The Newcastle Jets are wasting no time dwelling on their toughest loss of the season, determined to keep their finals push alive this weekend. 

With the A-League Women’s (ALW) ladder tighter than ever and a crucial clash against Melbourne Victory, striker Melina Ayres said the message around the group had been clear – learn from the setback and move on quickly.

“We had a pretty big review after our loss against Wellington and nipped everything in the bud,” she told the Newcastle Weekly.

“Monday we were back in training at 6am, so it was good to get that out of the way and realise the things that we needed to work on.

“We’ve trained pretty hard this week and can only look forward now.

“It was our biggest loss this year and I think it just kicked everyone into gear and, hopefully, it’s one loss we had to have. 

“It highlighted areas that we really need to be switched on with and, with any luck, we can bounce back on Saturday.” 

Despite the setback, the defeat hasn’t derailed the bigger picture. 

In a closely-congested table, the Jets remain within striking distance of the top six, with just a few results capable of reshaping the standings. 

“It’s so tight,” Ayres said. 

“Every game, you could either be second or eighth.

“I want to play finals, so I’m looking at it and thinking each match’s so important from now on. 

“It’s there for the taking… and the girls are starting to realise that. 

“The thought of playing finals footy is really exciting.

“Hopefully, we can kickstart that this weekend and get some momentum to head into the play-offs.”

Newcastle will get the chance to earn a higher spot on the ladder when it travels to face Melbourne Victory on Saturday 7 February – a familiar opponent for Ayres, who spent several seasons in Melbourne before returning to the Jets. 

“It’s always fun playing against Victory,” she said. 

“I’ve played with a lot of the girls down there for so many years, so it’s a good challenge to go back and, hopefully, beat them.”

The forward said life back in Newcastle had been a positive change, with a refreshed environment helping it grow through the season. 

“From the start of pre-season to now, we’ve come pretty far as a group,” Ayres admitted.  

“There’s a lot more positive environment to be around and we’re starting to build a lot of cohesion.

“It was frustrating on the weekend but we’ve worked on a lot of things.”

The cohesion is beginning to show in the attacking third, where a mix of new signings and emerging young players are starting to click. 

Ayres has formed a promising partnership with the likes of Charlotte Lancaster and Kelli Brown, with both rewarded with international call-ups to the New Zealand squad. 

“They’ve been killing it for us,” she said.

“I think we’ve all started working together in the front line pretty well.

“It’s been fun playing with them and hopefully they can do that for the Kiwis.” 

Ayres believes a challenging schedule earlier in the season made it difficult to settle on combinations, but the group is beginning to understand each other’s strengths. 

“Our playing group has just taken a while to get the right combination in there,” she explained.

“It was a hard schedule for us and Stephen [coach] had to make decisions with rotating the squad and making sure we were always good to go as a team.

“It was hard to build teamwork.

“But, I think those two games, where won two in a row, built into some movement with us at the top of the field. 

“Obviously, it was just hard with so many games and then no game, so I guess the schedule’s made it difficult. 

“I think we’re starting to understand how each other plays the game now.  

“We’ve got quick players out wide, and then some of the younger players and myself are more those nines in the middle. 

“It’s about knowing where each other wants the ball and building that in training.”

With Ayres recent goal against Wellington last weekend and a desire to add a few more to her tally, she insists the team’s success remains the priority. 

“I’d love a few more goals, but I’d rather win than score,” the 26-year-old said. 

“If we can create more chances, they will come.

“It’s almost like if you can string a few wins together, you can pretty much secure your spot.” 

The Jets tackle Melbourne Victory from 7.30pm.

For more sports stories:

• Jet-set devotion as super fan follows Newcastle to Adelaide
• Peter Parr: Leading the Knights into new era
• Jets determined to maintain the rage away from home

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