Jets Kruse past Farina's men

Joel Griffiths who else, tucked a scrappy goal away to earn the Newcastle Jets their first win of the season, and an away win in Fortress Suncorp:)

Uber Coach Gary Van Egmond is making the best of a bad bunch and quickly.

A side looking a shadow of their former Champion selves stuttered early in the season and got flogged 5-0 in Melbourne.

Two weeks later against a team fresh from a 3-0 away win in Perth, the Jets kept a second top team scoreless and pinched one at the end.

Not pretty, but Frank Farina's tactics play into everyone's plans when they play at home.

How many goals do Matt Mackay and Massimo Murdocha ever score or perhaps more importantly create. Nil, certainly not at home.

Everyone talks about the pace of these guys, but you need more than pace.

And you need Robbie Kruse. Last year he was the star for the Roar. Not Michael Zullo.

It was Kruse who can play that special ball, score a goal and create something every game.

Time to play him, and often.

Kruse could change this Roar side. A side with too much experience and not enough guile.

But Farina sends the same pattern out week after week at home, and it doesn't work.

And if it does it's more by luck than a plan. And it's pretty easy to overcome for the following weeks coach.

Defend, let the Roar huff and puff which they do so well but rarely create real chances, or not many of them, and then when the Roar goes out of them you start to attack.

And even if like Newcastle you have few forwards, one is all you need to come alive around the 80th minute.

This defeat is blamed fairly and squarely on Frank Farina. He has the squad.

A squad that can hit teams away from home but our former National Coach has done little or nothing to improve on all-attack home style of former Coach Miron Bleiberg.

Time for a rethink Queensland.

Bring in Robbie Kruse get rid of Massimo Murdocha, or move him into full-back to replace Seo and give the ageing team more pace out wide, and see what difference that makes.

As for the Jets they have sorted their defence but will they ever score more than one?

Unlikely, but Gary Van Egmond will be sorting something, don't worry about that.

At this stage expect the Jets to soar above the Roar in the League table and stay there.

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Jets 1 Roar 1 Full-Time

Energy Stadium is a great place to play football.

Tonight was no exception.

Craig Moore missed a penalty, Joel Griffiths cancelled out The Roar's early goal but a draw was probably a fair result. A game either side could have won.

And Steve Laybutt is hacking anything that moves, and it hurst to see.

He gave away a penalty, kicked at anything that moved and generally is the worst type of player we could have return home. Overweight as well.

Still at least I'm getting fun seeing Robbie Kruse and his mates speed past him. Give me more!



The Roar scored early through the work of the new Batman and Robin combination of Michael Zullo and Robbie Kruse.


The Jets were stunned inside a minute. Zullo drove hard and at pace and then the ball ran to Kruse who slammed it home.

Adam D'Apuzzo was still in Beirut, but Kruse took his chance. 1-0 to the Jets and the crowd went quiet.

Zullo was electric, he should have been given a penalty, broke at pace, amazing pace on many occasions, skinned Jade North...Michael Zullo is one to watch.

But The Roar aren't just Zullo, his mate on the other flank Robbie Kruse was equally delightful. Great touches and great runs.

Reinaldo was strong. The Roar have an attack for the first time in three years that can shake the league.

At the back Craig Moore had a great first half. Compare him to Sydney's Tony Popovic. And Liam Reddy saved well on a number of occasions.

And it wasn't just the Roar. The Jets were full of running and would have broke weaker teams.

Mark Bridge played some stunning football. Matty Thompson and Joel Griffiths are always great value. Tory Hearfield should have scored but Liam Reddy kept him out much as he kept Mariners Matt Simon out in last weeks game.

Great first half. An early goals always helps but the Roar didn't go into their shell this weak.

Surely more goals to come, but who could pick the winner at half-time.

And the next goal came early. And it was the Jets that scored.

Troy Hearfield drove between two defenders, but one was an attacker, starman Zullo pulled him down.

Joel Griffiths scored from the spot.

Robbie Kruse kept pressing, Reinaldo missed a couple, but the Roar did get a penalty.

Robbie Kruse was too good all night for Stave Laybutt and his quick thinking drew a foul and a penalty resulted.

Craig Moore missed.

And the Jets came home strongest with a passionate crowd behind them.

But they are playing too narrow. Particularly when you bring on Mario Jardel.

Why bother, the ball never gets put into his so-called aeriel strength?

Great game, Zullo, Kruse, James Holland, Mark Bridge, Reinaldo and Troy Hearfield caught my eye.

But the star for me was Craig Moore.

And Steve Laybutt entertained. As a player you love to hate. But he's character full of pride, but I want to see the Ref's put a stop to it, early. Continual persistent blatent fouling. There should be a law against it.

Watch him next week. Count how long before he fouls, and how long before he's booked.

It's not right!

Two teams look settled now. Plenty of options on the bench for both sides. The extra three players in the squads are starting to show their value.

Good decision FFA.

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