Newcastle Jets goal-getting gun Milos Trifunovic says he and his teammates will head north to Queensland this Friday with the intent of causing “some trouble” against Hyundai A-League Premiership hopefuls Brisbane Roar.
Scott Miller’s Jets will challenge John Aloisi’s Roar at Suncorp Stadium in the opening match of Hyundai A-League 2015/16 round 19, and Serbian striker Trifunovic said Newcastle will be aiming to make life difficult for their hosts in the Sunshine State.
“Last week against Adelaide we played some good football, and yesterday we played well and got the result,” Trifunovic – who netted a brace in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Melbourne City – said with the assistance of his teammate interpreter Mateo Poljak following recovery at Newcastle Ocean Baths on Monday.
“We are definitely not afraid to go to Brisbane regardless of them being high on the table.”
“We will go there to play openly and cause some trouble,” he said.
Trifunovic, who now has eight goals in his first season in the Hunter, could well become just the third Newcastle player in the history of the Hyundai A-League to reach double figures in a season should his strong form continue over the coming rounds.
Joel Griffiths scored 12 goals in 23 games in the club’s Championship winning campaign (2007/08), while Adam Taggart managed 16 strikes from 25 matches during Hyundai A-League season 9.
Indeed, Trifunovic has a great chance to become the club’s top scoring foreigner should he continue to hit the back of the net at his current rate.
The former Liaoning Whowin marksman needs four more goals to equal Michael Bridges’ record of 12 goals atop that list.
Though Trifunovic would undoubtedly like to set some personal records during his time with the club, he insists the team performing strongly is what’s most important to him, and moved to praise the impact of his teammates.
“I didn’t set any [goal] targets for myself this season,” he said. “So long as the team performs, I don’t mind.”
“Both Steven Ugarkovic and [Morten] Nordstrand showed yesterday why they came here. They are two great players and in particular Nordstrand showed why he has played Champions League and that he is going to be a very good signing for us.”
“With Leonardo getting fitter and Nordstrand coming in I feel that we are more dangerous than before, and that’s going to be vital for us for the last part of the season.”
“I like the club, I like the city, and our group of players are really close,” he said.
Newcastle Jets All-Time Top Foreign Goal Scorers
1. Michael Bridges (England) – 12 goals from 66 games
2. Jeremy Brockie (New Zealand) – 11 goals from 41 games
3. Emile Heskey (England) – 10 goals from 42 games
4. Vaughan Coveny (New Zealand) – 9 goals from 31 games
5. Milos Trifunovic (Serbia) – 8 goals from 17 games
