In this week’s edition of Jets Insider, head coach Gary van Egmond is answering questions submitted by the Club’s Members and Supporters.
In this week-s edition of Jets Insider, Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets head coach Gary van Egmond is answering questions submitted by the Club-s Members and Supporters.
He covers topics including the arrival of Emile Heskey, playing Adelaide in Round 1 and the excitement for the 2012/13 A-League season.
William Aguilar asks via email: With all the hype surrounding this season, how excited are you that the first game is only a few days away?
Gary van Egmond (GvE): Very excited. It-s been such a long off-season and long pre-season and we-re just so anxious and can-t wait for the first game.
We-re really looking forward to playing Adelaide and we hope that there can be a big crowd and that all our Members and supporters turn up to cheer us on.
Mitch Cole asks via email: What are your thoughts on the boys being selected for the most recent Young Socceroos squad?
GvE: I think it-s fantastic. We probably have the most representation out of any A-League Club which is a good achievement considering there are a number of overseas players brought into this most recent squad.
Hopefully we can continue to attract that type of player to the Club, but also produce that type of player from the new Emerging Jets program.
Mia Lonergan asks via email: Gary you have said there was nothing between the keepers, so why will BK be on the bench, doesn-t he deserve to start after his efforts last season?
GvE: We still haven-t made a decision yet, but last season was last season. It-s more about how people have gone in the pre-season in regards to their fitness and consistency of training, so that all plays a part.
Katrina Campbell asks via email: How has Emile Heskey fitted in to the team?
GvE: He-s fitted in really well. He-s a selfless guy and a pretty humble sort of bloke. The boys have really taken to him and he-s given the Club a massive boost both on and off the park.
Sally Walls asks via email: What has been the players- reaction to Heskey arriving?
GvE: They-re very excited and can-t wait to be working with him for the whole of the year. We know that he-s going to get better as he goes on.
He-s obviously arrived pretty late in the pre-season, but his quality will shine through and we-re all very keen to see him in action.
Anonymous asks via email: Any chance that the club may make any further signings in the January transfer window. If a certain Newcastle favourite was off contract in Japan would he be signed?
GvE: We-ve already got a full squad, so the only chance of that happening is if one of our current players left or if we brought in a guest player.
Tom Rigby asks via email: Have you decided on who will be the team-s penalty taker this season? If so who?
GvE: I think that will come down to the person who feels most confident taking them. We-ve got a number of players in that mould, like Ryan Griffiths who took a few penalties last year, Jobe Wheelhouse and a few others.
Again it just depends on who is on the field and who is feeling confident at the time.
Sam Wheelan asks via email: Dominik Ritter has looked impressive so far in pre-season. Are you pleased with the player you-ve got in him?
GvE: Very much so. We-re very happy with Dom. He-s adapted fairly quickly to Australian football and hopefully he can keep on going from strength to strength for the Jets this season.
Paul Granger asks via email: Do you think it will give you guys an advantage being able to watch Adelaide in the ACL before you play them on Sunday?
GvE: It-s good that we-ve been able to watch them in the ACL and get an idea on how they play. We-ve also got a couple of tapes of matches they-ve played in the pre-season so we-ll hopefully have a fair idea of what to expect come Sunday.
Ross Walker asks via email: Which games are you looking forward to most this season?
GvE: I-m obviously looking forward to the opening match especially, but apart from that, there isn-t a match that I-ve earmarked that I-m really looking forward to more than others.
There-s a lot of eagerness within the group for the competition as a whole and we think that it has the potential to be a great year.
For next week-s Jets Insider interview CEO Robbie Middleby will answer YOUR questions. Simply tweet your question using the #JetsInsider hashtag or send your question to communications@huntersportsgroup.com by COB Wednesday. Then check back in Jets Insider next week to see if your question is answered.
