F3 Derby Explained

The F3 Derby
City Or Region:Central Coast / (Australia)
First Contested:7 May 2005
Oceania Club Championship
Mostrecent:27 April 2024
A-League Men
Jets 1–3 Mariners
Total:64
Most Wins:Central Coast Mariners (26)
Largestvictory:Central Coast Mariners 2–8 Newcastle Jets
(14 April 2018)
Most Player Appearances:John Hutchinson (31)
Top Scorer:Matt Simon (9)
Stadiums:Central Coast Stadium, McDonald Jones Stadium

The F3 Derby is an association football rivalry between Central Coast Mariners and Newcastle Jets. It is the longest standing derby in the A-League Men. The rivalry originated due to the team's relative geographical proximity, with the Mariners located on the Central Coast of New South Wales, the Jets in Newcastle, immediately to the north. The two clubs were also the only two clubs from outside capital cities in the inaugural A-League seasons, which contributed to the rivalry.

The teams first met in the Australian qualifying tournament for the 2005 OFC Club Championship, in what was the Mariners' first ever competitive game (the Jets having formed five years prior). Both sides have played in all seventeen seasons of the A-League, and the teams also met on occasion in the now-defunct A-League Pre-Season Challenge Cup. The rivalry was particularly strong in the 2007–08 A-League, where the teams occupied the top two positions in both the A-League regular season and its finals series. The teams have played a total of 63 times in league and cup matches since 2005, of which Central Coast have won 25, Newcastle have won 19, and 19 have been drawn.

The derby is named after the former name of the Pacific Motorway, which connects the two cities. The name has been retained despite the Motorway now being officially known as the M1.

History of the rivalry

Early meetings

In November 2004, the clubs to participate in the newly formed A-League competition were announced by Football Federation Australia. They included former National Soccer League club Newcastle Jets (previously known as Newcastle United) and Central Coast Mariners, the only regional club included in the new tournament.[1] With no more than one club in any city in the inaugural competition, the F3 derby was the only local rivalry in the inaugural seasons of the A-League.[2]

The teams first met in a qualification match for the 2005 OFC Club Championship. The Mariners won the match in a penalty shootout, after the game finished scoreless.[3] The rivalry quickly became heated when the Mariners' Nik Mrdja broke Newcastle defender Andrew Durante's leg in a tackle late in the match.[4]

Top of the league: 2007–08

In the 2007–08 A-League, both teams had very strong seasons. The Mariners won their first A-League Premiership on goal difference from the Jets after winning on the final weekend of the competition.[5] As a result, the Mariners were drawn against the Jets in the major semi-final – the winner over two legs to progress to the 2008 A-League Grand Final, the loser to play in the preliminary final in order to qualify for the Grand Final. In the first match, goals from Adam and Joel Griffiths gave the Jets a two-goal lead, the Mariners held scoreless after a missed penalty from striker John Aloisi.[6] However, the Mariners turned the tie around in the second leg, winning 3–0 in extra time led by two goals from Sasho Petrovski to qualify for the Grand Final.[7] Nonetheless, Newcastle qualified for the Final a week later, beating Adelaide United to ensure that the 2008 A-League Grand Final would be an F3 derby.[8]

The 2008 A-League Grand Final was held at the Sydney Football Stadium, despite the Mariners having earned the right to host the game, due to the ground's higher seating capacity than Central Coast Stadium.[9] The Jets took the lead midway through the second half, with Mark Bridge (who? It was definitely Griffo) scoring after capitalising on an error from Mariners defender Tony Vidmar, playing his final game before retirement. There was significant controversy with only minutes remaining when Newcastle midfielder James Holland made contact with his arm on the ball in his own penalty area. Despite appeals from Mariners players, referee Mark Shield did not award a penalty kick and Newcastle held on to win the match, winning their first A-League Championship.[10] In the aftermath of this decision, Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic struck Shield on the arm, and was shown a red card for his actions. He was subsequently suspended for multiple months, and, despite an initially successful appeal, not permitted to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[11] The attendance of 36,354 remains the Mariners highest home crowd of all time.[12]

In 2013, the F3 was renamed as the M1, however, the derby is still officially referred to as the F3 derby.[13]

In December 2022, the clubs unveiled a trophy given to the team with the better record in the derby meetings over the season. The trophy consisted of a core drill sample of the motorway.[14]

Women's F3 Derby

With the Central Coast Mariners' re-introduction to the A-League Women for the 2023–24 season, a new trophy was established by the two clubs which is made from a piece of guardrail from the M1 motorway.[15] The opening round fixture between the Mariners and the Jets in October 2023 was the first women's F3 derby contested since 2009, when the Mariners last played in the competition.

