''The players have been doing this for a long time now. They're playing in front of big crowds, week-in, week-out, and the players are proving week-by-week that they can handle the expectation,'' he said. ''They can handle the pressure and they keep producing. We've got one more to go and we know there will be a huge contingent of our fans at the final and it will be a special day for them. I'm sure they'll start very early in the morning.'' Winning the decider at Allianz Stadium, home of arch-rival Sydney FC, would seemingly be the perfect way to end an extraordinary season. ''I'd be happy to win it anywhere but it's nice it's in Sydney,'' Popovic said. ''Our last match there was a victory and we hope to do it again.'' The talking points of the week for Wanderers selection will come in the form of Jerome Polenz and Aaron Mooy. Polenz has been carrying a quadriceps strain late in the season, and while he was passed fit to play in the win over Brisbane, he had to be substituted before half-time. ''I thought he was 100 per cent fit and that's why he started. He'd trained for six or seven days without a problem,'' Popovic said. ''He did every test you could think of and he was very confident.

''It's not bad, because he's telling me that he's ready for next week. I'm not sure if that's excitement of making the grand final, but we'll see. I'm not too sure he'll be available.'' Mooy didn't even make it to the starting blocks for the Wanderers inaugural final and his medial ligament strain has given him problems for almost a month. But Popovic says he should be ready for next Sunday. ''I think he will. He was close but we didn't want to have a player start or on the bench who came into the game with doubt. Jerome had no doubt in his mind he could play,'' he said. ''We could see on Thursday that [Mooy] wasn't quite right, so we didn't want to put him on the bench.'' There's also a small question mark over Yianni Perkatis. The young midfielder, whose balance and poise has impressed in his two matches, appeared hampered at times. ''I think it was just a knock he picked up early in the game,'' Popovic said. ''Once he cooled down on the bench, it's tightened up a bit. But there's no muscle injury, which is good.''

It appears that late-season niggles for Michael Beauchamp and Shinji Ono have disappeared, as both were in excellent form. Despite the other worries, there are enough natural replacements in the Wanderers squad. Hersi's unavailability opens up a potential return for Labinot Haliti, while if Perkatis and Mooy miss out, Jason Trifiro can play the middle. Polenz's place may go the way of Tarek Elrich, who, like Haliti, Mark Bridge and Ante Covic, is a veteran of the 2008 A-League winning side with Newcastle. Though Shannon Cole copped plenty of attention from Popovic in the game, he'll remain as D'Apuzzo's replacement at left-back. ''We had a few discussions,'' the coach said. ''That was just in the moment of me wanting him to do a few things a little bit differently.''