Newcastle’s innings were clearly penalized for the Jets’ impressive defense in the championship, which eliminated twins Joel and Adam Griffiths, Mark Milligan and goalkeeper Ante Covic.
Milligan and Covic were part of Guus Hiddink’s 2006 World Cup team, and the “goalkeeper loss” was particularly confusing because none of Verbeek’s three substitutes had previously enjoyed the taste of senior action.
Covico’s Socceroos career is definitely play bazaar over. Adelaide’s Sela Ognenovski will also lose the game for green and gold, with Melbourne-born defender joining K-League club Seongnam Ilhwa at the end of the season and expressing a desire to play for Macedonia and then for their homeland.
But perhaps the biggest surprise was the fall of Sydney midfielder Stuart Musialik out of grace.
The favorites of the pre-season title lost their hopes of advancing to the finals of the A-League series by weekend losses with Queensland. But the 23-year-old expects to win a seat at Verbeek’s party, and the snobbery is not sick yet.
sattamatka 