Perth Glory goalkeeper Danny Vukovic will be out for redemption when he faces Brisbane Roar in the Hyundai A-League grand final at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
Perth Glory goalkeeper Danny Vukovic will be out for redemption when he faces Brisbane Roar in the Hyundai A-League grand final at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday.
Vukovic caused a sensation playing for Central Coast in the 2008 Hyundai A-League grand final when he was red-carded for slapping the referee's arm, as the Mariners - down 1-0 in the final minutes - huddled around to protest an undetected hand ball.
Cited for violent conduct, the resulting 12-month suspension cost the stand-out gloveman his place in the 2008 Australian Olympic team, and put the brakes on one of the country's fastest emerging talents.
Now 27 and more than four years since that career-defining moment, Vukovic is hoping to find closure on the incident and change how he will be remembered by lifting the trophy for Perth.
"Definitely (it's a chance at redemption). Everyone knows what happened last time I was in a grand final, so I think tomorrow is a good chance to rectify the wrongs I've done in past grand finals," he said.
"What happened with me and what I did was a tough time in my life, but to not win a grand final after being in two of them is also very tough.
"I'm hoping for a positive result for us, but that's always going to be the main memory.
"Something terrible that I've done, a stupid mistake - unfortunately for myself I'll probably be remembered for that rather than my performances on the pitch."
Since his fateful day against the Newcastle Jets in 2008, Vukovic has been through some turbulent times, including a failed stint in Turkey and a one-year gig with Wellington Phoenix.
But the powerfully built stopper has rediscovered his form since reuniting with Perth coach Ian Ferguson, who was an assistant at Central Coast at the time of their 2008 runners-up effort.
"I always had belief, that's why I came to the club," Vukovic said.
"Talking to Fergie before the season started about the players he was going to bring (in), it sounded like we had the makings of a very good side.
"We didn't know how long it was going to take for us to gel, but we managed to turn it around after the form slump in the middle of the season and haven't looked back, so I guess we always had belief."
For the Perth side, a place in the grand final must have seemed an impossibility at the halfway point of the season, as they hit New Year's day 2012 having managed one win and two draws from their previous 10 games.
Since then, however, the Glory have found a way start delivering on their considerable potential.
Ferguson, whose job was considered to be under a question, said the turnaround justified his ongoing faith.
"It's nice to come through the stuff that gets thrown at you and I know that it's driven by the results," he said.
"Fans have a right to moan or whatever, but I still felt we were playing pretty good football and we were going in the right direction from where we were last year.
"The (players) have to buy into it...and they all have and it drove us forward."