Jets look to NRL neighbours for inspiration
The encore for the Newcastle Knights, the Jets know there's only one way to keep the good times rolling for Novocastrians.
The defending A-League Men premiers will return to action in an F3 derby less than a fortnight after the Knights fell short of a drought-ending NRL title, suffering a 19-18 defeat to the Sydney Roosters.
And while there's plenty to motivate the Jets in their own search for grand final glory, goalkeeper Delianov will readily admit the club's awe for the Knights ahead of Saturday's clash against Central Coast.
The Jets had witnessed an outpouring of love for the NRL grand finalists, with rusted-on fans waiting in the rain for the team bus, getting tattoos to commemorate the fairytale season, or painting their houses red, white and blue.
"We were obviously supporting them. It was amazing to see just sporting fans here in Newcastle come together," Delianov said.
"It's definitely motivated us to give those fans something to cheer about over the summer.
"It is a rugby league-first kind of city, but we're happy to take on that challenge."
Just as the Knights underwent a remarkable transformation from wooden spooners to grand finalists, former Socceroos great Mark Milligan led a revived Jets to their maiden Premier's Plate in front of sold-out crowds.
The Jets fell short of a fairytale ending, missing out on the decider after losing to Sydney FC in a semi-final penalty shootout.
Star striker Lachie Rose (Dundee United) won't be lighting up McDonald Jones Stadium, with fellow young stars Clayton Taylor (Barnsley) and Eli Adams (Gamba Osaka) among 13 players who left in the off-season.
But the Jets do have a trio of former Sky Blues stars at their disposal.
Superstar winger Joe Lolley is the headline signing, joined by striker Patrick Wood and defender Alex Grant.
"You look at Joe, he's more of an experienced player, which is so valuable for us," Delianov said.
"We've got a good balance this season of older players, more experienced players with the young boys.
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.perthnow.com.au — the content belongs to PerthNow.
