O’Donovan, the A-League’s top scorer with seven goals from six games, was unavailable for Saturday night’s 2-1 loss to Sydney because of what coach Ernie Merrick described as a “minor groin niggle”.

English midfielder Wayne Brown (calf) was also ruled out, while defender Daniel Georgievski, who returned after missing two games with an ankle problem, was replaced at half-time after suffering cramp.

Read more: O’Donovan is out after 80^th minute injury against the Wanderers

Throw in the long-term absence of marquee man Ronny Vargas (broken ankle), and Newcastle fielded a depleted line-up and slipped to their first loss of the season – and ninth in a row against the Sky Blues.

The Jets nonetheless had their chances to salvage a draw and will be confident of bouncing back on home turf, especially if O’Donovan and Brown are cleared to resume.

Merrick said O’Donovan could potentially have played against Sydney, but the club’s medical staff felt it was wiser to rest him as a precaution.

“I think if it was finals football, he’d play, but that tightness and sensitivity is usually a warning that the muscle’s not feeling the best,” Merrick said. “So if you make a sudden twist or change of direction you get a tear. Rather than risk a tear we thought we would rest him, because if you get a tear at this stage of the season you’re out for six or seven weeks.”

Asked if he the Irishman would be back this week, Merrick replied: “The physiotherapist and doctor seem to think he will be.”

Rather than offering injuries as an excuse, Merrick was disappointed that his team had not played more positively, especially in the early minutes.

“We threw away the game in the first half,” he said.

“We tried to play what looked like safe football … [but]  I’d rather lose to a top team away from home than lose at home to one of the teams in the bottom part of the table, so it’s almost like if you're going to lose, this is the time. Hopefully you get a kick up the backside and kick on from here.”

Merrick added that “I don’t think there was any disgrace” in losing away from home, to the defending champions, by a one-goal margin.

The Jets remained second on the table, two points behind Sydney and one ahead of Melbourne City.

Sydney opened the scoring in the fifth minute, when Milos Ninkovic made the Jets pay for allowing Brazilian striker Bobo too much latitude in the box.

Sydney tightened their grip on the three points in the 59th minute when Bobo pounced to make it 2-0.

The Jets hit back in the 65th minute when Dimi Petratos scored with a trademark long-range rocket that eluded Andrew Redmayne.