Alicia
Well-Known Member
Newcastle now Jets town
NEWCASTLE Jets owner Con Constantine says that his team has conquered the rugby league heartland and is now just as popular as the Knights.
Just days before the Jets aim to shoot down Queensland for a place in the Grand Final at the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday week, Constantine declared that it would be "an Origin battle'' and insisted star striker Joel Griffiths was Newcastle's latest sporting hero.
"For 20 years rugby league dominated this city - not any more,'' Constantine said yesterday as his team worked to cast off the memory of losing the major semifinal to the Central Coast on Sunday. The Jets were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate after falling 3-0 in the return in Gosford.
"When we started out three years ago I would have given the Jets a rating of 6/10. The Knights were 10/10. We've got just as much credibility now and we're all square. The people in this place just worshiped Andrew Johns. He was God. I loved the man myself. A great guy.
"But don't think for one minute that Joel Griffiths is not as big a personality as Andrew was. You go into pubs and clubs and everyone talks about Joel. Aside his looks, he's a coach's dream the way he plays the game. He gives it everything. He works his butt off and it was an absolute credit to him that he was the league's top scorer. He's a class above the others.''
With a place in the grand final at stake in Sunday's winner-take-all preliminary final, Constantine - who has poured millions into the club - said the buzz around the city now would be as nothing given victory over the Roar.
"This is not Sydney or the Central Coast we're playing - this is Queensland,'' he said. "This is like an Origin battle. And you know what NSW people think about Queenslanders. The fans will come out in their thousands to cheer our boys on and drive them home. This is just as big as when the Knights won their last grand final (against Parramatta in 2001).
"What some people may not be aware of is that we get over this hurdle and we're into Asian football. How good's that going to be for this city? It's also very special for the city in that soccer was played here over 100 years ago by Adamstown and to think we've come this far.
"We had a hiccup last Sunday (against the Mariners). It was one of those days. That's the round ball for you. I said when I took on the Jets that I believed it would take off. It was not easy at the beginning but this year we have gone to another level. As for the A-League, the sky's the limit.''
But Constantine's dream is to see the Jets and Knights unite.
"There's room for both to exist. One's played in winter and the other in summer. Let's have no more conflict,'' he said. "We have a very good relationship with the Knights now and I know we can do it (unite).''
A grand final spot is one thing and a re-match with Central Coast beckons. But victory over the Roar will also mean an automatic place in next year's Asian Champions League.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23202984-5006068,00.html
NEWCASTLE Jets owner Con Constantine says that his team has conquered the rugby league heartland and is now just as popular as the Knights.
Just days before the Jets aim to shoot down Queensland for a place in the Grand Final at the Sydney Football Stadium on Sunday week, Constantine declared that it would be "an Origin battle'' and insisted star striker Joel Griffiths was Newcastle's latest sporting hero.
"For 20 years rugby league dominated this city - not any more,'' Constantine said yesterday as his team worked to cast off the memory of losing the major semifinal to the Central Coast on Sunday. The Jets were eliminated 3-2 on aggregate after falling 3-0 in the return in Gosford.
"When we started out three years ago I would have given the Jets a rating of 6/10. The Knights were 10/10. We've got just as much credibility now and we're all square. The people in this place just worshiped Andrew Johns. He was God. I loved the man myself. A great guy.
"But don't think for one minute that Joel Griffiths is not as big a personality as Andrew was. You go into pubs and clubs and everyone talks about Joel. Aside his looks, he's a coach's dream the way he plays the game. He gives it everything. He works his butt off and it was an absolute credit to him that he was the league's top scorer. He's a class above the others.''
With a place in the grand final at stake in Sunday's winner-take-all preliminary final, Constantine - who has poured millions into the club - said the buzz around the city now would be as nothing given victory over the Roar.
"This is not Sydney or the Central Coast we're playing - this is Queensland,'' he said. "This is like an Origin battle. And you know what NSW people think about Queenslanders. The fans will come out in their thousands to cheer our boys on and drive them home. This is just as big as when the Knights won their last grand final (against Parramatta in 2001).
"What some people may not be aware of is that we get over this hurdle and we're into Asian football. How good's that going to be for this city? It's also very special for the city in that soccer was played here over 100 years ago by Adamstown and to think we've come this far.
"We had a hiccup last Sunday (against the Mariners). It was one of those days. That's the round ball for you. I said when I took on the Jets that I believed it would take off. It was not easy at the beginning but this year we have gone to another level. As for the A-League, the sky's the limit.''
But Constantine's dream is to see the Jets and Knights unite.
"There's room for both to exist. One's played in winter and the other in summer. Let's have no more conflict,'' he said. "We have a very good relationship with the Knights now and I know we can do it (unite).''
A grand final spot is one thing and a re-match with Central Coast beckons. But victory over the Roar will also mean an automatic place in next year's Asian Champions League.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23202984-5006068,00.html
