Jets in running to sweep awards

THE NEWCASTLE HERALD

By RENEE VALENTINE

THE Newcastle Jets could cap a dream season by collecting all five major accolades at the A-League awards in Sydney today.
The Jets made history on Sunday when they beat Central Coast 1-0 to deliver Newcastle its first national league title.

Today they could pick up the Johnny Warren Medal for player of the year, the coach of the year award, the goalkeeper of the year award and the Rising Star award.

Striker Joel Griffiths is already guaranteed the Golden Boot after finishing the preliminary season with a league-leading 12 goals.

Jets mentor Gary van Egmond said a clean sweep of the league's individual prizes would be the perfect end to a season to remember.

"You like to get recognition, and individual recognition is always nice, but what you do obviously is conducive to what you've got to work with," van Egmond said.

"We're very lucky to have a really good playing staff and backroom staff to support."

Van Egmond has already been named coach of the year by Four Four Two magazine for the second year in a row and is also tipped to take out the official A-League accolade.

Griffiths is being touted as former teammate Nick Carle's successor for the Johnny Warren Medal.

"It's nice to be recognised by your peers if that's what happens," van Egmond said.

"I think that's where the players enjoy it as well, for the fact that their peers are the ones who judge them.

"You get a lot of satisfaction from that.

"Joel's obviously got an extremely good chance of winning it, I would suggest.

"It's been well publicised this year how well he's done, and statistics show in regards to the goals he has scored and what his general play has been like. You would imagine he would go extremely close.

"Joel has won the Alex Tobin award [for player of the year] from Fox Sports. For him to win the A-League one and he has got the golden boot already it would be a real stellar year for him."

Jets shot-stopper Ante Covic should be a strong showing for goalkeeper of the year, which has been added to the list of awards this year.

Covic has had a brilliant season between the sticks for the Jets and sat on the bench for the Socceroos' opening match of the World Cup qualifiers in Melbourne this month behind Mark Schwarzer.

His main rival for the goalkeeping honours was expected to be Central Coast's Danny Vukovic, but the Olyroos custodian is no longer eligible after getting a red card in the grand final.

Van Egmond also said Tarek Elrich, who has had a sensational season in the new role of right back, would be a "bolter" for the Rising Star award for the best under-20 player.

The Jets coach said the players were winding down yesterday after much-deserved team celebrations.

"Yesterday I think it felt like it had sunk in a bit more than the day before," he said.

"It feels a little bit surreal when you're walking around the pitch, but I think it will probably kick in a little bit later down the track.

"They're all just on a massive high. This year there has been a bit of adversity, and to do it with everything that has gone on . . . people picked us to come seventh or eighth and, like Jado [Jade North] said in his [post-match] speech, to prove a lot of people wrong is really satisfying."

The Jets will be presented to the city in a civic reception at Town Hall tomorrow afternoon.

---

Article source: http://theherald.yourguide.com.au/news/sport/soccer/jets-in-running-to-sweep-awards/1190830.html