United we stand: New-look Jets primed for FFA Cup opener

When Papas was handed the reins of the A-League battlers five months ago, he vowed to introduce an attractive, up-tempo, high risk brand of football not witnessed in the Hunter.

He is not about to let the pressure of a must-win FFA Cup qualifier against Western United curb his mantra.

First impressions count, and while the rebuilt Jets will improve the more time and games they have together, Papas won't be applying the brakes in their first competitive outing in Geelong on Saturday night.

"I have been in these cup tournaments before and I have been the underdog as an NPL coach," he said. "I won't take the approach that we are going there to be conservative and salvage. That is just not our way.

"I'm expecting that the way we train is the way we play. We train with a certain intensity, we want to play with the ball, we want to dominate.

"For us, it is an opportunity to perform, it is an opportunity to play our football, and that is what we are going to stick to."

Papas put a broom through the Jets roster after a spluttering 2020-21 A-League campaign in which they just avoided the wooden and missed an automatic place in the FFA Cup main draw.

He needed a clean slate. Recruitment was aimed at bringing in players capable of playing his game.

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Fifteen new faces were ushered through the door. Many, headed by new central defensive pairing Matt Jurman and Jordan Elsey and imports Beka Mikeltadze, Daniel Penha, Savvas Siatravanis and Olivier Boumal will be on show in Geelong.

However, Spanish midfielder Mario Arques, is not at peak fitness and hasn't travelled.

Although most of the squad have been training since July, the Jets have only played two friendlies against A-League opposition due COVID-19 restrictions - well short of a normal season lead-in

Despite limited opportunities to iron out kinks, the players have complete buy-in to Papas' way.

"From day one, Arthur has stressed being brave and believing in each other," Elsey said. "In these cup games, there is no point going into your shell. If you go into a game with fear of making a mistake, you will make plenty of mistakes.

"The belief is definitely there and we are brave enough to take it to teams. We have a lot of young players who are so confident. When they get the ball they do special things with it.

"Nothing is ever going to be perfect and we understand that. We always want to improve and I think we are every day."

Midfield livewire Angus Thurgate, one of five survivors from last season in the squad for the trip south, said they had gained a lot from the friendlies against Sydney FC (5-0 loss) and Macarthur (6-3 win).

"We are constantly learning. It is a new group, a new way of football," he said. "All we can do is keep buying into the process is and the way the football club wants to go. We are all on the same page. it's exciting.

"We are 100 miles an hour when we don't have the ball. When we do have the ball we are non-stop again.

"We are going at teams."

Western United have gone through a similar transition to the Jets. They have a new coach, John Aloisi, and a rejuvenated roster.

They are again led by Italian maestro Alessandro Diamanti, but Serbian striker Aleksandar Prijovic leads the attack in place of the A-League's all-time leading scorer, Besart Berisha. Prijovic and former Jets veteran Nikolai Topor-Stanley are among 10 fresh faces.

Squad: Jack Duncan; Jason Hoffman, Matt Jurman (c), Jordan Elsey, Dane Ingham, Kosta Grozos, Angus Thurgate, Daniel Penha, Sammy Silvera, Beka Mikeltadze, Savvas Siatravanis, Olivier Boumal, Jordan O'Doherty, Eli Babalj, Valentino Yuel, Riley Warland, Mo Al-Taay, Noah James.

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