Young star's career hangs in the balance after heartbreaking injury setback

Young star's career hangs in the balance after heartbreaking injury setback

Newcastle Jets coach Mark Milligan confirmed that teenage winger Oscar Fryer may miss the remainder of the A-League season after suffering another serious knee injury. Scans scheduled for Monday are expected to confirm a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in Fryer’s left knee, sustained late in the Jets’ 4–1 loss to Sydney FC at McDonald Jones Stadium on Saturday night.

"There are a few things to go through, but it doesn't look great. You don't want to see that happen to anybody, especially Ossie, who has had such a tough run already. Fingers crossed it is not as serious as we first thought,"

— Mark Milligan

The injury compounds the Jets’ struggles, with key players Kota Mizunuma and Eli Adams already sidelined by long-term hamstring issues. Mizunuma, who missed the first three games, has only recently begun light training, while Adams remains “a few weeks away” from returning.

Milligan criticized current A-League injury replacement rules, which restrict clubs from bringing in substitutes unless the injured player’s salary exceeds $300,000 per season.

"We have had the same issue with Kota. When we have serious injuries in the club, we are unable to replace them because we don't meet the threshold money-wise, which I think is absolutely ridiculous. If it is a long-term injury, we can only replace them if they are on more than $300,000. We don't have any of those players."

— Mark Milligan

Author’s Summary

The Newcastle Jets face another major setback as young talent Oscar Fryer’s potential ACL injury threatens their season and exposes the limits of current A-League replacement rules.

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Hunter Valley News Hunter Valley News — 2025-11-03

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