Former Socceroo and new Newcastle Jets defender, Matt Jurman knows what success looks like.
Having already been a part of A-League Championship teams, Jurman brings his wealth of experience to the Hunter and has high expectations upcoming season.
A veteran of close to 150 league games, the 31-year-old believes the Jets’ influx of new talent and intense pre-season under new Manager, Arthur Papas has given them the tools at a shot at the championship come the end of the season.
Jurman says all the players have the same goal in mind.
“We have set the bar high,” Jurman said.
“We want to win every game and come the end of the season, we want to be at the top.
“Every day we are getting better, and we are building on how we want to play, getting those combinations going well is what we need to do at this time.
“Everyone wants to be holding that trophy, I don’t know why we can’t be aiming that high as well.”
The Wollongong-native boasts an impressive playing resume, providing over 10 years of service in the A-League as well as time in the K-League where he received Newcomer of the Year award in his first season, and knows that a strong start can make a world of difference.
With the opening match of the season and F3 Derby just over a month away, Jurman says the team are focused.
“We need to be ready,” he said.
“If we want to be aiming for the top, we need to be able to start from Round One and try and collect as many points as we can.
“For us to do that, we need to be at our best.
“Come Round One, we will be ready.”
The tall defender is settling nicely into the city of Newcastle following a stint in Greece, and with Western Sydney Wanderers, and is looking forward to fighting to be the centre-piece of the new-look defensive line.
While a new team with a large number of fresh faces can pose challenges, it’s something Jurman has experienced before, and the team are embracing it.
“There is a lot of new players, so we are all new together in a way,” he said on being a new arrival.
“Last season (at Greek-club, Xanthi) was like that. It was basically a new team.
“We sort of had to gel and adapt as quickly as possible, it was pretty similar in that respect.
“There’s a lot of good players in the team and a lot of potential in the young boys as well. Everyone’s got high hopes for the season, and we really want to get the ball rolling and show what we’re about as a team.”
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