Ben Kantarovski - 6

Another Jet who committed constant tactical fouls that went unpunished. Defensively reasonably solid but didn’t do much in possession.

Steven Ugarkovic - 5

Below his usual standards as the midfield metronome. Newcastle were outplayed for the majority of the game, and he couldn’t get a foot on the ball and dictate in his usual fashion. Dropped very deep late on to protect his defence.

Dimi Petratos - 9

Absolutely outstanding. In stark contrast to his absentee display against Sydney, Dimi was everywhere: popping up left, right, and centre to torment the Western Sydney defence. So consistent and purposeful in his use of the ball. His delightful reverse pass led to the opening goal, and he unselfishly teed up Vargas for the second in stoppage time.

Ronald Vargas - 7

Showed some nice touches and moved well between the lines. His contributions occasionally veered toward the aesthetic more than the impactful – though not to the same extent as his Brazilian teammate. Rattled home the second goal to seal the points.

Jair - 4

Another deeply frustrating evening for the Brazilian, who will surely be labelled a flop if his performances do not improve. Turned the ball over attempting flashy one-touch passes, and was reportedly lectured by Merrick for overcomplicating things. He is clearly still short of fitness and provided next to no protection for his fullback against Risdon’s overlapping runs. 

Jason Hoffman - 8

The Jets’ makeshift striker clearly grew in confidence after his goal, and had an excellent second half. He dropped off the frontline to combine with his attackers, taking on defenders in wide areas and producing a couple of excellent through balls. Could have added to his tally but his shot was too close to Janjetovic.

SUBS:

Angus Thurgate – 6

The youngster came on for the underwhelming Jair, and kept things simple. Still struggled to track Risdon’s runs, but made a better go of it than the man he replaced.

Nick Cowburn – N/A

Didn’t have enough time to be given a rating.

Ivan Vujica – N/A

Didn’t have enough time to be given a rating.