![\"Newcastle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/A1D24751-1024x683.jpg\")
Newcastle Jets with their fans in Melbourne. Photo: Football Australia\/Aleksandar Jason<\/p>\nWhy can\u2019t Newcastle Jets win the A-League treble?\u00a0<\/p>\n
With Mark Milligan\u2019s side lighting up the competition at the moment with an effervescent style of football that has the Hunter\u2019s football fever burning again, Paramount pundit and A-League championship winner Daniel McBreen says Newcastle fans can \u201cdare to dream of doing it all\u201d this season, which would be unprecedented. \u00a0<\/p>\n
Two points ahead of Sydney and Auckland, the Jets head to Adelaide, where Milligan was an assistant coach prior to this role, this weekend.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Speaking to football360.com.au, McBreen was buzzing about the Jets and the atmosphere they have brought to the area, in which he lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re already talk of the town,\u201d he beamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBiggest crowd since the grand final \u2013 I was getting mates going, my age, haven\u2019t been for a while. They were going with kids, friends, having a beer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe danger when so many fans turn up is that they witness something flat.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo, they turned it on again, played the exact same brand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI got so many texts saying \u2018how good is that, Jets are so good to watch\u2019\u2026 This is a brand where people are saying it\u2019s fun, the kids are seeing young Novocastrian kids getting game time thinking \u2018that could be me one day\u2019.<\/p>\n
Newcastle Jets with their fans in Melbourne. Photo: Football Australia\/Aleksandar Jason<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is an excitement around town \u2013 these guys are the real deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
So, if you haven\u2019t cottoned on yet, here\u2019s why you should.<\/p>\n
SOCCEROOS LEGEND TURNS INTO MASTER MENTOR<\/p>\n
Milligan, 40, has taken to the clipboard like a natural.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYoung coach, first opportunity \u2013 and he has a certain style. High tempo, high octane,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the ball goes out, they get it in straight away.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they\u2019re winning they don\u2019t go slow it down, they go get it back in<\/p>\n
\u201cThat style, upbeat tempo, \u2018we\u2019re going to be faster, stronger, better\u2019 regardless.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir game management is: we\u2019re better for 95 minutes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s non stop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Australia Cup was their first silverware since 2008, in Milligan\u2019s first role after leaving Adelaide, where he was Carl Veart\u2019s assistant.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has got this team believing in themselves, it is unwavering.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was coached by Ange Postecoglou, and talks about him as an influence, amongst other coaches \u2013 he is unwavering in the way he wants to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cBelieve in it and you will get success. To have these kids believe in what they\u2019re doing, whatever it is, bottle it up! Let\u2019s get more coaches like him out there!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There\u2019s also a balance the former Socceroos captain has struck; a legend of the game who has done all you can in Australian football, a boss, but also a leader, whose presence now when talking in press conferences, or to the media, demands attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Millsy always had a presence \u2013 that many times playing for his country,\u201d McBreen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it\u2019s understated, he never talks himself up, always asks for more \u2013 not in a negative way \u2013 saying \u2018we can always look to improve, be better\u2019. He\u2019s approachable, so he demands the most from his players but he can also be approachable, they feel at ease. They think \u2018I can be myself and express myself\u2019.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Milligan has also invited his players to take responsibility. \u201c(His approach is) I\u2019m going to put these things in place, they have to run it. It gives them ownership, more investment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
HE TRUSTS THE KIDS<\/p>\n
McBreen praised Milligan for being the first coach to give the region\u2019s kids a chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t get me wrong, I have no doubt, if Mark Milligan had a bigger budget he would\u2019ve brought more players in,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
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Happy days for Newcastle Jets. Photo: Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cBut he recognised there was talent there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA week after going and watching the youth team train he had six train in the first team.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said to me at the time: \u2018mate there\u2019s serious talent here and I\u2019ll give them an opportunity\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst time someone has. When someone shows faith in people like that you get buy in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Initially, McBreen wasn\u2019t sure if such a young squad could stand up to the muscle of an Auckland, or Brisbane., After the Australia Cup triumph, it looked like they might.<\/p>\n
