- Newcastle Jets NPL are 1.61 favourites to win Friday’s League One opener against 4.1 Hurstville ZFC, with the draw priced at 4.1.
- The Jets finished 2025 as one of the highest-scoring sides in New South Wales League One.
- Hurstville ZFC stormed to the 2025 League Two title, finishing 15 points clear.
Jets seek quickfire start to 2026 campaign
Newcastle Jets NPL begin their New South Wales League 1 2026 campaign on Friday evening with a visit to newly-promoted Hurstville ZFC. A stylistic contrast should make for a fascinating tactical chess match at Penshurst Park, where the hosts will be celebrating promotion to League One for the first time.
The first ever senior meeting between the clubs should therefore be full of intrigue and it is little surprise that the bookies are very closely matched in their odds for a home win or an away win. The Jets are 1.61 favourites with Hurstville 4.1 and the draw also 4.1, but we will take the visitors because they have the better pedigree and are coming off a solid end to 2025.
Chris Zoricich’s men have recruited well, while they can bring through some academy prospects and pathway talent to make an impact. Jetting to Hurstville, they will be up against a club whose 2025 League Two title win was a huge achievement for the Croatian-rooted community club.
Silvestro’s structure-first team could stifle the Jets
Head coach Valerio Silvestro, who was named League Two Coach of the Year in 2025, masterminded a pragmatic approach that saw the Zebras build with structure and create plenty of chances from set pieces. Michael Rutherford, who was voted Goalkeeper of the Year for his part in the 2025 triumph, will be the last man to hold the fort while long-serving captain Paul Gagro provides leadership and set-piece threat.
Newcastle, on the other hand, play a completely different type of football. Zoricich’s side are a high-tempo, possession-based team that can rotate players into advanced positions to flood the box and press hard to win the ball back high up the field. Lucas Scicluna and Oliver Cockle provide plenty of attacking variety, both regularly featuring in rotation and contributing to their high-scoring reputation during 2025, while young Max Cooper brings solidity and stability to a young backline.
This should be an open match and with over 2.5 goals available at 1.35, there is certainly value in taking it. Newcastle’s attacking reputation suggests they should get plenty of joy and Hurstville are no slouches from set-piece positions. Backing the visitors to edge it or the teams to share the points looks the most likely outcome, with Zoricich’s team having a little bit more quality and momentum to carry over from 2025.
