ALEX Janovsky will captain Jets for a fourth successive season, matching the record of our only other appointed skipper – coach Royce Brownlie.
Royce, Jets’ foundation captain, wore the armband from 2013-2016. Alex joined Jets in 2016 and became captain in 2017.
Not that it influenced Royce’s decision. “Selecting the captain was easy,” he said.
“The key characteristics I look for is someone honest, hard-working, a leader on and off the park and a role model.
“Alex Janovsky ticks all these. Since coming on board he has been a true professional, helping and leading by example.
“I can see this year being one of Janovsky’s best so far at MBU - and I can’t wait.”
Alex has made 91 NPL appearances for Jets scoring 22 goals. His best season was 2017 when he scored 10 times.
Entering his fifth season in the gold and black, Alex is part of a reinforced squad and which has three pre-season wins - 9-0 v Brisbane Knights, 3-0 v Coomera, 3-2 v Brisbane City.
“We have a new culture this year and I think that’s paying off with the intensity in training and transferring that into the games,” he said, “we’re shaping up well.
“Last couple of years we’ve had a younger squad with only a couple of older players.
“This year we have a couple of new players who have played NPL which helps me help the younger boys and expectations of the whole squad.
“I don’t mind pressure or demands on a captain. That’s what I thrive on.”
The captain always sets himself personal targets, including scoring 10 goals a season.
“I think the last couple of years I have been a bit lean in the expectations of myself,” Alex said, “this year I really want to push myself on the field.
“It’s tough to predict the NPL. It’s a good league. The two teams which have come up will be better than those which went down so we will have hard games each week.
“But with the squad we have, I think we will be competitive in all our matches and pushing for that top four, for sure.”
