2 weeks Ago By Josh Callinan
AT the start of this season Lachlan Bayliss was in the midfield alongside captain Kosta Grozos. Login or signup to continue reading Last outing he found himself up front. Newcastle Jets coach Rob Stanton has now suggested the versatile Olympian "may even have another role this week".
The squad travelled on Thursday, minus injured recruit Lachlan Rose, ahead of an A-League Men's clash with high-flying newcomers Auckland this weekend. Bayliss, 22 and having represented New Zealand at the Games in Paris a few months ago , continues to be a key piece of the Jets' tactical puzzle during the early stages of 2024-2025. "He [Bayliss] may even have another role this week, slightly different to the role he had," Stanton said prior to training at Maitland Sportsground just 48 hours away from the round-six encounter.
"He got injured last year, an injury common with young players, and missed a lot of that exposure so he's playing a bit of catch up. "I'm really impressed with him - an aggressive-type player, clinical with movements and action, flexible where he can play. "When I deployed him as a six he was really good but we've got some other good sixes, so if we can have him and others on the pitch that's beneficial.
"Because of his flexibility he's one you can move around, if you have an injury, and still get the same performance. "That's not always common, players playing in different positions and adapting really quickly and performing at the same level. "He's an exciting player and we might deploy him slightly differently [this weekend].
" Rose remained in Newcastle, meaning he won't make an appearance at Go Media Stadium on Saturday and his long-awaited club debut continues to be prolonged. Wellissol and Clayton Taylor were also under injury clouds. "They are just carrying a few niggles, both of them, so we're not sure and we'll finalise those two today," Stanton said.
"Clayton's had ongoing issues he had to manage last year, just keeps flaring up. Think it's just a lot of football and just need to try and manage him. "Hopefully he's available for some part of the game or start, we'll see.
We'll assess that over the next day or two." The Jets are due to have a final training session on Friday. Newcastle sit 11th on the ladder amid a 1-3 record while frontrunners Auckland have a perfect four wins and are yet to concede a goal.
Stanton, up against former Sydney FC coach Steve Corican for the first time, feels like striking early could be key for the visitors. "I think for them if you score early it might just shock them a little bit," he said. "I've watched them closely and they are a team, with all the hype and support, they've elevated themselves very quickly with the excitement of a new franchise.
"And they've had a really good start. "The games they've played have all been quite tight, they've gone to the wire. "They seem to be a bit resilient already and well organised, which is not surprising with Steve [Corica].
"They're willing to do the little things well - chase back, get compact, pressure on the ball, remain focused, be patient when you need to be patient, be aggressive when you need to be aggressive. "They've got all the little one percenters they're doing well as a collective, so it's going require matching that." My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald.
I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury. My name is Josh Callinan and I'm a sports journalist at the Newcastle Herald. I started with the newspaper in 2016 after a decade at the Maitland Mercury.
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