A last start loss to the Bulldogs has the Jets heading to Canberra to tackle Mounties needing a victory to stay inside the top eight and within striking distance of the leading teams in the NSW Cup competition.
The Newtown side were edged out by 30-26 by the Bulldogs in a match which was certainly there for the taking, leaving them in a precarious position as they sit in eighth place on the ladder as the NSW Cup competition heads into the home straight.
In starting what they hope will be a winning run the Jets will need to get the better of a Mounties team this weekend which currently sits third on the table, with both teams on the road for the match set down for GIO Stadium in Canberra.
As the NSW Cup feeder to the Raiders the match is however essentially a home game for Mounties despite the fact they reside in the western suburbs of Sydney, with their side featuring a number of Canberra NRL squad members, including Josh McCrone, Mitch Cornish and Glen Buttriss, making the assignment a difficult one for the Jets.
Mounties will also trot out a player familiar to Sharks fans, with local junior Stewart Mills to start in the fullback role, bringing him up against a handful of his former teammates. Mills joined Mounties midway through the 2015 season.
As for the Jets, the Sharks have again supplied a large contingent of players, with Nathan Gardner, Mitch Brown and Blake Ayshford in the backs, Todd Murphy at half-back and the likes of Tinirau Arona, Sami Sauiluma and Junior Roqica in the Newtown forward pack.
Mounties come into the game on the back of a bye, while in their last game they registered a 34-all draw with the North Sydney Bears.
The two teams have met once already in 2015, with Mounties running out comfortable 24-8 winners in a match played back in round 7.
The Newtown v Mounties match is the second of three to be played at GIO Stadium tomorrow, with kick-off scheduled at 12.40pm. For those Sharks and Jets fans not travelling to Canberra, the Fox Sports network is televising the game live.
Mounties v Newtown
GIO Stadium, Saturday 18 July
Kick-off 12:40pm
Live on Fox Sports ON Channel 501
JETS: 1 NATHAN GARDNER 2 MITCH BROWN 3 BLAKE AYSHFORD 4 CORIN SMITH 5 DANIEL ABOU-SLEIMAN 6 GERARD MCCALLUM 7 TODD MURPHY 8 SAULALA HOUMA 9 PAT POLITONI 10 TIM ROBINSON 11 TINIRAU ARONA 12 SAMI SAUILUMA 13 JUNIOR ROQICA 14 ANDREW PEARN 15 KURT KARA 16 NESIASI MATAITONGA 17 RAY MOUJALLI 18 DALLAS WELLS 20 AHMAD ELLAZ COACH GREG MATTERSON
MOUNTIES: 1 STEWART MILLS 2 BILL TUPOU 3 MITCH CRONIN 4 JEREMY HAWKINS 5 GUS AIGA 6 JOSH MCCRONE © 7 MITCH CORNISH 8 JEFF LYNCH 9 GLEN BUTTRISS 10 MARK NICHOLLS 11 PAT MATAELE 12 MITCH BARNETT 13 TEVITA PANGAI JUNIOR 14 RHYS KENNEDY 15 KYLE O’DONNELL 16 CLAY PRIEST 17 SAM DUGGAN 18 WILLIE MATAKA COACH STEPHEN ANTONELLI
VB NSW Cup ladder – CLICK HERE - http://www.nswrl.com.au/seniors/vb-nsw-cup/ladder.html
