me a chance to have a look at the young ones."
Roy O'Donovan, who is awaiting Australian citizenship, is the only foreigner contracted beyond this season.
The absence of internationals may be a sign to the future.
Robinson, though focused on finishing in the top six, is also looking ahead to next season and the prospect of a cut to the $3.2 million salary cap and cost cutting across the league due to the financial impact from COVID-19.
"Based upon projection of what is going to happen next season, I have to find some talented young national team players within the 17-to-22 age group to add to the players we have already - Johnny Koutroumbis, Matty Millar, Connor O'Toole, Angus Thurgate, Makis and Kosta Petratos," he said.
"I have been spending a lot of time looking at young Australian players in Europe as well as at the other A-League clubs.
"I want the nucleus of players from Australia. In the worst-case scenario and the salary cap is cut, we are OK. If it is not the worst case scenario then we are in a really good position to strengthen with another key international player if we need one."
Robinson has been in constant contact with staff and will return to Newcastle as soon as possibe.
"The key thing for me was to get back with my family [in Canada] when it all started," he said. " It has been a tough few weeks. We are moving house so I have been packing boxes. I have watched all of our games again, I have watched half the A-League games. I have been doing analysis on teams I admire, Hoffenheim, Dortmund and teams like that.
"Now, I'm itching to get on the training field. I had a year out [from coaching] which was great and I needed it. Once I got back in, I'm hands on and with the boys all the time. I want to be back there. There was never any thought of me saying 'I can wait, I can wait'. I want to be back there as soon as possible. Kenny is the same. We saw the success we had in a short period of time. We want to reset, rebuild and bring more youngsters through."
Jets players have been following individual programs and Robinson plans to give them 10 days off once a starting date for team training has been confirmed.
"If the games are in August and the boys are going to start training in July, there is still six weeks between now and that point," he said. "After the season, there will probably be a month off and then another pre-season. Once it's confirmed, I will give them maybe 10 days total rest. I want them to do nothing before they come in and we start to build them up once we get some dates.
"I'm used to having five-week preseasons in Major League Soccer. I do all my pre-season with the ball."
The Jets have games against Wellington, Central Coast, Sydney and Western United remaining.
"I'll say to the boys, we have four fixtures left against good teams, go and enjoy yourself and play the way we want to play," he said. "There will be one team who surprises. We have put ourselves in a position where we could be that team. That will be our aim."