Records and statistics

Men's teams

CompetitionPlayedMariners winsDrawnJets winsMariners goalsJets goals
A-League Men622518198572
Oceania Club Championship qualifiers10 1000
Pre-Season Cup110021
Total642619198773

This table only includes competitive first-team games, excluding all pre-season games and friendlies.

Women's teams

This table only includes competitive first-team games, excluding all pre-season games and friendlies.

Results

Full list of competitive matches involving Central Coast Mariners FC and Newcastle Jets FC:

Competition Date Home team Score Away team Goals (Mariners) Goals (Jets) Venue Attendancea
2005 Oceania Champions League Qualifying17 May 2005Central Coast0–0NewcastleCentral Coast Stadium9,809
2005–06 A-League24 September 2005Central Coast1–1NewcastlePetrie (69)Milicic (25)Central Coast Stadium5,917
323 October 2005Newcastle1–0Central CoastParisi (88)Hunter Stadium9,371
431 December 2005Central Coast4–1NewcastleGumprecht (4), Brown (34), Hutchinson (71, 82)Coveny (85)Central Coast Stadium11,612
2005–06 A-League Finals510 February 2006Newcastle0–1Central CoastOsman (75)Hunter Stadium10,236
617 February 2006Central Coast1–1NewcastleHeffernan (79)Thompson (28)Central Coast Stadium17,429
2006 Pre-Season Cup712 August 2006Central Coast2–1 (e.t)NewcastlePetrie (53 pen.), O'Grady (96)Coveny (25)Central Coast Stadium7,567
2006–07 A-League823 September 2006Central Coast1–1NewcastleHutchinson (12)J. Griffiths (84)Central Coast Stadium8,439
912 November 2006Newcastle3–1Central CoastMori (40)Bridge (6), Carle (17), Rodriguez (79)Hunter Stadium14,026
105 January 2007Newcastle1–0Central CoastRodriguez (25)Hunter Stadium14,828
2007–08 A-League117 October 2007Central Coast1–1NewcastlePondeljak (62)Bridge (82)Central Coast Stadium12,622
1225 November 2007Newcastle0–0Central CoastHunter Stadium14,169
1312 January 2008Central Coast1–2NewcastleKwasnik (9)Holland (6), J. Griffiths (52)Central Coast Stadium19,238
2007–08 A-League Finals1427 January 2008Newcastle2–0Central CoastA. Griffiths (22), J. Griffiths (85 pen.)Hunter Stadium22,960
1510 February 2008Central Coast3–0 (e.t)NewcastleKwasnik (37), Petrovski (74, 95)Central Coast Stadium19,112
2008 A-League Grand Final1624 February 2008Central Coast0–1NewcastleBridge (64)Sydney Football Stadium36,354
2008–09 A-League1715 August 2008Newcastle1–1Central CoastSimon (87)J. Griffiths (90 pen.)Hunter Stadium16,022
1824 October 2008Central Coast1–0NewcastleMacallister (33)Central Coast Stadium10,710
1926 December 2008Newcastle1–2Central CoastPetrovski (67), Simon (80)J. Griffiths (9 pen.)Hunter Stadium11,413
2009–10 A-League2014 August 2009Central Coast1–1NewcastleBoogaard (50)Song (47)Central Coast Stadium9,573
2123 October 2009Newcastle2–1Central CoastKwasnik (19)Bridges (8), Haliti (14)Hunter Stadium6,188
228 February 2010Central Coast3–0NewcastleBoogaard (17), Kwasnik (50), Simon (72)Central Coast Stadium5,842
2010–11 A-League2324 November 2010Newcastle1–1Central CoastSimon (49)Petrovski (90)Hunter Stadium7,730
2416 January 2011Newcastle0–2Central CoastSimon (14), Hutchinson (87)Hunter Stadium13,463
2513 February 2011Central Coast1–0NewcastlePerez (90)Central Coast Stadium13,463
2011–12 A-League2623 October 2011Newcastle1–0Central CoastBrockie (24)Hunter Stadium14,421
2710 December 2011Central Coast2–0NewcastleR. Griffiths (24), Simon (58)Central Coast Stadium10,643
2814 January 2012Central Coast1–1NewcastleZwaanswijk (60)Haliti (17)Central Coast Stadium10,904
2012–13 A-League2920 October 2012Newcastle2–1Central CoastIbini-Isei (71)R. Griffiths (4 pen.), Heskey (61)Hunter Stadium15,289
308 December 2012Newcastle0–2Central CoastMcBreen (48, 66)Hunter Stadium13,112
