Unlikely potential hero ready to save Victory's season
Jack Duncan knew he was joining Melbourne Victory as a back-up goalkeeper.
A journeyman who spent most of his career at Newcastle between stints overseas, the 32-year-old didn't play a game as Alex Paulsen's deputy at Wellington last year.
But on Saturday Duncan and Paulsen, on loan at Auckland FC from Bournemouth, will start at different ends of the pitch.
"It's been a strange season for myself, being in and out of the team, but I think when I've been in, I've played well and performed well," Duncan said.
"It's been a good season in that aspect; loved every minute of it."
Duncan played the first 13 matches of the A-League Men season, knowing former Socceroo Mitch Langerak was arriving in January.
But he was always ready, and after Langerak suffered a foot injury, Duncan has played the past four games.
"When I signed, I knew the situation with Mitch coming in in January - that was clear to me," he said.
"I thought, at the start of the season, just to give myself the best opportunity to make the coaches' decision as hard as possible."
Duncan was benched midway through January, but got back to work.
"I was disappointed, as all footballers would be in that situation, but I just tried to keep my head down, working hard, be a good teammate, be good around the dressing room, and play my role in that aspect," he said.
"Because you never know when the opportunity is going to come again - like it has.
"Hopefully I can contribute moving forward (this) week and hopefully in the grand final."
Duncan is ready to step up in front of a hostile Auckland crowd as Victory attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit in Saturday's semi-final second leg at Go Media Stadium.
"It was pretty hostile (against Western Sydney) as well, but we went there and we got a really good result, so that gives us full confidence to go over to Auckland," he said.
"We'll be right up for it."
Victory coach Arthur Diles never doubted Duncan could step up.
"He's an incredible human being, first and foremost," he said.
"As a goalkeeper, he's very talented. He's had a great year for us, he really has.
"Even the times where he wasn't playing, he's made Mitch a better keeper as well, and he's pushed him along day to day. You can't ask for any more than that.
"It's just nice to see him doing really well, and nice to see him playing at the level we knew he could play when we signed him.
"We believed in him from day one."
Jack Duncan knew he was joining Melbourne Victory as a back-up goalkeeper.
A journeyman who spent most of his career at Newcastle between stints overseas, the 32-year-old didn't play a game as Alex Paulsen's deputy at Wellington last year.
But on Saturday Duncan and Paulsen, on loan at Auckland FC from Bournemouth, will start at different ends of the pitch.
"It's been a strange season for myself, being in and out of the team, but I think when I've been in, I've played well and performed well," Duncan said.
"It's been a good season in that aspect; loved every minute of it."
Duncan played the first 13 matches of the A-League Men season, knowing former Socceroo Mitch Langerak was arriving in January.
But he was always ready, and after Langerak suffered a foot injury, Duncan has played the past four games.
"When I signed, I knew the situation with Mitch coming in in January - that was clear to me," he said.
"I thought, at the start of the season, just to give myself the best opportunity to make the coaches' decision as hard as possible."
Duncan was benched midway through January, but got back to work.
"I was disappointed, as all footballers would be in that situation, but I just tried to keep my head down, working hard, be a good teammate, be good around the dressing room, and play my role in that aspect," he said.
"Because you never know when the opportunity is going to come again - like it has.
"Hopefully I can contribute moving forward (this) week and hopefully in the grand final."
Duncan is ready to step up in front of a hostile Auckland crowd as Victory attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit in Saturday's semi-final second leg at Go Media Stadium.
"It was pretty hostile (against Western Sydney) as well, but we went there and we got a really good result, so that gives us full confidence to go over to Auckland," he said.
"We'll be right up for it."
Victory coach Arthur Diles never doubted Duncan could step up.
"He's an incredible human being, first and foremost," he said.
"As a goalkeeper, he's very talented. He's had a great year for us, he really has.
"Even the times where he wasn't playing, he's made Mitch a better keeper as well, and he's pushed him along day to day. You can't ask for any more than that.
"It's just nice to see him doing really well, and nice to see him playing at the level we knew he could play when we signed him.
"We believed in him from day one."
Jack Duncan knew he was joining Melbourne Victory as a back-up goalkeeper.
A journeyman who spent most of his career at Newcastle between stints overseas, the 32-year-old didn't play a game as Alex Paulsen's deputy at Wellington last year.
