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The Newcastle Jets have tabled a one-year contract to extension to Irish striker Roy O'Donovan ahead of Saturday's A-League game against Western Sydney.

Newcastle Jets have made their sales pitch to Irish striker Roy O'Donovan ahead of Saturday's A-League clash with Western Sydney.

The Jets have tabled a one-year contract extension to O'Donovan as coach Ernie Merrick builds a platform for next season.

"I'm in negotiations with the club as we speak," O'Donovan told reporters on Friday.

"I have made my demands, they have given me a list of demands so ... if we can meet somewhere in the middle, then great.

"It's an ongoing process at the moment."

Seventh-placed Newcastle maintain a mathematical chance of making the finals if they beat the eighth-placed Wanderers.

But Merrick mid-week wrote off a miraculous sequence of other results falling their way.

"When you're in a situation of waiting for other teams to lose matches, I don't think you're in a good place," he said.

"I can't see anyone losing that many games, two more games than us.

"So I don't think we're going to make the finals and we're very disappointed by that."

Instead, the veteran manager wants O'Donovan to join 17 other players already committed to staying in Newcastle.

Other off-contract Jets include marquee Ronny Vargas and Brazilian winger Jair.

The Jets hold a three-point break on the ladder from the Wanderers, who have won four of their past six games.

Both are lamenting a season of missed opportunity: Newcastle has more total shots than any other club, with the Wanderers next best.

The Jets have scored 29 goals from 387 shots and the Wanderers have scored 38 from 362.

STATS THAT MATTER

* Of the past five clashes between the clubs, the Jets have won three and drawn two.

* The Wanderers, in the midst of an unbeaten six-game stretch, have twice won away.

* Newcastle attacker Dimi Petratos loves playing the Wanderers. He's scored three goals with four goal assists in his past five games against Western Sydney.