Last chance for off-contract Newcastle Jets players to stake a claim

That question shapes as an intriguing subplot as the Jets prepare for Saturday night's final-round clash with Sydney at Allianz Stadium, in which they will need the miracle of miracles to sneak into the A-League play-offs.

After last week's 3-1 loss to Central Coast, Newcastle are eighth on the competition ladder, three points behind sixth-placed Wellington.

The Jets enter the regular-season finale on 29 points, with a minus-13 goal differential, frustratingly adrift of the Phoenix (29 points and minus-seven).

To have any hope of jagging a spot in the finals, Newcastle will need to beat Sydney convincingly, and rely on Macarthur beating Wellington to help turn around the six-goal deficit.

Meanwhile, they also need a favourable result from the game between Perth and Western United, who are also on 29 points and, like Newcastle, would need to not only win but to drastically improve their respective goal differences.

It all shapes as unlikely, to say the least, especially given that of the 25 away games they have played against Sydney, the Jets have posted only four wins, most recently a 2-1 upset at Kogarah Oval in July, 2020, during the brief coaching tenure of Carl Robinson.

For a large contingent of Newcastle's players, Saturday shapes as their last chance to stake a claim for a contract next season.

Among the free agents are co-captain Matt Jurman, influential midfielder Angus Thurgate, veteran Jason Hoffman, overseas imports Manabu Saito and Beka Mikeltadze, New Zealand international Dane Ingham, as well as Mohammed Al-Taay, Kosta Grozos, Callum Timmins, Daniel Stynes and Noah James.

With defender Carl Jenkinson and midfielder Brandon O'Neill out through suspension, Jets coach Arthur Papas suggested after the loss to the Mariners that the Sydney game would be a chance for fringe players to state a case.

"We'll give some opportunities maybe to players that haven't played and are fighting to get something for next year, a contract or whatever it is," Papas said. "There's still some [players] up in the air in that area as well, so that's an opportunity."

It would appear that retaining Thurgate, the 23-year-old Young Socceroos representative, is a priority for Newcastle, after executive chairman Shane Mattiske revealed recently that the club had tabled him "a very strong offer" to re-sign for more than one season.

Thurgate is yet to accept it, amid reports that his preference is to find a club overseas. Rival A-League outfits are also understood to be interested.

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