But on Saturday Duncan and Paulsen, on loan at Auckland FC from Bournemouth, will start at different ends of the pitch.
"It's been a strange season for myself, being in and out of the team, but I think when I've been in, I've played well and performed well," Duncan said.
"It's been a good season in that aspect; loved every minute of it."
Duncan played the first 13 matches of the A-League Men season, knowing former Socceroo Mitch Langerak was arriving in January.
But he was always ready, and after Langerak suffered a foot injury, Duncan has played the past four games.
"When I signed, I knew the situation with Mitch coming in in January - that was clear to me," he said.
"I thought, at the start of the season, just to give myself the best opportunity to make the coaches' decision as hard as possible."
Duncan was benched midway through January, but got back to work.
"I was disappointed, as all footballers would be in that situation, but I just tried to keep my head down, working hard, be a good teammate, be good around the dressing room, and play my role in that aspect," he said.
"Because you never know when the opportunity is going to come again - like it has.
"Hopefully I can contribute moving forward (this) week and hopefully in the grand final."
Duncan is ready to step up in front of a hostile Auckland crowd as Victory attempt to overturn a 1-0 deficit in Saturday's semi-final second leg at Go Media Stadium.
"It was pretty hostile (against Western Sydney) as well, but we went there and we got a really good result, so that gives us full confidence to go over to Auckland," he said.
"We'll be right up for it."
Victory coach Arthur Diles never doubted Duncan could step up.
"He's an incredible human being, first and foremost," he said.
"As a goalkeeper, he's very talented. He's had a great year for us, he really has.
"Even the times where he wasn't playing, he's made Mitch a better keeper as well, and he's pushed him along day to day. You can't ask for any more than that.
"It's just nice to see him doing really well, and nice to see him playing at the level we knew he could play when we signed him.
"We believed in him from day one."
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It came after the team were booed from the field after trailing 16-0 at halftime, in a match where Manly looked set to run away with a big victory. O'Brien admitted afterwards he had been hurt by the response of fans, and claimed the win was the best he had been part of in his five-and-a-half-seasons in Newcastle. "It's really disappointing," O'Brien said. "For people to boo that, they don't know anything about rugby league. And they're probably the ones who cheered at the end. "The first half we defended our hearts out. There is a really young footy team there against a very good opposition. "I thought we were excellent in the first half ... I know people are disappointed, but they're trying their backsides off." Thursday night marked the seventh time in 14 games this season Newcastle had entered the break scoreless. Knights great Andrew Johns labelled it "hard to watch" in the Nine Network's commentary, as Newcastle coughed up error after error. But they looked a different side after the break, as Dane Gagai turned back the clock and Fletcher Sharpe and Kai Pearce Paul were immense. Kalyn Ponga also delivered when it mattered most, claiming the match-winning try early in extra time. With Lehi Hopoate concussed early and Tommy Talau also spending time off for a HIA, Newcastle got at a Sea Eagles side who had two second-rowers in the centres. Newcastle went from 16-0 down to 16-16 in the space of 18 second-half minutes, with two of the tries coming from long distance and another a Jack Cogger bomb. Manly appeared to have control of the game back when Clayton Faulalo burst through the middle of the field and fellow winger Talau crossed next play. But the Knights levelled the scores with five minutes to play when Pearce Paul found space on the right edge and Sharpe had his second. Ponga then had the match winner in the Knights' first set of golden point when he put up a bomb, Fletcher Hunt batted it back and the Knights No.1 followed the play to score. Manly had looked an entirely different team in the first half, with their forward pack rolling against a Knights middle who lost Tyson Frizell to concussion. Haumole Olakau'atu was an ever-present and scored on try, while makeshift full Tolu Koula was also causing havoc. But after the second-half collapse, the Sea Eagles' halves missed a chance to win the match in the final minute of regulation time. With Daly Cherry-Evans set up for the field-goal shot, Newcastle's kick pressure prompted him to pass off to Luke Brooks who sent his effort wide from 40 metres out. A Cherry-Evans field goal would have been something of a statement, with questions still surrounding his spot in Queensland's team for State of Origin II. But instead it was kick pressure from Ponga on Brooks that crucial, before the Knights star's winning play. "We weren't consistent in that second half," Cherry-Evans said. "Whether it was from errors, we allowed a lot of points in through defence. We missed a lot of tackle, we allowed offloads. "We had a few errors off our kicking game, there were a lot of things that went wrong."
