WHEN Mateo Poljak arrived in Sydney barely a year ago to play for the Western Sydney Wanderers, he wouldnt have known what to expect.

The Croatian midfielder, a product of the Dinamo Zagreb youth system, had never lived away from his parents, but he bought into Tony Popovic’s ­vision for the A-League’s fledgling club.

Sydney now means so much to him now that the 24-year-old has unfinished business at the Wanderers after committing to the club for another two years.

“Winning the grand final is something that everybody would like to do,” Poljak told The Sunday Telegraph.

“I would say we have an unfinished job in the grand final.

“The biggest thing is that from day one we’ve been all together. Last season everyone was coming at different times because everything was new — new team, new players. This year everyone came first day and because of that everything was planned better.”

The Wanderers’ long preseason has included a valuable two-week, three-game tour of Asia. There are still three weeks to go before the new season begins on October 11 and Poljak says the players are looking forward to the opening day’s grand final rematch against the Central Coast.

“I think we’ve had a really good preseason of training,” Poljak said.

“The trip to Asia was a good experience, more than just ­experience, it was good for everything. We played ­different games and now we are all looking forward to the season already.

“I think me personally and we as a team will grow from game to game.

“That’s the staff’s plan, to be in form for a long time.”

The bulk of the squad remains the same as last season, but Popovic has brought in some new faces for the club’s second season and Poljak says they are fitting in perfectly.

“I’m sure they will add something more to our team and I think they’ll be a big plus for us this year,” he said.

Poljak loves his life in Sydney, which he says was a major reason for his decision to remain at the Wanderers.

But the fans of the Red and Black also played their part in him making his call. “There are more than 15,000 members, it’s an amazing number,” Poljak said.

“That atmosphere from the first game we played in Parramatta was unbelievable.

“From game to game, even on away trips, they were beautiful and definitely they give us some new energy.

“We are happy with them compared to other teams and I think it helps us a lot.”