3119 January 2013Central Coast0–0NewcastleCentral Coast Stadium11,249
2013–14 A-League322 November 2013Newcastle2–2Central CoastFlores (65), Sterjovski (80)Neville (51), Pasfield (56 o.g.)Hunter Stadium13,744
3325 January 2014Central Coast3–0NewcastleCaceres (13), McBreen (31), Simon (45+2)Central Coast Stadium10,920
3415 March 2014Central Coast3–1NewcastleBosnar (1), Ibini-Isei (6), Trifiro (88)J. Griffiths (23)Central Coast Stadium7,455
2014–15 A-League3511 October 2014Central Coast1–0NewcastleDuke (90+2)Central Coast Stadium10,433
3630 November 2014Newcastle1–1Central CoastVernes (55)Montaño (48)Hunter Stadium11,031
3728 February 2015Newcastle0–0Central CoastHunter Stadium7,991
2015–16 A-League3814 November 2015Newcastle1–1Central CoastSim (90+2)Trifunović (83)Hunter Stadium9,422
3928 February 2016Central Coast0–1NewcastleUgarkovic (57)Central Coast Stadium7,528
409 April 2016Central Coast2–4NewcastleFerreira (51 pen.), O'Donovan (76)Nordstrand (1, 54), Alivodić (18), Poljak (79)Central Coast Stadium7,335
2016–17 A-League4120 November 2016Newcastle1–1Central CoastMcGing (42)Nordstrand (64)Hunter Stadium11,238
4226 February 2017Newcastle1–1Central CoastGalloway (50)Kokko (20)Hunter Stadium9,423
439 April 2017Central Coast2–0NewcastleMontgomery (32), Ferreira (51)Central Coast Stadium8,073
2017–18 A-League447 October 2017Central Coast1–5NewcastleAsdrúbal (5)O'Donovan (9 pen., 28, 38), Champness (81), Petratos (90)Central Coast Stadium12,044
459 January 2018Newcastle2–0Central CoastPetratos (82), Rodríguez (90+2)Hunter Stadium13,127
4614 April 2018Central Coast2-8NewcastlePain (39), Buhagiar (80)Champness (10), O'Donovan (20, 68 pen.), McGree (24, 53, 75), Jackson (61), Petratos (81)Central Coast Stadium7,604
2018–19 A-League4723 December 2018Central Coast1–2NewcastleSimon (36)Hoffman (66), Vargas (82)Central Coast Stadium8,923
4823 January 2019Newcastle1–0Central CoastSheppard (54)Hunter Stadium9,466
4916 March 2019Newcastle2–3Central CoastMurray (51), Karacan (64), Pain (67)O'Donovan (74), Vargas (81)Hunter Stadium8,173
2019–20 A-League5019 October 2019Central Coast1–1NewcastleĐurić (4)Petratos (56 pen.)Central Coast Stadium8,910
519 February 2020Newcastle4–3Central CoastTongyik (45), Clisby (49), Harold (86)Petratos (15, 52), Topor-Stanley (25), Eun-sun (55 o.g.)Hunter Stadium4,151
5224 July 2020Central Coast0–0NewcastleCentral Coast Stadium2,373
2020–21 A-League5331 December 2020Central Coast1–0NewcastleA. Kuol (43)Central Coast Stadium5,273
5415 May 2021Newcastle0–1Central CoastSimon (54 pen.)Hunter Stadium5,080
551 June 2021Central Coast0–2NewcastleO'Donovan (27), Mauragis (33)Central Coast Stadium4,973
2021–22 A-League Men5621 November 2021Newcastle1–2Central CoastNisbet (50), Farrell (57)Yuel (78)Hunter Stadium6,424
5723 April 2022Newcastle2–4Central CoastMoresche (19), Cummings (30, 34 pen.), G. Kuol (90+1)Mauragis (46), Farrell (50 o.g.)Hunter Stadium6,202
587 May 2022Central Coast2–0NewcastleCummings (30), Nkololo (62)Central Coast Stadium11,703
2022–23 A-League Men5911 December 2022Central Coast1–2NewcastleCummings (53)Buhagiar (12), Mikeltadze (66)Central Coast Stadium7,078
6021 December 2022Central Coast3–0NewcastleTúlio (22), Cummings (63), Nkololo (87 pen.)Central Coast Stadium7,173
6122 April 2023Newcastle1–3Central CoastSilvera (28, 58), Túlio (69)Sotirio (9)Hunter Stadium9,271
2023–24 A-League Men6225 November 2023Central Coast3–1NewcastleRoux (45+2), Wilson (57), Reec (90+3)Goodwin (76)Central Coast Stadium5,143
632 March 2024Newcastle0–1Central CoastNisbet (75)Hunter Stadium7,117
6427 April 2024Newcastle1–3Central CoastA. Kuol (21), Steele (82), Edmondson (87)Stamatelopoulos (47)Hunter Stadium9,416

