The Newcastle Jets crashed back down to earth in the A-League Men’s (ALM) season opener at polytec Stadium at the weekend.

Just weeks after winning the 2025 Australia Cup, the club’s first trophy in 17 years, Mark Milligan’s outfit suffered a shock 3-2 loss to F3 Derby rivals Central Coast Mariners in round one on Sunday 19 October.

It was an incredible afternoon of football.

Newcastle, who trailed 2-1 at the break, levelled it up at 2-all before opposing goalkeeper Andrew Redmayne denied Eli Adams from the penalty spot in the 96th minute.

If that wasn’t bad enough for the Jets, Lachlan Rose also missed an opportunity soon after.

Lachlan Rose celebrates after scoring a goal at polytec Stadium on Sunday. Photo: Shaun Lazenby

Then, against the run of play, Central Coast’s Nicholas Duar

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