ONE of the first comments Newcastle Jets star Andrew Nabbout said on his visit to Port Macquarie Public School on Tuesday was “look at that view”.
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Nabbout and teammate Dimi Petratos mingled with the students as part of the club’s pre-season tour of regional NSW.
They participated in drills and a game and the Jets winger said it was encouraging for them to see the “smiles on the kids faces”.
“These sorts of visits keep us humble,” Nabbout said.
“I know when I was their age it was always fun to get pro athletes (come to your school) because you always dreamt of being one.
“Now we’re here running them through a few games so it’s always nice to make them go home with a smile on their face.”
Nabbout admitted he had never been to Port Macquarie before, but likened it to a smaller version of Newcastle.
“It’s a nice location and these kids have an unbelievable view of the beach,” he said.
“It’ll be good to go for recovery down there in the morning if we can get there.”
Looking ahead to the season which kicks off on October 7 in Gosford, the finals remained the “minimum goal” for the club.
“We need to improve in every aspect of our game,” Nabbout said.
“Last year it was disappointing for us, but we’ve all bought into the new coaches expectations and strategies and hopefully we can fulfil those expectations and make that top six and push closer to the top of the table.”
The former Melbourne Victory star, who joined the Jets for the 2016 season, said he was focused on building consistency in his own game.
“In the first half of last season we were trying to get on the front foot and get at teams,” he said.
“I think we fell away from that which impacted my performance because at the end of the day if we’re not going forward that’s cutting off the goals.
He was encouraged by Ernie Merrick’s philosophy of utilising a more attacking game plan.
“The new coach came in and said straight away we’re going to play an attacking style of football which is music to my ears and hopefully I can improve on my stats from last year,” Nabbout said.
“The fans have stuck by us through thick and thin and it’s about time we repaid that faith and hopefully we can show them with a better squad we can go into the finals and push up the table.”
