Jets coach Ash Wilson is not reading much into Canberra United's lowly position and winless start to the A-League Women.
United are second-last with just two points from six outings but, with a three-pronged attack including Michelle Heyman, they pose as much danger as any of the league's top sides.
Newcastle host Canberra at McDonald Jones Stadium on Sunday afternoon in the first match of a Jets double-header.
Both women's teams had their round-eight matches postponed last weekend as COVID continued to rip through the competition.
The Jets came from behind to draw 1-1 with Perth in their last outing - at No.2 Sportsground on December 16 - while United were thrashed 6-0 by unbeaten runaway leaders Sydney on the same weekend.
"Canberra have been really close against the majority of teams that they've played," Wilson said.
"Even against Sydney, while it did blow out to a big scoreline, for a good 60-odd minutes it could've been two-all. They created enough clear-cut chances to be in the game. Their possession was similar. Their number of passes was similar.
"Sydney were very clinical against them and took their chances and Canberra maybe not so much. So, they're going to be a tough team. I'm not really looking at the ladder. I'm not looking at the point score. We know that they've got some experience within their front line. They play together as a team and they work together as a unit.
"They've come off the back of a pretty big loss and then also COVID has gone through their camp as well. Generally, teams who have experienced those kind of setbacks come to the next game with a certain level of motivation that can make them very difficult and unpredictable."
Newcastle go into the match in sixth position with eight points from five outings. They have played the least amount of games of any side and are unbeaten in their past four matches.
But Wilson knows a win this weekend is paramount as the Jets chase a top-four position and face a backlog of games in the next five weeks.
"Something that we've talked about is making a bit more of an impactful start," Wilson said.
"In a couple of games we've been a bit slow out of the blocks. We've built into games and we've finished games really strongly, but we want to make sure that we start the game strongly and we control and manage all of the moments in between because it's an important game for us to get three points.
"We've played the least amount of everyone, so we talk about the competition still being within our grasp. You want to be able to put yourself in the control seat. "
The Jets were very much in the control seat when they last played at McDonald Jones Stadium on December 10. Newcastle produced a dominant and clinical display to rout Wellington Phoenix 5-1 in round two.
Wilson should have close to a full complement of players to choose from this weekend. Norwegian forward Marie Dolvik Markussen and experienced centre-back Hannah Brewer were unavailable for Newcastle's last match but are expected to come back into calculations for the starting side.
The match kicks off at 4.05pm.
