But it's not simply a matter of retaining the same starting eleven and key back-up players, pressing the button and going again. The real test of a coach is how he can keep the core of the winning team together while tweaking both the starting eleven and the squad to ensure that complacency does not set in and that ambition burns as bright as it did the season before. When Brisbane won those successive championships the starting eleven in the two grand finals was quite different, with four players involved in the second game (a controversial win over Perth Glory) who had not been in the starting side against Central Coast in the miraculous triumph a season earlier. Granted, two of them – Henrique and Massimo Murdocca – had been on the bench in the first game, but Besart Berisha and Mohamed Adnan were new faces in Ange Postecoglou's team while another two of the first year's subs (Matt Mundy and Rocky Visconte) were not part of the first proceedings. Sydney's victorious squad of 2017 (who beat Victory on penalties) was virtually unchanged this season, with only Danny Vukovic, sold to Belgium, Rhyan Grant (injured) and Filip Holosko (released) not part of Graham Arnold's set-up this time round. Seb Ryall played part of the 2017/18 campaign before quitting.

The ageing squad won the league easily but, perhaps fatigued by their exertions in the Asian Champions League, succumbed to Victory in that epic semi. While Postecoglou got it just right with his blend of established winners and hungry newcomers, perhaps Arnold might have tweaked things a little more and got a different result against Victory. We will never know as the margins are so fine. But the test that now faces Muscat is to emulate Postecoglou, not Arnold: refresh and reboot while retaining ambition and hunger. To some extent Muscat did that this season. Of the 16 names on the team sheet for last year's grand final defeat, seven were no longer at Victory when they lined up against Newcastle on May 5. Victory has already begun clearing the decks to reload for its title defence, announcing earlier this week that Stefan Nigro, a fringe player who ended up starting in the decider following injury to Rhys Williams, will have to find new employers next season.

Argentinian midfielder Matias Sanchez, Mitch Austin, who has missed most of the season with injury, and youngster Cameron McGilp have also been declared surplus to requirements. Victory have re-signed goalkeeper Lawrence Thomas in a deal that has yet to be publicly announced, while it is also due to bring in two new full-backs in Storm Roux, from Central Coast Mariners, and Corey Brown, from Brisbane Roar. The biggest test of all will be retaining Dutch wide man Leroy George, one of the most impressive foreign players in the league last season. George is being courted by several other A-League clubs, but Victory sources are adamant that he has yet to sign elsewhere. They have offered him a new deal and are likely to respond if another A-League team betters it.