Josh Brillante is confident he will be able to put in a strong performance if given the opportunity to start against Melbourne on Friday.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets defender Joshua Brillante is confident he will be able to put in a strong performance if given the opportunity to start in Friday night-s match against Melbourne Victory at Hunter Stadium.
The 19-year-old admits there might be some minor nerves if he is picked to start his first match in Jets colours, but he is confident of overcoming them.
“I think anyone who-s in the starting line-up should be excited and if it is my first start for Newcastle on Friday it-s going to be very exciting,” he said.
“Hopefully I can play a good game, perform consistently and be relaxed on the ball.
“I think you get a bit of nerves with your first start for any team, but if I do start I-ve just got to try and overcome the nerves and play my game.”
Brillante said the Jets- preparations this week have focused on doing a better job of maintaining possession and controlling the mainstay of the match.
“I think we-ll do well. We-ve been doing well at training, looking to play out from the back and trying and keep possession, so I think this weekend we can do it,” he said.
“I think another win for us will be a great and put us in a great position for the rest of the season.”
Brillante is one of five Jets players selected in the Young Socceroos squad for the AFC U-19 Championships in the UAE that start next week, meaning he will be unavailable for at least the Jets- next two matches.
He said while it was a great privilege and honour to play for his country, spending time away from Jets squad made it difficult to find consistency at Club level.
“A lot of the young boys are pushing for spots in the squad and there-s five of us who are going away on this next Young Socceroos trip,” he explained.
“With so many of us leaving, it does make it a bit hard to come back into the team and try and get a spot in the starting XI or even the squad.”
After moving from Gold Coast United to Newcastle in the off-season, Brillante said he has settled in well at his new Club.
“It-s been really good so far. Gary-s been a great mentor for me, so hopefully I can keep training hard and get better from there,” he said.
Match details:
Newcastle Jets v Melbourne Victory
Hunter Stadium
Friday, October 26
Kick-off 7.30pm (Gates open 6.30pm)
Tickets available from PROticket.
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