Ash Wilson expects pride and passion to motivate the Jets as they attempt to lift themselves off the bottom of the competition ladder against Adelaide at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night.
Newcastle and the Reds share last place on just four points and the same goal differential.
In three games remaining of their 2019-20 campaign, the Jets meet Adelaide twice. Along with crucial points, players will be stating cases for next season contracts.
"[The players] have a lot of passion for the club and they want to obviously show pride in that," Wilson said. "And for them finishing as strong as they possibly can is a big driving factor.
"We know that we're out of the race in terms of finals, but you ask any athlete is that the only thing that motivates them and the answer is never. So the girls know exactly what they need to do. They've been working hard this week and next season and people putting their best foot forward is always a consideration."
The Jets caretaker coach said players have responded well to a 4-2 loss to Glory last round and competition for squad positions during the week has been fierce.
Wilson has named a 16-player squad with one to be omitted.
Sophie Nenadovic and Renee Pountney both made strong appearances off the bench against Perth in their returns from injury.
Striker Lauren Allan played her first full 90 minutes in W-League and scored a good goal for the Jets, assisted by Pountney. Scoring has been an area of concern and Allan is sure to be in the mix for a starting spot again.
Midfielder Libby Copus-Brown comes back into contention after missing the last match through suspension. She has started every other game this season.
"The message to the girls this week was that no one's position is safe," Wilson said.
"They lost a game that we had every intention that we were going to put our best foot forward and win and I don't think we really showcased what we're about, particularly in the first half.
"I think we came out in the second half and played a lot better but still conceded some goals that we probably shouldn't have and could've done better with ... we're still looking at our options. There may be changes. It's always good for the girls to have that competitive nature. It drives people to try to perform their best. That's what we want. We want the best team out there."
Adelaide will be buoyed by their first win of the season after their unlikely 3-2 victory over second-placed Western Sydney in round 11.
"I know they've been out of it in terms of results in some games but they've been very similar to us in they've been competitive and lost by one or two goals and obviously on the weekend it clicked for them against Wanderers," Wilson said.
"They're a team who transitions really well. They like to get the ball going forward. They have really fast people up front who can put on a lot of pressure when they press. They do things with a lot of intensity ... they're going to be difficult."
The match is at 7.30pm after the Jets' A-League clash.
