There is little doubt, however, the Port Macquarie product has certainly impressed new coach Arthur Papas enough for Papas to have a whisper in his ear about potentially becoming a future leader.

"I have had a chat with Arthur about adding aspects to my game, meaning leadership qualities, and he mentioned that I've got a fair number of games under my belt now," Thurgate said.

"Especially being part of a new group, I can help (captain) Matty (Jurman) wherever I can with what he wants to achieve in a leadership way."

Should suspensions or injuries occur in coming seasons Thurgate said he would consider stepping up and wearing the captain's armband if required.

But it isn't on his immediate radar.

"I wouldn't say I wouldn't (consider it), but we've got a number of boys in a similar position now that have got a lot of experience and have been around the league for a while," he said.

"I wouldn't put my sights on it, because I've got other things to focus on in regards to myself and improving myself as a player. If there was an opportunity I'd be honoured, but it's not at the front of my mind."

Adding an extra string to his bow could help the midfielder take his game to the next level.

"No-one is ever a finished product and you've got to keep working on yourself. It feels like I've been around for ages, but I'm still only 21."

Thurgate's 100^th appearance for the Jets is likely to come before the end of next season after he signed a contract extension in February that will keep him in Newcastle until the end of the 2022/2023 A-League season.

By that stage he will be one of the more experienced players in the club alongside Jurman and Jason Hoffman.

So much so that he's going to enjoy acting like a sponge around them this season.

"I'd be naive not to pick the brains of the likes of Matty Jurman and Jason Hoffman and gather bits of information from them and add it to my own game," he said.

The Jets open their A-League season at Newcastle's McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday at 4pm against arch-rivals Central Coast.

While Newcastle were bundled out of the FFA Cup in Geelong on Saturday, Thurgate said they had circled the round-one F3 Derby on their calendar since the draw was released last month.

"It's a date we got set a few weeks ago and everything we've done since then has been leading up to round one and starting on the right foot," the Port Saints junior said.

"We've had a very long pre-season, very intense, but we've enjoyed it and come Sunday we should be ready to fire."

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