Captain Scott Jamieson expects confidence gained from Melbourne City's premiership win to hold them in good stead in the A-League grand final.
City released a pressure valve by sealing their first A-League silverware, the premiers plate, last month and can seal the premiership-championship double at AAMI Park on Sunday.
While opponents Sydney FC have a plethora of players with experience of winning championships, including last year's grand final against City, Jamieson expected his premiers to be up for the occasion.
"The biggest feather in our cap is we've got the monkey off the back in regards to winning a title, and that was the premiership," Jamieson told reporters on Friday.
"So I definitely feel with that in our mind, leading up to the game - not that the pressure's off but we know what it takes to win a title, albeit the premiership.
"But this is a one-off game. So for us we have to try and tap into some of the players that have won one or two - or even players who have lost four or five like myself."
Jamieson said the 1-0 win over Central Coast on May 22, when City sealed the premiership, was a good learning curve in terms of maintaining focus rather than being overwhelmed by the occasion.
"That night ... was a tense, tense affair and it was probably a good one for us to learn a lesson where we probably played a bit of the occasion, rather than the actual game," he said.
"I probably had my worst game there ... The pressure that the club was under to win an A-League trophy as such was hanging over us and we did that.
"(This week) we've had a good build up, we had a successful result last week away from home without key players. So we've ticked a lot of boxes, and come Sunday there's one more box to tick."
Jamieson, 32, missed last season's grand final but was a youngster in Adelaide United's 2008-09 grand final loss and their 2008 Asian Champions League final loss, while he played for Western Sydney in their 2015-16 defeat.
"I've played in a few grand finals, I've learned a few lessons - a few harsh lessons," Jamieson said.
"Something for me and something I've learned is I don't get too carried away anymore about it. I don't look too much into the build up anymore.
"I'm just relaxing, taking it easy and then we'll move forward to tomorrow's training and then it'll build up."
Australian Associated Press
