The club put last year's wooden spoon behind them with a 3-2 win in their season opener against Wellington Phoenix last weekend, thanks to key contributions from starlets Sean Rooney, Jason Naidovski and Jason Hoffman...with yet more youngsters waiting in the wings.

"That's why we're all excited at the club about the future - irrespective of what happened last year, or what may even happen this year - there is a real bright future for this club when you look at the players that played on the weekend," said Culina.

"You had Sean Rooney, Jason Naidovski, Jason Hoffman and Chris Triantis on and then you have Ben Kantarovski and Marko Jesic still to come in.

"So there's probably six guys about 20-years-old or so who are all very, very talented."

After recently returning from a knee reconstruction which kept him out of the majority of last season, Naidovski is now making every shot a winner in his return to the field.

The towering 20-year old scored during last month's tour of Argentina with the Qantas Young Socceroos, and after scoring his first goal in the A-League last Sunday, Naidovski is brimming with confidence heading into tonight's derby.

He revealed that he has also gained great self-belief in playing alongside some of the friends of his youth, including his best-mate Rooney who set up his goal last weekend.

"Sean said he didn't have to look up because he knew I was in there," Naidovski said.

"We've all come up through the NSWIS programs where (Jets Assistant Coach) Mark Jones has coached us when we were young and he's got us here now.

"We know each other's game like the back of our hand, which is a good thing that we can bring to the team. It's a lot easier playing with guys that you've grown up with since you were young."

As well as Jones coahcing them throughout their youth, the young talents also had contact with Culina during their formative years as footballers.

Culina added: "I was very fortunate to know these guys when they were 14-15 because I was Technical Director of Football NSW.

"It's a credit to the club that they have chosen to go that way, and it's good to see that Mark Jones and the coaching staff were able to identify these youngsters at an early age.

"It makes it easier for myself now to be able to coach them because they have been well coached up to now."