Statistics

Results

Trends

Crossing the divide

26 players have played for both Central Coast and Newcastle. The first player to play for both clubs was Noel Spencer, debuting for Newcastle in 2007 after making his Central Coast debut in 2005. Sam Silvera is the only player to have played for both clubs to have returned to his original club afterwards, returning to Central Coast in 2022 after his stint with Newcastle.

In the January transfer window of the 2022–23 season, the two clubs executed a swap deal, seeing James McGarry cross from the Jets to the Mariners and Thomas Aquilina go in the opposite direction from the Mariners to the Jets.[16]

Statistics are sourced from ALeagueStats.com[17] and updated as of 25 November 2023.

Central Coast, then Newcastle

NamePosCentral CoastNewcastle
CareerAppsGoalsCareerAppsGoals
Noel SpencerMF2005–20075572007–2008301
James HollandMF2006302007–2008233
Sasho PetrovskiFW2007–200951162009–20114211
Sam GallagherDF2012302014–2015200
Marco FloresFW2013123201461
Nigel BoogaardDF2006–20106632015–20211275
Roy O'DonovanFW2015–201747192017–2019, 2020–20217431
Mitch AustinFW2015–20162452018–201950
Jake AdelsonDF201520201910
Kwabena Appiah-KubiFW2016–2018404201921
Nick FitzgeraldFW2010, 2013–20158692019–2020234
Matthew MillarDF2018–20192412019–2021454
Bernie Ibini-IseiFW2010–20149621202061
Samuel SilveraFW2019–2021, 2022–202355102021–2022211
Trent BuhagiarFW2016–20185042022–present337
Thomas AquilinaDF2022–20231302023–present150

Newcastle, then Central Coast

NamePosNewcastleCentral Coast
CareerAppsGoalsCareerAppsGoals
Troy HearfieldDF2006–20082002011–2012362
Liam ReddyGK2005–20062702013–2015630
Ivan NecevskiGK2006302016–201780
Andrew HooleFW2013–2015, 2016–20177762017–2019478
Ben KennedyGK2006–201612802017–2019450
Matthew NashGK2010–20121302014–201520
Mario ShabowFW2017–2018702018–2019111
Mark BirighittiGK2012–20167702019–2022870
JairFW2018–20192022019–2020151
James McGarryDF2022–20231112023143

