Chris Macpherson 
Newcastle Jets 2024/25 A-League season preview. Photos: Texi Smith. Design: Round Ball Australia
Newcastle’s 23/24 campaign certainly had some bright shoots but was clearly marred by the horror show that was their ongoing ownership changes and proposed sale. Heading into year two under coach Robbie Stanton, and with new owners, there appears to be only upside for the side from the Hunter.
Jets fans have become more accustomed to disappointment than success in recent seasons and last year’s campaign was not all that different. An early season run gave momentary hopes of a finals berth before normal transmission resumed, and the Jets faded down the ladder to finish 10th.
There were glimmers of what might have been on a number of occasions for the Jets, notably a 3-0 win away from home against then ladder leaders Wellington in December and a 3-1 home win over a Sydney FC side deep in finals contention in April. Unfortunately for fans in Newcastle these were few and far between.
The biggest positives for Newcastle were the emergence of gun youngsters like Clayton Taylor, and Philip Cancar who became fixtures in the starting line-up, as well as the re-birth of striker Apostolos Stamatelopoulos in his second stint at the club.
Stamatelopolous’ form saw him not only break the club single-season goal-scoring record but also saw him called up for the Socceroos following the season.
The club’s ongoing ownership saga became a bigger story than the on field results throughout the season as the four club consortium that had kept them afloat looked to find a suitor, and multiple fell over through the season before Maverick Sports Partners emerged as the club’s white knight after the conclusion of the season.
The Manager: Robbie Stanton
The man who built his playing legacy as a defender in the NSL, remarkably engaged on a clear campaign of playing the ball and endeavouring for free wheeling attack in his first season at the helm of the Newcastle Jets.
Stanton made the commitment that he “want[ed] to ingrain myself in the community,” which he has more than lived up to in season one and despite results, has the overall backing of the local community to see what he can execute in his second season in charge with the backing of new owners.
He has from his first days in charge shown a willingness to back youth and set a tone for free flowing ball movement with a want to capture the local support base in Newcastle through attacking football.
The Squad
There have been quite a few key exits and changes as the Jets approach 2024/25, from the retirement of cult heroes, to the departure and transfer respectively of bright young stars.
Much to the chagrin of many Newcastle fans the club parted ways with both the consistent defender Lucas Mauragis who headed down the road to rivals, the Central Coast Mariners, while Archie Goodwin’s defection to Adelaide had many up in arms.
Only time will tell if these movements are for the betterment of the club or fall in favour of the individuals in question.
One thing that can’t be questioned is the club’s decision to allow striker Stamatelopoulos who last season broke the club goal scoring record and was capped for the Socceroos, to depart on a transfer to the Scottish Premier League club Motherwell, as Stamatelopoulos was clearly on a rapid career trajectory from the early days of his second stint at the club.
300-gamer Jason Hoffman’s retirement will not be the most talked about absence at the club.
However his experience and workmanlike attitude off the bench will be missed, which Stanton relied on a handful of occasions, especially early in his first season in charge.
The club also bid farewell to the experience of Trent Buhagiar (Brescia – Serie B), Reno Piscopo (Melbourne Victory), Daniel Stynes (Released), Brandon O’Neill (Perth Glory) & Carl Jenkinson (Bromley – League 2).
The club has made a clear focus on retaining a handful of their key performers from last year, with emerging midfielder Clayton Taylor still on deck despite rumours late last season of an overseas move.
Stanton has also ensured he has locked down Callum Timmins, Kosta Grozos, Phillip Cancar & Lachlan Bayliss with contract extensions, meaning his core of midfield and a key piece of his defence remain in place alongside fixtures such as Ryan Scott & Dane Ingham.
With so many departures the Jets have had to look both on and off shore to bolster their squad with a clear focus at both ends of the pitch.
Their first major move was to lock in Aleksandar Susnjar to anchor the defence on a free transfer from Perth, before they looked at the A-League, NSW NPL & overseas to secure attacking trio Lachie Rose (Macarthur), Ben Gibson (APIA Leichhardt), and Wellissol (Brusque FC – Brazilian Serie B).
The Off Field: New Owners
Much of last season was mired in the shadow of ownership rumours and innuendo. That grey cloud can no longer be a crutch for one of the league’s smallest market teams.
With Maverick Sports Partners (MSP) at the helm, Newcastle will expect a more stable recruiting and capital set-up and fans will rightfully expect this should turn into improving results.
The question for the club will be how much patience the fans will show if they get off to a slow or underwhelming start.
The likely answer, despite fans being used to mediocrity and below, is likely not a significant amount.
Expectations
Some fans and local press see the MSP ownership as a silver bullet for the club, but the reality is that it is not going to reinvent the wheel in Newcastle as was shown in the Australia Cup, with only minor progress being made with another Round of 16 exit.
A club that is from a small market, with a likely small budget in comparison to many of the top-tier clubs, will need to take time and work to sign astutely and build their youth development pathway.
Recruitment has been far from overwhelming in the first transfer market with the backing of their new owners, and much will come down to whether Wellissol be more Daniel Penha or Mario Jardel. The fans of the Hunter will hope the former, it will be a Newcastle nightmare if it is the latter.
Expect a small progression as a passing grade from Newcastle, but even finals seem unlikely unless there is some magic revolution at McDonald Jones Stadium.
A pass mark will be any uplift from last seasons 10th placed finish, while the ceiling would be scraping and/or stumbling into the finals, with a likely outcome being eighth or ninth on the ladder.