I'm not a Leckie fan boy but i'm sure I've heard these statements before about other youth players we signed.JETS coach Phil Stubbins spotted Socceroos flyer Mathew Leckie when he was a teenager playing for Bulleen Lions in the Victorian first division.
Stubbins was instrumental in luring the whiz kid to Adelaide, starting a journey that has led all the way to the German Bundesliga.
Five years on and now attempting to rebuild Newcastle, Stubbins can see some similarities between Leckie and the Jets’ latest addition, Andy Brennan.
The 22-year-old Tasmanian attacker signed a two-year deal on Tuesday and will join the Jets from South Melbourne, where he has been starring in the Victorian National Premier League.
In a further boost, the Jets confirmed that Serbian winger Enver Alivodic will remain in the Hunter for another season.
Confirmation of the pair’s signatures comes a day after the Jets released six players, led by locals Taylor Regan and James Virgili.
Regan has since attracted interest from Adelaide United and Virgili has been linked to Western Sydney.
‘‘Andy plays in a way that can be compared to Mathew Leckie,’’ Stubbins said.
‘‘When Mathew came to Adelaide he was a raw, untapped talent, but he possessed pace and an eye for goal, which was nurtured over time.
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‘‘Andy was best on ground when I watched him against Melbourne Knights a few weeks ago.
‘‘He is six foot two, very quick, and has scored a heck of a lot of goals at state level.’’
Brennan headed to South Melbourne after a break-out 2014 season with home club South Hobart in the Tasmanian National Premier League, where he scored 25 goals and was named the league’s player of the year.
‘‘It has all happened pretty quickly,’’ Brennan told the Newcastle Herald from Melbourne, where he has been working part-time with a landscaping company.
‘‘I came to Newcastle for a trial a week or so ago and now I have an A-League contract.’’
Told of Stubbins’ comparison with Leckie, Brennan said it was nice to hear but did not regard it as a challenge.
‘‘I just want to put my head down and work hard,’’ he said. ‘‘People will form opinions. I’m not out to emulate anyone.
‘‘This is a great opportunity and I want to make the most of it.’’
Brennan will stay at South Melbourne, where he has been playing mainly in a wide role, for another six weeks before joining his new teammates for the start of pre-season on June 22.
‘‘There are some quality players at South Melbourne and I am keen to learn more under Chris Taylor and come to the Jets a better player,’’ he said.
‘‘I am a pretty positive player in the sense that I am direct and always want to try and get in behind the defence.
‘‘I have been working on my crossing and creating opportunities, but I also like to get in and around the box.
‘‘Obviously the A-League is another level, but I will give it my best shot.’’
Brennan paid tribute to his home club, South Hobart, in particular long-time mentor Ken Morton.
‘‘The club and Ken, especially, have played a massive role,’’ he said. ‘‘Not only in the development of my football but for who I am today.’’
Worth a crack, has pace and is direct (something we lacked this season), wouldn't be on too much coin, hungry.
Decent signing IMO
I know it's only a highlights video, and of course that's not going to include any "Benny Hill" moments, but that is quite some package.
Precocious talent, well worth giving him a real crack. And by that, I don't mean 3 minute cameos off the bench every 4th game. A player needs at least 10 minutes to establish themselves in a match IMHO
Great against shit opposition = he should kill it at training then.
The new Matthew Leckie = Matthew Leckie is the worst.
**** Stubbins.
He's only 22 so worth a crack. Looks like he has all the qualities and surely on not much $$. Apparently he can play anywhere across the forward line as well which is handy.
Last edited by lil_masi; 30-04-2015 at 11:26 AM.
It is only a highlights package but he looks pretty impressive with both feet, has a hell of a range of passes and can score from all angles and distances.
Like seldom, I look forward to his marauding runs from right back.
FFS Its a highlights video from some **** towelling no bodies in the Tassie NPL of all places FFS
Bloke may have some talent but a Youtube video of him smashing some teams that are defo less than in ability than the NBN League is nothing at this stage to get a hard on over
Won't get confused when running to the squadron because he hasn't played while they've been in Bay 2.
I like the idea of giving this bloke a go. I don't like the idea of those who will be giving him said go.
See if he can play with Lundy
The Championship Chronicles - The Jetstream's review of the 2007/08 season. www.newcastlefootball.net/chronicles
The Championship Chronicles - The Jetstream's review of the 2007/08 season. www.newcastlefootball.net/chronicles
a south bloke i know reckons this is a better representation of how he can play against the big boys
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZjCPR4wNtU
goal is around the 8 minute mark
Plenty of really good comments about this kid on The World Game facebook page. Alot of Sth Melbourne fans not happy he is leaving, most saying they think he will go really well in the A-league.
WE DON'T DO WALKING AWAY !
No I have the shits cause people are fapping over a bloke who will be expected to be a hero for us. The bloke may succeed he may not. He has a big step up to make and getting wood over YouTube Clips against weak opposition means little
As for Kale a disgrace the treatment he got from the club but what would the halfwits at Jets know about football???
From an SM fan on another foz:
He is very quick and powerful, great work rate, has a good strike on him, whilst I'd like to tell you more the reality is he only just broke into the south melbourne starting 11 a couple weeks ago, it just so happened that the match he was scouted in he turned on perhaps the greatest performance ever seen at state level, he was beating players like ronaldo that day! Brennan is still very very raw though, plays a lot like an old fashioned winger uses his pace to beat his opponent with ease (incredible pace) and then whips in dangerous crosses, problem I see often whilst doing this is he doesn't lift his head and ends up ignoring teammates in better positions...this area of his game will need to be addressed, the pressure he puts on the opposition defence is top notch, has a good appetite for a contest and will just run and run even when he doesn't have the ball...just feel his raw weaknesses will be severely exposed at the highest level, I mean having just broken into Victorian football I'm not even sure he is ready to dominate this level, intrigued to see how this goes.
We should have signed this bloke. Oh Wait...
Last edited by The Dunster; 30-04-2015 at 05:00 PM.