Player's Value Not Easy To Assess
Newcastle Herald
Thursday January 15, 2009
JETS fans waiting impatiently for their club to unveil some high-profile imports are entitled to feel bemused about the club's negotiations with journeyman Jon Brady.
At 34, Brady has spent his professional career playing for an array of nondescript clubs at the base of England's professional footballing pyramid.At face value, he hardly qualifies as the type of game-breaking drawcard supporters are hoping the Jets will add to their roster.Unlike Dwight Yorke, whom the Jets were chasing just a few weeks ago, Brady is no household name. His CV does not really compare with that of new Gold Coast signing Jason Culina, or even Eugene Dadi, who yesterday knocked back a Newcastle offer to re-sign with Perth.Some may well ask why Newcastle would bother bringing him halfway around the world for a trial.But there is also a possibility that Brady could be just the type of player Jets coach Gary van Egmond can build a team around.He would offer invaluable experience to a line-up that features an array of L-plate teenagers. There would also be no problem with the language barrier an advantage that should not be underestimated. Perhaps most importantly, Brady is a Novocastrian who would relish one final fling with his home-town club. He sounds genuinely passionate about playing in the city where he was born and bred and surely you can't put a price on that sort of commitment.
© 2009 Newcastle Herald