Older brother Ahmad yesterday predicted that he would get the better of his little brother in the F3 derby but Tarek insists he has the advantage of extra support.

He said: "I’ve spoken to Mum and Dad more so than Ahmad. He was in the background yelling out, ‘get ready’, and ‘I’m going to put it over you’, and ‘get ready to get kicked’, and just being the older brother, bullying me.

"So hopefully I can get one over him again in the derby, the F3 derby, that would be great.”

Having two brothers on opposing sides would leave most families with a decision to make in which side to cheer but Tarek doesn't believe there will be an even split.

He said: "They’ve been going for us since day one. There’s a lot of loyalty in our family, they won’t just change teams because the older brother’s there. I’ve been here since day one so all their support will be with me."

Elrich junior believes he is continuing to improve and is out to show Gary van Egmond that he can be a consistent performer.

He said: "That’s always a footballer’s number one priority; to cement your spot in the starting eleven. I’ve been working really hard on my game with Gary (van Egmond) and Mark Jones.

"They’ve helped me out heaps, using correct technique both in defence and in attack. So hopefully I can show that I’m a week-in week-out first grade player."

Elrich also believes that the Jets’ squad for the new season will thrive off the pundits predictions that the team will not be able to emulate the lofty feats of last season.

He said: “Again they’ve written us off, we’ve been tipped to come sixth and seventh. We like the underdog tag.

“We’ve got the whole of Newcastle behind us, and the Newcastle spirit. You never give up, we fight until the end. Our fans are always behind us, especially in round one, everyone’s going to be there in the numbers hopefully and we’ll go out there and fight until the end."