Coach Rob Stanton has praised Apostolos “Stama” Stamatelopoulos on the eve of the Newcastle Jets’ A-League Men’s (ALM) clash with Western United this weekend.
Since returning from Greece, the gun striker has hit the ground running in 2023/24, scoring three goals from as many starts.
His previous effort against the Western Sydney Wanderers netted him a double in the 2-all showdown.
And, Stanton would love to see more of that as Newcastle attempts to secure its first win of season, following two draws, at Mars Stadium, Ballarat, on Saturday 11 November.
“He’s (Stamatelopoulos) got a good process at the moment,” he said.
“He has come in with an unbelievable attitude for a guy who’s 24.
“I think Stama’s shown tremendous maturity, so there’s been a real shift in that area.
“He’s accumulated a lot more exposure overseas and he’s brought that back on and off the field.
“Honestly, he’s a good leader.
“And, that’s a reward for hard work… committing every day and applying yourself, leading from the front, leading others.
“Stama’s been tremendous.
“But, I’m not surprised and I’m happy for him.”
Stanton also extolled the virtues of Trent Buhagiar, who laid on the two goals for Stamatelopoulos.
“He’s worked really hard, too,” he told the Newcastle Weekly.
“I believe that’s three assists now.
“So, if Trent’s not scoring, and Stama is, he’s setting him up.
“Everyone wants to score, I get that.
“However, his selfless work is terrific, they’re working well together.”
It bodes well for the Jets moving forward with Justin Vidic, Archie Goodwin and Reno Piscopo not far from making it back onto the paddock.
“They’ll get their chances soon,” Stanton said.
“Hopefully, Archie’s just two-to-three weeks away.
“Reno is also getting close.
“We just need to make sure that we don’t put him in… and he breaks down.
“It’s our job to prepare him and manage him really well.
“We need to make sure his loads are at the right level so he can perform.
“It’s important because if he’s there, he is going to give us another dimension to our attack.
“He’s also calm on the ball and he shows maturity with the ball as well.
“So, he’ll give us a little cutting edge when he gets back.
“I think Archie will do that as well.
“We’ve got other players who’ve come on and contributed.
“Luckily, we have secured a lot of boys, who can add a bit more to the attack.
“Even though a few of them are out [at the moment], they’re not too far away.
“It will give us a little bit more depth and take a bit of a load off… and keep the intensity up when we need it.”
Newcastle faces Western, and former fan favourite Angus Thurgate, at 3.30pm.
Newcastle Jets v Western United
(Saturday 11 November, Mars Stadium)
3.30pm – A-League Men
- Newcastle Jets (squad): 1. Ryan Scott, 3. Jason Hoffman, 5. Lucas Mauragis, 6. Brandon O’Neill, 7. Trent Buhagiar, 8. Apostolos Stamatelopoulos, 13. Clayton Taylor, 14. Dane Ingham, 15. Jason Berthomier, 17. Kosta Grozos, 18. Daniel Stynes, 19. Callum Timmins, 20. Michael Weier, 22. Phil Cancar, 23. Daniel Wilmering, 25. Carl Jenkinson, 27. Nathan Grimaldi, 33. Mark Natta, 37. Lachlan Bayliss, 39. Thomas Aquilina
- Western United (squad): NA
For more sports stories:
- REAL NRL: Hawks building platform for future success
- Hunter football clubs kick financial goals
- Cessnock an ideal location for Supercars: Suvaal
Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
