INSPIRATIONAL Newcastle Jets captain Nigel Boogaard is under siege - and coach Ernie Merrick couldn't be happier.
Boogaard has been sidelined for Newcastle's past two games with a groin strain, and in his absence Lachlan Jackson has staked a legitimate claim for a regular starting position in the centre of defence.
Jackson, 24, debuted in the A-League six seasons ago and has since appeared in 69 games, 50 in the run-on XI.
He usually takes a back seat to Boogaard and fellow veteran Nikolai Topor-Stanley, but his contributions in the Jets' 1-all draw at home to Perth and 1-0 win against Western United in Geelong have created a selection quandary, which Merrick has welcomed.
"Lachy's job is to play his best football, so that it's very hard for me to drop him," Merrick told the Newcastle Herald.
"Nigel's job is to be super-fit and push Lachy, and they're both pushing each other really well. That's why I think both are playing so well. And I like tough decisions.
"In the same way, [goalkeeper] Glen Moss has been playing some of his best football, because our second goalkeeper, Lewis Italiano, is training exceptionally well.
"That's how you get the best out of players, and they appreciate that as well."
Merrick said Jackson was "outstanding again" alongside Topor-Stanley in Saturday's much-needed win against Western United, whose attack was led by the prolific Besart Berisha.
"The two of them were rock-solid in the middle," he said. "Most of the time it was all these crosses coming in, and those two, and our fullbacks and our goalkeeper handled all the crosses really well."
A veteran of 244 A-League games, including 91 for his home-town Newcastle, Boogaard's groin strain forced him to miss the Perth game a fortnight ago, and then he was an unused substitute against Western United.
"He re-injured his groin and it flared up again," Merrick said.
"So we took him [to Geelong] anyway, thinking if we need him, we'll put him on, if we don't, we'll cope."
The Jets have the bye this weekend, which will give Boogaard a chance for extra physio as he races to prove his fitness for their next game, at home to Western Sydney Wanderers on Saturday week.
Jackson told the Newcastle Herald last week that "it can be frustrating at times" waiting for opportunities, but his attitude was to be ready whenever called upon by Merrick.
"I guess over the last two-and-a-half years or so, I've thought the best way to go about my business is to try and give Ernie a headache in selections," Jackson said.
"For me, that's just about trying to train as well as I can, and if I get a chance [in a game] try and make him consider me and choose me ahead of them.
"So basically that's my aim, to give Ernie the hardest option I can, and every time I get a chance I can hopefully make it my own."
Merrick faces other tough decisions before the clash with Wanderers, given that Abdiel Arroyo, Matt Ridenton and Bobby Burns will have returned from international duties.
In their absence, Angus Thurgate and Ben Kantarovski both grabbed their chances in the starting XI.