Managers and coaches

No manager has managed both clubs, however, there have been some staff members to be involved with both clubs. Wayne O'Sullivan played for Central Coast from 2005 to 2007.[18] In 2009, O'Sullivan became coach of Newcastle's women's team.[19] In 2014, he returned to the Mariners as an assistant to head coach Phil Moss.[20] Damien Brown played for Newcastle in the National Soccer League before playing for the Mariners and later moving into an off-field role.[21] Jess Vanstrattan played for the Mariners before becoming goalkeeping coach at the Central Coast Mariners Academy, later joining the Jets in 2015 as a goalkeeping coach and occasional reserve goalkeeper.[22]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: New national soccer league launched. The Sydney Morning Herald. 1 November 2004. 30 September 2015. 4 June 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160604111556/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/11/01/1099262765210.html?from=storylhs. live.
  2. News: The best of A-League local rivalries. The Sydney Morning Herald. 21 December 2013. Lynch, Michael. 15 December 2016. 25 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131225010234/http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/the-best-of-aleague-local-rivalries-20131220-2zqvr.html. live.
  3. Web site: Central Coast Mariners 0–0 Newcastle Jets (Penalties: 4–2) (Oceania Champions League Qualification). aleaguestats.com. 31 July 2014. 8 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140808050223/http://www.aleaguestats.com/ALeagueStats_27MatchDetails_2.html. live.
  4. News: A-League's new order hits the spot, but fans take time to catch on. Cockerill, Michael. The Sydney Morning Herald. 30 September 2015. 9 May 2005. 6 December 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171206014346/http://www.smh.com.au/news/Football/ALeagues-new-order-hits-the-spot-but-fans-take-time-to-catch-on/2005/05/08/1115491046335.html. live.
  5. News: Weekend Wrap – Mariners are Premiers. 31 July 2014. 21 January 2008. 11 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140811064042/http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/article/weekend-wrap---mariners-are-premiers/137oa2p4n3oox1dm6b3m9gsibn. live.
  6. News: Griffiths brothers seal Jets win. 30 September 2015. Football Federation Samoa. 28 January 2001. 1 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151001060754/http://www.foxsportspulse.com/assoc_page.cgi?c=0-996-0-0-0&sID=12633&&news_task=DETAIL&articleID=5019578. live.
  7. News: The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 February 2008. Mariners silence the doubters. Prichard, Greg. 30 September 2015. 16 April 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080416151715/http://www.smh.com.au/news/a-league/petrovski-sends-mariners-into-grand-final/2008/02/10/1202578599399.html?. live.
  8. News: Jets soar into grand final. Fox Sports. 17 February 2008. 30 September 2015. Henderson, Philip.
  9. News: A-League Grand Final at SFS. Fox Sports. 30 September 2015. 12 February 2008.
  10. News: Defensive error gives Jets the goal and the Victory. The Age. 25 February 2008. 30 September 2015. Prichard, Greg. 15 October 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081015191117/http://www.theage.com.au/news/soccer/defensive-error-gives-jets-the-goal-and-the-victory/2008/02/24/1203788146018.html. live.
  11. News: Shock as FIFA ends Vukovic's Olympics. The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 June 2008. Hasset, Sebastian. 30 September 2015. 20 August 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080820202717/http://www.smh.com.au/news/beijing2008/shock-as-fifa-ends-vukovics-olympics/2008/06/10/1212863644415.html. live.
  12. Web site: 30 September 2015. Central Coast Mariners. ALeagueStats.com. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304101824/http://www.aleaguestats.com/ALeagueStats_6CentralCoastMariners.html. live.
  13. News: It's still the F3 Derby. 24 January 2014. Connell, Tim. 12 October 2014. The Newcastle Herald. 19 October 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141019025420/http://www.theherald.com.au/story/2044680/topics-its-still-the-f3-derby/. live.
  14. Web site: The most unique trophy in world football? The piece of motorway that 'represents the rivalry'. Matt. Comito. Keep Up. 10 December 2022. 11 December 2022. 11 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221211084621/https://keepup.com.au/news/the-most-unique-trophy-in-world-football-the-piece-of-motorway-that-represents-the-rivalry. live.
  15. Web site: Comito . Matthew . 2023-10-12 . Mariners & Jets unveil incredible new F3 Derby trophy: It's even more bizarre than the last! . 2023-10-12 . A-Leagues . en-AU . 14 October 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231014053234/https://aleagues.com.au/news/a-league-news-central-coast-newcastle-f3-derby-womens-mariners-jets/ . live .
  16. Web site: Central Coast Mariners sign New Zealand international James McGarry. 8 February 2023. 8 February 2023. Central Coast Mariners FC. 8 February 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230208030024/https://ccmariners.com.au/news/central-coast-mariners-sign-new-zealand-international-james-mcgarry. live.
  17. Web site: Player Statistics. 8 February 2023. ALeagueStats.com. 5 December 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221205101427/https://aleaguestats.com/A-League_26PlayerList.html. live.
  18. Web site: ALeagueStats.com. 30 September 2015. Wayne O'Sullivan. 2 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402103526/http://aleaguestats.com/ALeagueStats_25Players_175.html. live.
  19. News: Wayne O'Sullivan back in charge of W-League Jets. The Newcastle Herald. 19 June 2012. 30 September 2015. 1 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151001064912/http://www.theherald.com.au/story/204808/wayne-osullivan-back-in-charge-of-w-league-jets/. live.
  20. Web site: Sully signs on for Coast. 21 November 2013. Football Federation Australia. 21 November 2013. 3 December 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203003314/http://www.footballaustralia.com.au/centralcoastmariners/news-display/Sully-signs-on-for-Central-Coast/78652. dead.
  21. News: 2013 Damien Brown Medal announced Saturday. Central Coast Mariners FC. 2 October 2015. 26 March 2013. 3 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151003200237/http://www.ccmariners.com.au/article/2013-damien-brown-medal-announced-saturday/1qspeq7n31n8o1s2nei7ujrt03. dead.
  22. News: Jess Vanstrattan joins Jets. Newcastle Jets FC. 4 February 2015. 2 October 2015. 4 February 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150204153646/http://www.newcastlejets.com.au/article/jess-vanstrattan-joins-jets/95tlhkgg89lk1ww7o7cjqqrd0. dead.