Newcastle Jets secured their spot in the 2025 Hahn Australia Cup final but Auckland FC fell short over the weekend.
Jets soaring to new heights under Socceroo and last-gasp goal shines light on growth
Newcastle Jets will feature in an Australia Cup final for the first time in their history after overpowering NPLM VIC premiers Avondale FC 4-2 on Sunday.
The Jets’ new era under A-Leagues great Mark Milligan continues to take shape on the back of their win in Melbourne, where Newcastle triumphed thanks to goals from academy graduates Xavier Bertoncello and Alex Nunes as well as Eli Adams and Japanese star Kota Mizunuma.
It is an exciting new chapter for the history-making Jets, with Milligan in the midst of his first professional senior head coaching role after arriving from the Malaysia national team to replace Rob Stanton.
The retired Socceroo’s tenure is in its infancy but the signs are promising after four Australia Cup wins that have seen Newcastle take down Isuzu UTE A-League rivals Adelaide United (2-1), defending champions Macarthur Bulls (3-0), and NPL duo Cooks Hill United (5-0) and Avondale.
Nunes’ 94th-minute goal – his first at professional level, capped Sunday’s result and also highlighted Milligan’s vision for the 2008 Isuzu UTE A-League champions.
“That’s the way we want to play. It doesn’t matter who we play, we want to be on the front foot,” Milligan told Paramount+ post-match.
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Milligan added: “I said from the beginning, I want us to be an attacking team. I want us to be positive but that takes a lot of work. A lot of hard work off the ball and when we have it.
“We’re still getting there. There’s a long way to go for us but the amount of buy-in that we’ve had from the boys – the willingness to be brave and to do the things we ask, I couldn’t ask for more from them.”
The Jets will now look ahead to an Australia Cup final against NPLM VIC giants Heidelberg United on October 4.
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Newcastle will look to maintain their positive momentum as the Jets eye a first Finals Series appearance since 2017-18.
“It’s a very proud footballing town. We feel that support and I want them to be excited by this,” Milligan said of the club’s fans.
“I’ve made a point with the players from the beginning hat we don’t expect people to just come out and watch us because we’re a Newcastle team.
“We have to prove that in our work ethic, how we go about the game, how we play and what we do away from the field too.”
Auckland’s frustration after semi-final upset: ‘It’s not ideal’
Auckland FC became the third Isuzu UTE A-League club to fall victim to giant-slaying Heidelberg United in the Australia Cup.
The reigning premiers were beaten 2-0 by Heidelberg in Melbourne on Saturday night as the Bergers added Auckland to their list of upsets, including Western Sydney Wanderers and Wellington Phoenix.
After a goalless opening half, Heidelberg broke clear in the final 15 minutes of regulation as they setup a final showdown against Newcastle.
While discussing the shock result, Black Knights head coach Steve Corica lamented the scheduling of the semi-final which was brought forward by a fortnight, reportedly because Heidelberg had booked a post-season trip to Las Vegas.
“Obviously it’s not ideal,” Corica told Weekend Sport with Jason Pine. “We made it very clear we didn’t want to play the game this weekend because it was supposed to be in another two weeks time.
“I’ve said it before, it’s poor planning by Football Australia. I think you can change the game for two-three days but if you’re talking about two weeks away, it’s not ideal for us.
“Especially we’ve already sanctioned a game against the Wanderers. They knew that but obviously it didn’t matter to them. They just wanted to make sure we played it on that weekend.
“We had no other choice. It wasn’t ideal – we stayed in Sydney the whole week and didn’t get to play the Wanderers either. They weren’t very happy with us as well. Obviously we stayed and lost. It’s probably hasn’t been the best of weeks.”
