The Newcastle Jets have named a 10-man squad to compete in the Singapore Soccer Sixes tournament this weekend.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets head coach Gary van Egmond has named at 10-man squad that will travel to Singapore to compete in the Singapore Soccer Sixes tournament this weekend.
Van Egmond said his players were looking forward to taking part in the two-day tournament, which will pit the Jets against international opponents in a six-a-side format.
“It-s great that we-ve got an opportunity to go there and it comes at a good time from the perspective of breaking up the pre-season,” van Egmond said.
“It-s the start of a really long pre-season so it-s nice to have little incentives such as a tournament like this.
“It is really good for the players especially because it helps break up the monotony of the pre-season.”
Among those travelling to Singapore are Club captain Ruben Zadkovich, Jets 2012/13 Player of the Year Mark Birighitti and new signing Joey Gibbs.
Sam Gallaway and Ben Kantarovski will make their return to competitive football, albeit in a six-a-side format, after missing the end of last season through injury.
“Ben had a whole season out last year, so it-s going to be good for him to get that game time, even though it-s a different format,” van Egmond said.
“Sammy missed the back end of the season after he picked up a nasty injury in Wellington, so it will be a positive experience for him as well.
“Also having a new player in Joey Gibbs come on the trip will be a good thing because it-ll give him the chance to get to know the rest of the players.”
Van Egmond said the main challenge facing his side is adapting to the rules of the six-a-side format.
“The interesting part about it is there-s no offside and it-s unlimited interchange,” he said.
“I-m sure the teams we-re going to play will be well-schooled in the tactics of the six-a-side game and how to best utilise the different rules.
“The boys will be tested in a one-on-one situation both with and without the ball and from a conditioning perspective it will be really beneficial.
“We-re going to go there with a pretty open mind, enjoy the experience and if we get some good results, that will be fantastic.”
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Newcastle Jets squad for Singapore Soccer Sixes:
Mark Birighitti
James Brown
Sam Gallaway
Joey Gibbs
Ben Kantarovski
Mitch Oxborrow
Jacob Pepper
Taylor Regan
James Virgili
Ruben Zadkovich