Milligan didn\u2019t abort. He just adjusted and refined things.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe they were too gung-ho, the nature of their success in the Australia Cup, their full-backs and midfielders going so high that when they turned the ball over they couldn\u2019t react.<\/p>\n
\u201cMillsy addressed that, (tweaked) the distances between positions. Now they\u2019re able to recover when they make mistakes. You\u2019ve seen a marked improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n
The kids also trust him.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re on the same page,\u201d McBreen said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did a couple of interviews in the Australia Cup campaign \u2013 it was like they had sat down in a room and said \u2018these are the key words\u2019. The message was so clear from Milligan, his staff and the players. They almost verbatim said the same response!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
AND THERE IS SOME SERIOUS TALENT\u00a0<\/p>\n
From the youngsters, to those kicking on, to those like Max Burgess enjoying a renaissance, there\u2019s stories all over the park.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWill Dobson is killing it; Xavier Bertoncello is scoring goals; Max Cooper was doing well until he was suspended,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at Eli Adams, Clayton Taylor. Yes, they were brought in by Robert Stanton, who laid the bedrock, but they are going to another level, Eli especially.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re young and hungry, looking for success. So was Alex Badolato, until his injury.<\/p>\n
![\"Australia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AR3_0570-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Dismay for Heidelberg, joy for Newcastle. Photo: Football Australia\/Aleksandar Jason<\/p>\n
\u201cThey are a tight knit group willing to run through a brick wall for each other.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He continued: \u201cAdams and Taylor, two very different in nature but the way they go past people, the confidence they have striking a ball, it is wonderful to watch. Sometimes you wonder how and why they\u2019re able to go past opponents so easily but the way they move their body, the pace they go at \u2013 defenders don\u2019t know what to do! And when they hit a shot, gee, they can hit a ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cMark Natta and Daniel Wilmering have gone to a different level under Millsy. Wilmering, a year ago at a function, said, \u2018give me a shoutout\u2019. I joked back: you\u2019ll have to do something for me! This year he\u2019s doing plenty and being exceptional\u2026 I\u2019m shouting it to the stars. He\u2019s been quality. That\u2019s the vibe across the board, these kids are floating on air, the confidence Millsy is giving them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Max Burgess, 31, needed confidence at a different time in his career.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI spoke to Max when he did come\u2026.he just loves the lifestyle\u2026the whole vibe suits him, laid back guy.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know sometimes as a footballer, when you\u2019re that laid back, people can see it as a negative \u2026. you can\u2019t say that about Max Burgess, he is putting in the work. He is one of the older heads in the group but he\u2019s like a younger guy because he was so long out. He is rejuvenated like one of the young ones but with experience in that head. In that No.6 role he\u2019s versatile and willing to do whatever the team needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe move has been a breath of fresh air for him.\u201d<\/p>\n
CAN THEY GO ALL THE WAY?\u00a0<\/p>\n
Recently, Milligan was asked what the ceiling of his side was.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy would you ever put a ceiling \u2013 that means you\u2019re only striving X amount,\u201d McBreen asserted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, now, this team, are they the favourites to win the Premiership? That\u2019s the question. Finals football is a different matter. Those who have been in finals football will tell you it\u2019s a different beast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy couldn\u2019t they do the treble?<\/p>\n
![\"Newcastle](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/A1D25268-1024x682.jpg\")
Mark Milligan is mobbed by his players after winning the Australia Cup. Photo: Football Australia\/Aleksandar Jason<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we\u2019ve seen in the last 8-9 weeks shows they are the most entertaining, play the best football, score goals, don\u2019t concede many goals any more and they are not relying on one person.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy can\u2019t you dare to dream they can do it all!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
THE WARNING \u2026 and THE LESSON: OUR KIDS ARE ALRIGHT!<\/p>\n
\u201cThe smart thing is: lock them down into long term contacts, make that the basis of success going forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut, we\u2019ll reward you (if a transfer comes up) and get rewarded for selling them on.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
And why not make that the basis, McBreen argued.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy do we always have to look elsewhere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cGive an opportunity to ones on your doorstep and more often they step up to the plate.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that\u2019s the opportunity needed. He\u2019s been brave, given kids a chance and they\u2019ve repaid him!\u201d<\/p>\n
Your Next Read<\/p>\n
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