The Jets are off to northern NSW, with stops in Forster and Port Macquarie, as part of their A-League pre-season planning.

The 2018 grand finalists have already completed one trip to China and will play matches in Spain later this month as the countdown to the new season continues.

In a rarity for Newcastle, the club will has kept the vast majority of its squad for the new campaign as coach Ernie Merrick takes the helm for his second season in charge.

Only three players have left the Hunter outfit – Mario Shabow, Patricio Rodriguez and Riley McGree – and there has just been one new arrival in Matthew Ridenton from Wellington in the past two months.

The Jets are hoping that continuity can play a big role in the next 12 months.

“Ernie’s talked to the staff and it’s one of the first times as an A-League coach that he’s actually had so many on deck,” Zane said.

“We’re working with a core group of about 16. Dimi Petratos and Ronny Vargas will join us in Spain, so we’re nearly at our number when those two return and obviously we’ll look to sign a few of the young ones to traineeships.

“It’s a good time for the club. We already know the style we want to play and we’ve got the basis of the squad that knows that, so it makes our jobs as coaches a lot easier.”

Newcastle took former Jets winger James Virgili, who has been playing the local NNSW NPL competition for Broadmeadow, on trial with them to China.