The Jets have been dealt an injury blow with star defender, Daniel Georgievski sidelined with a grade 1 hamstring tear following Sunday’s 1 – 1 draw with the Western Sydney Wanderers.
Georgievski was substituted in the 12th minute after struggling to get going in the in the fourth round fixture.
The right back was in clear discomfort and could be seen clutching at his hamstring as he left the field of play, and cut a dejected figure as he sat on the bench watching his teammates secure a hard-fought point at home.
In the press conference following the match, Jets’ Coach, Ernie Merrick said the defender had been carrying a tight hamstring in the lead up to the Wanderers clash.
“He’s been carrying a tight hamstring for a while, and he thought it would loosen up – it got better throughout training all week,” said Merrick.
“He felt good during the warm up but despite that, as the game wore on he felt it get tighter and tighter which can be a pre-cursor to something much more serious.”
Experienced campaigner, Jason Hoffman replaced Georgievski after recently making a return form a groin complaint that plagued that last few weeks of his preseason.
Despite the loss of Georgievski, Merrick was pleased to have a ready-made replacement in Hoffman.
“It’s certainly disappointing to lose Daniel but the situation could have been much worse, so to only lose him for a few weeks is a positive,” Merrick added.
“To be able to bring someone of Jason’s quality into the starting XI is great for us, he’s a really experienced footballer who will offer a lot for us at the back.
“He likes to get forward which suits our game play and I’ve got no doubts in Jason doing a job for the team.”
Georgievski will begin rehabilitation on his injured hamstring and is expected to be out for 4 weeks.
