Danny Vukovic didn’t agree with the decision to sell the A-League Men grand final to Sydney but the Central Coast captain wants the Mariners to take full advantage of their unexpected helping hand.
The deeply divisive three-year deal the Australian Professional Leagues (APL) struck with Destination NSW has denied premiers Melbourne City the chance to host the biggest game of the season.
For the Mariners, it’s opened the door for a wave of yellow-clad fans to descend on CommBank Stadium for Saturday night’s decider.
“I can say now we’ll have the numbers down from Gosford,” the goalkeeper told reporters on Friday.
“They’re so excited up there and our last game at home, 20,000, it was the biggest crowd at that stadium for any sporting event.
“So the community is really excited and they’re right behind us and we have to use that to our advantage.
“I don’t agree with the grand final being taken here but we have to use it to our advantage now.
“A lot of people forget the Mariners had a grand final taken off them and we lost a massive advantage in that.
“I’ve been part of FFA Cup finals where the final was just given to a team and that’s happened twice and I’ve lost in those.
“So it’s nice to be on the other end for once.”
For City, what would have been a grand final on home turf at AAMI Park has instead turned into an away trip.
“It’s just another game. It’s an away game for us. It’s another game away,” coach Rado Vidosic said.
“We need to be focused, we need to be switched on. Throughout the whole season, the boys had a target on their back and on their front.
“Everyone wants to win (against) the champions, everyone wants to win (against) the premiers, and it won’t be any different tomorrow.
“Obviously, we’ve seen David versus Goliath on social media and for me, it’s just about the game and that’s how I’m going to look at it.”
Vidosic wasn’t fazed by the prospect of a hostile crowd.
“The crowd is what you allow the crowd to be and if we control the game and we dominate the game then you shut down the crowd,” he said.
“That’s exactly what we will try to to achieve from the beginning of the game.”
Vidosic used the semi-final first leg trip to face Sydney FC as a “dress rehearsal” for the decider while retiring skipper Scott Jamieson said players had focused on their good form at CommBank Stadium.
“I don’t see this as my last game, although it is, I see this as a grand final,” he said.
Mariners coach Nick Montgomery was adamant a team largely comprised of young players wouldn’t be overawed.
“The boys have played in big games before. Last season, the (Australia) Cup final and top six, finals football,” he said.
“So it’s one step further on and the boys are really looking forward to the challenge.”
Australian Associated Press