Coached by a former Socceroo, the 'box office' Newcastle Jets are tearing up the A-League

Tom Weber

• Updated: 28 Jan 2026 08:22 CST
• 6 min read

News

The Newcastle Jets are flying in the A-League under former Socceroo Mark Milligan - and nobody saw it coming.

The Jets have historically been one of the weaker sides in the Australian top flight. Riven by ownership uncertainty for years, Newcastle's only tangible success prior to the current season was winning the A-League Championship in 2008.

However, the 2024 takeover by Maverick Sports Partners appears to have brought stability to the club at last, and the owners haven't been afraid to make big decisions. The Jets made waves ahead of the 2025/26 season when they appointed former midfielder Mark Milligan as their new head coach.

Capped 80 times by the Socceroos, Milligan is one of the most recognisable faces in Australian football, but he had never been in charge of a professional football team before, so this was a considerable gamble.

As a result of having a rookie head coach and a team stacked with local prospects and A-League "rejects," virtually nobody expected the Jets to achieve anything of note this term. Oh, how wrong the doubters were!

The Jets are box office - and title favourites?

The Jets kicked off the season in spectacular fashion when they defeated NPL side Heidelberg United 3-1 in the final of the Australia Cup to win their first piece of silverware since 2008.

This triumph wasn't a fluke. In the A-League, Newcastle quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting teams in Australia. The Jets were scoring for fun, but in the early stages of the season, they were also conceding goals for fun.

The first game of the new A-League campaign saw the Jets succumb to a thrilling 3-2 loss to F3 rivals Central Coast Mariners. They immediately bounced back with a 5-2 beatdown of Melbourne Victory but then suffered heavy defeats to Sydney (4-1) and Brisbane Roar (3-0).

A 2-1 loss to the struggling Perth Glory in November left the Jets in the doldrums and the Milligan project at risk of going off the rails. However, a shock 2-1 victory over pacesetters Auckland completely changed the mood.

Although there have been setbacks - like losing 1-0 to Melbourne City and 5-4 (!) to Macarthur - the Jets have been irresistible since that season-defining win over Auckland. The Wellington Phoenix (twice), Sydney FC, Auckland (again), Melbourne City and the Western Sydney Wanderers have all been brushed aside in recent weeks.

At the time of writing, the Jets are one point off league leaders Auckland in the Premiership race and the in-form team in the A-League. Milligan's men are simply "box office," to quote former striker Daniel McBreen.

"I am on board, fully on board with the box office Jets - not only are they entertaining, they are successful," McBreen said after a 4-1 thrashing of Wellington. "They play a wonderful brand of football, they’re exciting to watch, and they’re getting results as well."

Ex-midfielder Erik Paartalu similarly waxed lyrical about the Jets: "I think we are seeing the very start of a title run, whether that means the Premiership or the Championship. I am not sure where the ceiling is for these guys, but this performance shows me there are not many teams that can live with them in this competition.”

"I’m paying whatever it costs to see the Jets play - you know you’re getting goals, you know you’re getting action, you’ve got a backline saving goals, saving shots and a coaching staff playing a great brand of football."

Milligan has slightly tweaked his system in recent weeks to make the Jets more defensively solid. They are no longer leaving huge gaps when they lose the ball and have stopped leaking goals as a result.

The win over the Nix was Newcastle's fourth on the bounce, a feat they had not been able to achieve in 16 years. "I think it's becoming clear now the direction that we're heading in," Milligan said after the game.

"A very, very lively crowd, and that's what we want. We can't just expect people to show up, we have to earn it and prove who we are. [The first-minute goal] shows the intent we have as a group.

"We want to set the tone and be on the front foot early, and I think that goal is a reward for being brave. It's about turning the excitement into positive energy. We haven't won anything yet, but we've given ourselves a good opportunity."

For a coach to come in and immediately get his team to play some of the best football in the country is quite the feat, even if the A-League offseason is significantly longer than in most other nations.

What's all the more impressive is that Milligan has been able to do so with minimal investment. Most of the players on the squad have either come through the club's youth system or were discarded by other A-League sides.

Eli Adams, who looked on course to become a wasted talent after failing to live up to his potential at Brisbane and the Victory, has played like an Aussie Cole Palmer in recent weeks, even copying the Chelsea star's celebration.

Striker Lachlan Rose, who has never scored more than eight goals in an A-League season, already has six and is joint-top (with four other players) in the Golden Boot race.

Attacker Alex Badolato was enjoying a brilliant season before tearing his ACL earlier this month. Despite this huge loss, the Jets have continued to perform as if nothing happened.

The Jets' rise this season has been nothing short of remarkable. If they can keep up this form, they will undoubtedly be one of the favourites to win the championship.

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