Bridge's winning goal in last season's grand final seemed long forgotten when he made his first trip back to Newcastle in Sydney FC colours.

Bridge was angered by an early challenge from former colleague Elrich and voiced his fury at the treatment dished out to him.

But as the teams prepare to do battle again, Elrich hopes it proves another testing occasion for the Sydney forward.

He told the Herald: "I hope the fans get under his skin and he has a bad day. That makes our job easier."

Elrich also denied that he had targeted Bridge's ankles during the match earlier in the season.

He said: "The last thing I want is to be known as is a player who went out and ended someone's career. I did not even know he had weak ankles.

"I am probably one of the nicest defenders he will come up against. I'm sure there are older and more experienced defenders who would have taken a mental note of that.

"I will put my body on the line. If it means I have to get stuck in, I'll get stuck in."

Both teams are desperate for a result on Sunday which adds extra spice to the occasion. Sydney need the points to reignite a challenge for the top four while the Jets are perilously close to seeing their title defence crash and burn.