Scott Miller with Mateo Poljak, Labinot Haliti, Nigel Boogaard, Daniel Mullen and David Carney at the RAAF base on Thursday.
THEIR “top gun” will not be announced until early next week, but a visit to Williamtown RAAF base on Thursday gave Newcastle’s five-man leadership group an insight into how the chain of command should operate.
Along with coaches Scott Miller and Jean-Paul de Marigny and CEO David Eland, senior players Nigel Boogaard, Daniel Mullen, Mateo Poljak, David Carney and Labinot Haliti enjoyed a snapshot of life in the Air Force, including a chance to pit their skills on fighter-pilot simulators.
Miller is yet to name his captain for the coming season, but Boogaard would appear the early favourite after leading Newcastle into their recent Football Federation Australia Cup clash with Perth.
Miller felt all five players could learn from the discipline and work ethic of their RAAF counterparts.
“It’s not just one leader; it’s a complete team,” Miller said.
“We’re going to announce a captain in three or four days, and the leadership group is here today. But ultimately we expect everyone to step up through the year as well.”
Miller settled on a skipper several weeks ago, but the club decided to delay an announcement until the week of the season-opener against Wellington.
“I think it’s very important that he gets the respect, not only from his teammates but the media as well,” Miller said.
“It’s such a big thing to lead this club in its new phase, and hopefully a successful phase.”
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The new coach chose his leadership group after weighing up their qualities throughout the pre-season.
“It was a matter of identifying who should be in that group,” he said. “Who deserves it? The captain is the big man in the team, but essentially that leadership group is there to support him as well.”
The Jets intend to forge closer links with the RAAF base, which employs 3000 people. Newcastle will wear a special RAAF-themed playing strip in the round-eight home game against Brisbane on November 28.
“I was here about three or four months ago to meet the air commander, and the respect I had for him immediately and their roles in the community is massive,” Miller said. “We win and lose, that’s our focus, but the reality of their positions is huge, and the players respect that hugely.
“We’ve gained a lot of insights into that mentality.”
source:theherald.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 