With a largely successful weekend in the bank for our NPL NNSW Youth boys, the seniors will look to match their efforts as they kick-off their season this weekend.
After both sides made finals last season – the U/16s winning the league and the finals – expectations will be high among the ranks.
ACADEMY: Meet the youth boys
Ahead of an impending season opener against Charlestown, meet our NPL NNSW U/16 and U/18 sides.
U/16 Boys team
The U/16s side is coached by Daniel McBreen, who will be keen to kick on from the minor-major premiership double of last season.
Known best in Australia for his success with the Central Coast Mariners, the former striker is entering his fourth year as a coach in the Newcastle Jets Academy.
On top of juggling coaching duties for the Jets and playing duties for the Edgeworth Eagles in the NPL Northern NSW, McBreen is also the assistant coach of the Guam national team.
Last season, playing in the U/18s competition, the side romped home to a first-place finish and a massive 7-1 Grand Final victory.
Goalkeeper: Jacob ZISSIS
Defenders: William INGRAM, Clancy MUDDLE, Elliot PAGE, Patrick BOND, Nick PETTIFORD
Midfielders: Otto SCHWARZ, Finnegan TODHUNTER, Caleb TROWBRIDGE, Adam ZERVAS, Milo BISOGNI, Mason WELLS
Forwards: Angus MCLEOD, Sam HAREN, Josh BENSON, Tom PARKES
U/18 Boys team
The U/18s are coached by Ben Hughes, who in his second year as coach of the side will be looking to build on a solid 2018.
Hughes began coaching with the Newcastle Football U/12 representative side back in 2013, and spent two years there before joining the Jets Academy as an assistant coach in 2015.
The step up to coaching his own side came in 2017, when he took the U/15 Jets to the Grand Final, before coming on board as U/18s coach last season.
Playing up in the U/20s competition in 2018, the boys finished in fourth place but went out over two legs in the semi-finals.
Goalkeepers: Keegan HUGHES, Brodie VOLKIENE
Defenders: Matthew BURTON, Alex HILTON, Narveen RICHARDSON, Brendan KNOWLES, Tao GRIEVES, Adam SHERRATT
Midfielders: Ethan BYRNES, Nicholas CURRAN, Joe LANGLOIS, Jackson PERREIRA, Bailey WELLS
Forwards: Blake ARCHBOLD, Sam DONNELLAN, Nicholas MARTINELLI, Sascha MONTEFIORE
