It was sheer heartbreak for Heidelberg United as their fairytale run came to an end with a 3-1 defeat to A-League Men side Newcastle Jets in the Australia Cup final on October 4 at Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium. The match also marked a personal redemption story for Max Burgess — frozen out at Sydney FC for much of the 2024/25 season — who inspired the Jets to their first silverware since 2008.
The 120-minute thriller had fans on edge throughout. Heidelberg struck first in the 8th minute before Burgess led a determined comeback for Mark Milligan’s young Newcastle side.
Hosting the final at South Melbourne’s Lakeside Stadium instead of their home ground, Olympic Park, Heidelberg made just one change from their semi-final win over Auckland FC — Jay McGowan replacing Sabit Ngor, who had returned to Central Coast Mariners. The Jets, meanwhile, were forced into two changes: Alex Badolato was away at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile, and Max Cooper was sidelined by illness. Aleksander Šušnjar and Will Dobson filled in their places.
The game exploded into life from the opening whistle. Heidelberg’s Asahi Yokokawa tested the Jets’ defense early, his shot blocked before penalty appeals were swiftly waved away. Moments later, the hosts broke the deadlock. Ben Collins rose to meet a curling free kick and nodded it across goal to Ryan Lethlean, who powered home a header past James Delianov for 1-0.
Newcastle soon settled into rhythm, controlling possession and probing patiently. Their equalizer arrived in the 21st minute when Burgess combined neatly with Thomas Aquilina, whose delayed pass set up Burgess to slot home via a slight deflection. It was the first goal Heidelberg had conceded all tournament after stunning three top-flight teams without reply.
The game turned scrappy as tensions rose. Cards were shown to both Šušnjar and Heidelberg striker Bul Juach as the intensity ramped up. The Jets dominated the ball while Heidelberg relied on Juach’s speed to threaten on the counter. Just before halftime, Šušnjar’s header hit the side netting, keeping the score locked at 1-1 at the break.
The second half picked up where the first left off — open, breathless, and unpredictable. Both sides created chances, with Bertoncello going close for Newcastle before Yokokawa missed a golden opportunity at the other end. Substitutions on the hour mark added fresh energy: Chok Dau came on for Heidelberg, while Ben Gibson and Lachlan Bayliss entered for Newcastle.
Despite a flurry of chances, neither team could find a winner in regular time, forcing extra time. That’s when Newcastle’s top-tier quality finally told.
In the 98th minute, 19-year-old academy product Oscar Fryer produced a moment of brilliance, blasting a thunderous strike into the top corner for his first senior goal and the Jets’ 2-1 lead. But the drama was far from over. Kosta Grozos was sent off for two quick yellow cards, giving Heidelberg a man advantage — only for Johnny Apostolopoulos to see red minutes later for a last-ditch foul that denied a clear chance.
With both teams down to ten men, Newcastle put the result beyond doubt in the 115th minute when Gibson swept home the decisive third. It sealed a long-awaited trophy for the Jets and ended Heidelberg’s dream run — a valiant effort that will nonetheless go down as one of the most memorable in Australia Cup history.