Despite an 18-day break between outings, Jack Hingert says the Roar will still take momentum from their last A-League victory into Wednesday night’s A-League fixture against the Jets.
The Roar return to the park for the first time since January 2 a – 3-1 victory away in Melbourne – at McDonald Jones Stadium on Wednesday.
A disrupted opening to the campaign halted the Roar following an uplifting performance and result against the Victory, but Hingert says the squad will still be feeding off that result.
“After that performance, we would have loved another game to come around pretty quickly. It’s one of the hardest things, getting through pre-season and obviously as footballers the thing we want to do the most is play games.
“We’ve had 18 days since our last game and we’re obviously looking forward to tomorrow night.
Matchday -1 ? #NEWvBRI #ForTheCrest pic.twitter.com/mQS7YpdIsJ
— Brisbane Roar FC (@brisbaneroar) January 18, 2021
“We’re still taking momentum from our last game and that performance against Melbourne Victory.
“We’ve had a great couple of weeks of training, the boys are looking sharp and we have full confidence that we can go down there and get a result.”
The Jets are yet to register a point after three defeats to open their campaign, but a couple of eye-catching performances will ensure the Roar aren’t resting on their laurels.
The two sides met most recently late in pre-season – a 1-1 draw in Coffs Harbour.
“They’ve been very good, we won’t take them lightly. We played them in pre-season and we know the threats and strengths they have – we’re expecting a tough game,” Head Coach Warren Moon said.
A number of A-League debuts are on the cards with Japanese international Masato Kudo named in the extended 20-man squad for the first time, alongside Macklin Freke and new signing Bon Scott, who has been signed as an injury replacement player.
Freke, who has been involved in the Young Roar set-up for a number of seasons, is set to make his A-League debut, while Masato will travel with the squad.
“I’m excited for him [Macklin]. I’m disappointed for Jamie, but I’m really excited for the opportunity Macklin gets,” Moon added.
On Masato: “We knew he needed time and he’ll be travelling with us and we might see him on the park.”
MATCH DETAILS
A-League 2020/21 Matchweek 4: Newcastle Jets vs Brisbane Roar
McDonald Jones Stadium, Newcastle
Wednesday, 20 January (6:05pm kick-off QLD time, 7:05pm local)
Newcastle Jets squad: 1.Lewis ITALIANO (gk), 2.Johnny KOURTROUMBIS, 3.Jason HOFFMAN, 4.Nigel BOOGAARD (c), 6.Steven UGARKOVIC, 9.Roy O’DONOVAN, 11.Ramy NAJJARINE , 13.Maki PETRATOS, 14.Ali ABBAS, 15.Tete YENGI, 18.Jack ARMSON, 17.Valentino YUEL, 19.Kosta PETRATOS, 23.Jack DUNCAN (gk), 24.Connor O’TOOLE, 25.Jack SIMMONS, 27.Lucas MAURAGIS, 28.Blake ARCHBOLD , 32.Angus THURGATE, 44.Nikolai TOPOR-STANLEY **2-4 to be omitted**
Ins: 25.Jack SIMMONS (promoted) 28.Blake ARCHBOLD (promoted)
Outs: Nil
Unavailable: 5. Ben KANTAROVKSI (calf – 2 weeks), 22. Lachlan JACKSON (ankle – 4 weeks
Brisbane Roar FC squad: 1.Macklin FREKE (gk), 3.Corey BROWN, 5.Tom ALDRED (c), 6.Macaulay GILLESPHEY, 7.Jai INGHAM, 8.Danny KIM, 9.Masato KUDO, 10.Riku DANZAKI, 12.Bon SCOTT (gk), 15.Jesse DALEY, 16.Joshua BRINDELL-SOUTH, 19.Jack HINGERT, 23.Dylan WENZEL-HALLS, 25.Rahmat AKBARI, 26.Jay O’SHEA, 27.Kai TREWIN, 29.Jordan COURTNEY-PERKINS, 33.Keegan JELACIC, 34.Alex PARSONS, 77.Scott MCDONALD **2-4 to be omitted**
Ins: 8.Danny KIM (promoted), 9.Masato KUDO (promoted), 12.Bon SCOTT (gk) (new signing), 33.Keegan JELACIC (promoted)
Outs: 11.Joe CHAMPNESS (unavailable), 21.Jamie YOUNG (knee)
Unavailable: Nil
TV Broadcast: Live coverage on FOX SPORTS 505 from 7:00pm (AEDT), Sky Sport 7 (New Zealand), Kayo Sports (www.kayosports.com.au) and MyFootball Live App, Live Fast and Data Free for Telstra mobile customers