Zenon Caravella says the culture Gary van Egmond is building at the Jets is one of the major reasons he decided to join the Jets.
Hunter Ports Newcastle Jets signing Zenon Caravella says the culture head coach Gary van Egmond is building at the Club was one of the major drawcards in his decision to join the Jets.
Caravella joined the Jets for the first time at training on Wednesday morning and he said he was confident Newcastle would be a good fit for him.
“I-ve always enjoyed the way the Jets have played and particularly the mentality of this team,” he said.
“I-ve never really enjoyed playing against them. They-ve got that never lay down attitude and I like that, that-s part of my game as well, so I like the culture here.
“I-ve spoken to Gary about a number of different things and I-ve spoken to him about where I-m looking at playing and more importantly, where he wants to play me.
“I-m basically just looking to make a positive contribution to the team.”
Caravella said he is not sure whether he will be called upon for the Jets- trip to Wellington this weekend, but he is confident his fitness will hold up if he is required to play.
“I-ve just arrived and just finished my first training session, so I-d like to get through the week first and then sit down with Gary and see where it takes us,” Caravella said.
“I think I can contribute to the team. While I haven-t played a lot, I-ve been training a lot with the first team (in Adelaide) and I-ve been training for six months straight, so fitness is not a huge issue at the moment.
“Obviously I wanted to play first team football and I wasn-t playing much (at Adelaide).
“To come here and play, I-m very grateful for it and I-m very grateful for Gary bringing me over.”
Caravella said his new teammates had already made him feel welcome in his new surroundings.
“There are a lot of new faces, but obviously I-ve played against a lot of them throughout the years and I-ve played with a few of the younger boys at the Gold Coast,” he said.
“I-m looking forward to meeting everyone and it seems like a nice place.”
