EMOTIONS reached boiling point yesterday when two Newcastle Jets players exchanged heated words and two others came close to trading blows in a training-pitch altercation.
As players and staff waited anxiously to learn whether Football Federation Australia would deliver a rescue package for the financially embattled club, signs of tension emerged during Newcastle's ball-work session at Ray Watt Oval.
First, skipper Michael Bridges and Sean Rooney had a verbal confrontation.
When Bridges tried to put an arm around Rooney, the young striker said "don't touch me" and brushed him aside, leading Bridges to deliver a lecture in no uncertain terms.
Soon after, defender Adam D'Apuzzo and midfielder Kasey Wehrman clashed heavily in a tackle, grappled with each other as they regained their feet and appeared on the verge of throwing punches.
Teammates rushed in to separate the pair but a slanging match continued.
Just when tempers seemed to have simmered down, there was a second outbreak of insults between Wehrman and D'Apuzzo, again prompting teammates to intervene.
Jets coach Branko Culina played down the incidents, insisting they were not evidence of in-fighting but rather players being highly motivated to perform strongly in Sunday's clash with Brisbane Roar at EnergyAustralia Stadium.
"I want to see competitiveness at training and I was quite pleased and comfortable with what happened today," Culina said.
"Obviously you don't want anyone to go silly but that is the sort of commitment that perhaps has been missing . . . We had two senior players who went for each other and I think that set an example to everyone that we have to do whatever it takes, both at training and in our games."
D'Apuzzo denied that off-field stress had contributed to his spat with Wehrman.
"No, it's not pressure, it's just trying to set the standard of being more competitive," he said.
"The senior boys have taken it on to be a bit more competitive and hope it runs through the rest of the team. We hope it shows on Sunday."
When training finished, Culina spent 10 minutes in intense conversation with Bridges, Wehrman, D'Apuzzo and Ljubo Milicevic.
He stopped the the session at one point and called his squad in to deliver some home truths.
Culina told them to stop whingeing and squabbling and to encourage each other.
Culina told them excuses were for losers and that the drama of the past week should not be a distraction.
He reiterated those comments at a media conference yesterday, predicting adversity would galvanise his players.
"You can use it as an excuse for a poor performance or a poor result," Culina said.
"You achieve nothing with that. Losers do that and that's pretty much what we talked about at training today.
"That's maybe why a couple of players got heated up later on, because nobody wants to be a loser. Losers are the people that look for an excuse . . . we want the attitude that no matter what hurdles are put in front of us, we will overcome them."
Culina said he was "very, very confident" Newcastle would notch their first win of the season against third-placed Roar, who have two wins and a draw from their three games.
Email a friend