Newcastle Jets boss Scott Miller has rewarded four of the club’s 2015 PS4 National Premier League (NPL) players with a place in his squad for the club’s tour around Northern New South Wales this week.
Michael Kantarovski, Reece Papas, Braedyn Crowley and Andrew Pawiak have each been invited to join the first team on the tour that will feature stops in towns including Taree, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Armidale, and Tamworth.
Indeed, when the bus departs Ray Watt Oval at the University of Newcastle at 8:00am on Monday bound for Port Macquarie via Taree, a total of 24 players will be onboard.
Alongside M. Kantarovski, Papas, Crowley and Pawiak will be Nick Cowburn – who has ten Hyundai A-League appearances with the club to his credit – as well as New Zealand international trialist Ryan de Vries.
De Vries is currently contracted to PS4 NPL Victoria pacesetters Bentleigh Greens. The Cape Town born attacker has previously featured for prominent Kiwi clubs Auckland City FC – with whom he scored for at the 2014 FIFA Club World Cup – as well as Waitakere United.
Naturally, all of the club’s A-League 2015/16 contracted players are set to venture on the six-day anti-clockwise loop of Northern NSW.
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“I am glad that we have been able to reward Michael [Kantarovski], Reece [Papas], Braedyn [Crowley] and Andrew [Pawiak] with a place on the tour,” Miller said.
“There were certainly other youth team players in the mix to travel with us, however these boys have been selected because of their application and attitudes, and because we view them as potential A-League prospects.”
“The trip ought to provide them with the opportunity to learn from the senior players and staff, and hopefully grow and improve as footballers and people.”
“It also gives us the opportunity to take a close look at them in more than just the training environment, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and then consider how we can help them progress beyond the youth team in the future,” he concluded.
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Newcastle Jets will train at Zone Fields in Taree from approximately 10:30am on Monday, before making two player appearances in the town in the afternoon. From 3:00pm to 4:00pm Jets players will be at the Greater Building Society on Manning Street, while from 3:30pm to 4:30pm squad members will be at McDonalds on Manning River Drive.
Jets players will also be the Greater Building Society on Horton Street in Port Macquarie between 3:00pm to 4:00pm on Monday.
JETS: TOUR (NNSW) 2015 travelling squad: Ben Kennedy (Gk), Mark Birighitti (Gk), Daniel Mullen, Nigel Boogaard, Lee Ki-je, Themba Muata-Marlow, Lachlan Jackson, Jason Hoffman, Ben Kantarovski, Mitch Cooper, Josh Barresi, David Carney, Andy Brennan, Radovan Pavicevic, Labinot Haliti, Cameron Watson, Mateo Poljak, Brandon Lundy, Michael Kantarovski (youth), Reece Papas (youth), Braedyn Crowley (youth), Andrew Pawiak (youth), Nick Cowburn (trialist), Ryan de Vries (trialist)
