Fifth time's a charm: Popovic bids to end A-League final hoodoo

MELBOURNE : After coaching A-League teams to four Grand Final defeats, Tony Popovic will hope to bury the hoodoo by guiding Melbourne Victory to a record-equalling fifth title in Saturday's decider against the champion Central Coast Mariners.

The former Australia defender struck out in three Grand Finals at the Western Sydney Wanderers (2013, 2014, 2016) and lost the fourth with Perth Glory in 2019 with a team that were by far the best of the season.

The weight of heartbreak might have been too much for some managers but Popovic dusted himself off and returned to the league with Victory three years ago after an ill-fated stint coaching in Greece's second division.

Now 50, Popovic is philosophical about his Grand Final record, reckoning he has learnt from the setbacks.

"What I've learned from a few of them is that I've always tried to do the opposite of what I did when I lost a final," said Popovic.

"And I've realised that that doesn't work because you're always searching for something different.

"Now, I've just stuck to more my instincts, the process, understanding what the group is, the dynamic, and what works best for them as opposed to trying to do the opposite of what I had done before.

"And I feel comfortable with that. In the end, it's one game of football and a trophy is on the line."

While hard luck has been a feature of Popovic's coaching career, it has not defined it completely.

He remains the only coach to lead an Australian team to Asian Champions League glory, having steered the Wanderers through an epic voyage of long-haul flights to secure the 2014 trophy.

No Australian team has come close since.

Denying the Mariners back-to-back A-League championships at their home stadium in Gosford would nonetheless rival