Mark Milligan is certain the Newcastle Jets will be “better for the experience” as they prepare for one of the biggest matches of their season this weekend.
His A-League Men’s (ALM) outfit fought out an enthralling 1-all draw with Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium to ensure the semi-final series remained on a knife’s edge.
Now, they’ll host the second leg of the format at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday 16 May, with the winner progressing to the 2025/26 decider for a showdown with either Auckland or Adelaide.
It also means Newcastle has an opportunity to complete the domestic treble, having already secured the Premier’s Plate and Australia Cup for the first time in the club’s history.
“These boys have been fortunate to create a lot of special moments this year,” Milligan said.
“But, that chapter is closed.
“We have a chance to go and rewrite the history books.
“And, that comes down to how hard we want to work this week and how much desire we have.
“It’s in our hands.”
Milligan admitted he was impressed by his young team’s effort, with only a handful of players competing on that stage before… as representatives of other ALM sides.
“I think they handled it well,” he said.
“It was always going to be a little bit difficult, especially early on after having the week off and starting at the tempo we wanted.
“However, we fought hard in tough circumstances; away from home, our first final.
“Sydney, on the other hand, was coming off a very, very intense game against Melbourne Victory.
“So, we had to dig really deep to get a little bit of control.
“Overall, I’m definitely not disappointed.
“After we made a few adjustments at the break, I thought we were much more comfortable in the second half.
“But, I would have liked us to control certain areas better.
“Plus, we could be a bit tidier, too, in particular moments, like ensuring we make the right decisions, being nice and brave when we don’t have the ball.
“We’ll focus on things like that at training.”
Early ticket sales indicate McDonald Jones Stadium will be another sell-out, much to the delight of Milligan.
He knows how vital the Jets’ “12th man” is at home.
“I always have advantage to Newcastle in my head because I know the intent that we’re going to go into the match with,” the Socceroo great said.
“I also realise the kind of support we’ll have there.
“You saw what our fans brought to Sydney; it was absolutely fantastic.
“And, I know we’ll be better for that 90 minutes because it’s never easy coming off a break and then maintaining the levels that we want to maintain.
“At the end of the day, I’m confident the guys will rise to the occasion.
“That’s due to what I’ve seen all year.
“I believe it puts us in a stronger place than anything.
“After every game, after every challenge, these players don’t waste an opportunity to improve individually… and as a group.
“There were a lot of things we did very well [on Saturday].
“So, we’ll take those learnings… good and bad.
“We’ll be better moving into this week and that’s why I have the confidence in this group to get a positive result.
“There’s no pressure on us; it’s on Sydney.”
For more sports stories:
- Jets, Milligan lead tributes for local footballing legend Chris Turner
- Knights continue to bolster NRLW squad ahead of 2026 season
- Jets one win from ALM decider after semi-final draw
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