Newcastle Jets and Auckland FC are the two Isuzu UTE A-League teams remaining heading into the 2025 Hahn Australia Cup semi-finals. This is how they got there.
Isuzu UTE A-League teams are still in the midst of pre-season, now less than two months out from the 2025-26 campaign but the Jets and Auckland have an early opportunity for silverware.
WHEN DOES THE TRANSFER WINDOW CLOSE? Everything you need to know ahead of deadline day
AUS CUP: Who A-Leagues pair will face in pursuit of silverware
PUT IT IN YOUR CALENDAR: Dates locked in for 2025-26 A-Leagues season
For Newcastle and reigning Isuzu UTE A-League premiers Auckland, the semi-finals hold extra significance ahead of showdowns against NPLM VIC duo Avondale FC and Heidelberg United.
Newcastle Jets
Milligan’s Newcastle tenure is in its infancy but the signs are promising after three Australia Cup wins that have seen the Jets take down two Isuzu UTE A-League rivals and an NPL outfit.
Heading into an historic semi-final against NPLM VIC premiers Avondale FC, Jets fans have seen new signings Max Burgess, Max Badolato and James Delianov impress.
They have also seen academy graduates and youngsters like Max Cooper, Xavier Bertoncello, Lucas Scicluna, Ethan Debono and Oscar Fryer debut and stake their claim to be more involved at the start of a new journey in the Hunter region.
“There’s a few things there that are very, very obvious in terms of the direction we’re heading in,” Milligan told Paramount+ after the quarter-final win.
“But there’s also things there that we need to improve on and it will only be time. It will take time.
“At the end of the day, it’s a result for their hard work in pre-season. We’re very focused on the team we want to become and today helps us take that step forward.”
Round of 32: 2-1 Adelaide United
Milligan’s tenure kicked off with a win over two-time champions Adelaide United on a wet night at Maitland Sportsground on July 30. The retired Socceroo had left his role as Adelaide assistant to link up with fellow Australian Peter Cklamovski in Malaysia, where he spent two months in the number two role before being appointed by the Jets.
Against the Reds, Newcastle were forced to come from behind to progress. After conceding in the 15th minute despite their early dominance, the Jets rallied and restored parity 16 minutes later through Ben Gibson.
New signing Alex Badolato completed the comeback in the second half. A host of new faces and academy debutants featured in the Round of 32 win, including recruit Max Burgess. Cooper, Bertoncello, Scicluna, Delianov, Badolato and Debono all made their Newcastle bows.
Round of 16: 5-0 Cooks Hill United
NPLM NNSW outfit Cooks Hill United were no match for Milligan’s high-flying Jets in front of a venue-record crowd of 4,256 at No.2 Sportsground earlier in August.
Academy graduate Bertoncello was on the scoresheet along with two-goal star Daniel Wilmering, Japan international Kota Mizunuma and Gibson.
But the bow of 19-year-old Oscar Fryer was a highlight after the youngster came off the bench. It was a significant moment following an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury 13 months ago that denied him the opportunity to debut for Newcastle, where he arrived from Sydney FC’s youth team in July last year.
Quarter-final: 3-0 Macarthur Bulls
Featuring in the quarter-finals for just the second time in their history, the Jets dethroned reigning champions Macarthur on August 24.
In front of a strong crowd at Maitland Sports Ground on Sunday, the Jets were too good for the two-time winners thanks to goals from Burgess, academy graduate Will Dobson and Mizunuma.
Burgess put the Jets ahead in the 18th minute. Then there was a special moment for 17-year-old Dobson, who celebrated his first Newcastle goal 17 minutes from the end as Mizunuma capped the scoring four minutes later.
Auckland FC
Can Auckland go one step further in 2025-26? That is the question entering their second Isuzu UTE A-League season.
Auckland fell narrowly short of the Grand Final last season, upstaged by Melbourne Victory in the Semi-Finals. In the words of head coach Corica: “that one, it hurts very much still”.
That pain is fuelling Auckland, who are eyeing Australia Cup silverware with some new faces but the same principles which served them so well in 2024-25.
They have recruited English striker Sam Cosgrove, who finished second in the 2017-18 Scottish Premier Golden Boot and talented Australian attacker Lachlan Brook to go with New Zealand international goalkeeper Oli Sail following the conclusion of Alex Paulsen’s loan.
Round of 32: 4-0 Gold Coast Knights
Auckland hit the ground running against the NPLM QLD side on July 29. Corica’s men showed no mercy in their first ever Australia Cup fixture.
The Black Knights used a three-goal first half to set the tone on the Gold Coast, where Jesse Randall, Logan Rogerson and Guillermo May put the 2024-25 premiers in control before Liam Gillion completed the rout.
Auckland needed just 40 seconds to broke the deadlock through Randall on a night which also saw goalkeeper Michael Woud play his first competitive match since November 2023.
Round of 16: 3-0 South Melbourne
Auckland made the trip to Lakeside Stadium to go head-to-head with NPLM VIC powerhouse South Melbourne on August 13.
It was a physical and bruising encounter in Melbourne, where the Black Knights proved too strong thanks to a Randall brace and Marlee Francois’ goal.
It was also a special night for 17 year-old Luka Vicelich, who made his professional debut for Auckland FC – becoming the club’s youngest ever player. He is the son of Ivan, New Zealand men’s most-capped player.
August 23 saw a reunion between Auckland boss Corica and Sydney FC at Kogarah.
The Black Knights – who handed a debut to former Aberdeen and Plymouth striker Cosgrove – set up a showdown with NPLM VIC giants Heidelberg United after outlasting Sydney FC 3-1 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in 120 minutes.
A shoot-out was needed at Kogarah, where Auckland recruit Brook and Sydney FC star Joe Lolley traded goals late in the quarter-final contest.
In the penalty shoot-out, Auckland reigned supreme as Lolley, Mathias Macallister and Joel King were unsuccessful from the spot. Auckland goalkeeper Woud was the hero, denying King while Lolley and Macallister missed the target.
The shoot-out was the first time Auckland had ever taken a penalty, having not been awarded a spot kick during their historic maiden A-Leagues campaign in 2024-25.
