Newcastle hosts Wellington on Saturday. The visitors are top and unbeaten. The home team is still chasing a first league win.
McDonald Jones Stadium in Newcastle. Kickoff is 3pm AEDT, or 5pm in New Zealand. It is the Jets' last home league game of 2026.
Wellington have won both games. They beat Melbourne Victory 2-1 and Central Coast 2-0. Six points from six.
Corban Piper has scored in both matches. Rafael Duran also scored in the 2-0 win over the Mariners.
Newcastle have drawn both league games: 2-2 with the Mariners and 1-1 with Macarthur. But last season they won the Premier's Plate.
James Delianov made ten saves against Kyoto Sanga on Tuesday. Nine were from inside the box. Now he faces Piper.
"I've not spent a lot of time looking," said Wellington coach Chris Greenacre. "I don't even know who's in second place."
Greenacre called Newcastle "a very good team." He praised last season's Jets: "Goals galore."
Newcastle won 4-1 at home on January 23, 2026. Lachlan Bayliss scored after just 21 seconds.
Wellington have won 27 meetings all time. Newcastle have won 19. Seven ended level.
The Jets are missing a dozen players. Wellington miss three but welcome back captain Alex Rufer.
A Phoenix win stretches their lead. A Jets win closes the gap to one point and ends Wellington's perfect start.
Get the full breakdown, key numbers, and what happens next.
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