The A-League grand final is a story of how the west was lost … and perhaps finally found.

It’s about one team with a storied history that has for the most part failed to capitalise on it, and another that was birthed especially for the modern competition and then proceeded to dominate it.

Perth Glory was decidedly the odd one out when it came to the eight sides that competed in the first season of the A-League in 2005.

While some of the other clubs competing in the modern competition could trace some sort of lineage back to an era that had been classified by the game’s new administrators as “old soccer”, none brought with them the kind of legacy of sustained achievement and performance that Glory did.

Entering the NSL for the 1996/97 season, Perth qualified six times for the finals through its tenure in the A-League’s progenitor – three times as premiers.

Tony Popovic, head coach of the Glory and Steve Corica, head coach of Sydney share a moment before their teams met in Round 12. Photo: Getty 

Glory was able to turn those six appearances into four grand final appearances, losing two – including Wollongong Wolves famous penalty shootout win in 1999/2000 – and winning twice.

It was Perth that won the last NSL Grand Final against Parramatta Power in 2003/04.

Fielding the likes of Con Boutsianis, Scotty Miller, Bobby Despotovski, Damian Mori, Simon Colosimo, Jamie Harnwell and Nick Mrdja, Glory was able to firmly establish themselves as a footballing presence in the West; laying down roots in a market dominated by the AFL.

Since then, however, times have been tough out West.

Despite being the most well-established club in the A-League, Glory was unable to break through into finals football during its first four years of the competition. The club finished fifth in the eight-team competition once and seventh three times.

Whereas a one-and-done finals appearance would finally come for in the 2009/10 season, it took until the Glory’s 2011/12 season for finals wins.

Sitting third at the end of the regular season, Glory recorded their first A-League finals win in the first week of the finals with a Shane Smeltz-powered triumph over sixth-placed Melbourne Heart, before going on to down Wellington Phoenix and Central Coast Mariners to book a place in the grand final against Brisbane Roar.

Yet heartbreak then followed, and the wounds from that grand final are still fresh in the minds of Glory fans, as Besart Berisha’s controversial 97th-minute penalty sent Glory back to Perth trophy-less as Roar triumphed 2-1.

The boys from Bling City

Sydney FC’s achievements sit in stark contrast to the lean years at Perth.

Created from scratch in 2004 to take part in the A-League as the sole representative of Australia’s largest city, Sydney FC tasted triumph in the league’s first season; defeating Central Coast Mariners 1-0 in front of 41,689 fans at the Sydney Football Stadium.

Nicknamed as “Bling FC”, Sydney was everything that was shiny and new about the A-League.

Backed by figures such as Frank Lowy and Hollywood actor Anthony LaPaglia, Sydney fielded a line-up littered with familiar names such as Clint Bolton, Colosimo, Mark Rudan, current Head Coach Steve Corica and David Zdrillic.

Coached by German legend Pierre Littbarski and signing former Manchester United spearhead as a marquee player; the big spending, glamorous nature of Sydney was obvious.

The clubs have since gone on to win a further two A-League Championships in 2009/10 and 2016/17 and whilst also securing three premierships.

Can Sydney FC repeat their title-winning efforts this coming A-League season? Photo: Getty

Under Graham Arnold, Sydney put together one of, if not the best season’s in A-League history in 2016/17 – losing only once over the course of the season’s 27 rounds – and followed it up with a equally impressive 2017/18 season.

Though Arnold has since departed, his coaching disciple Corica has continued the formline – steering Sydney to its fifth A-League decider.

On Sunday night the juggernaut club has to travel to meet a Glory side reinvigorated under Head Coach Tony Popovic.

Brought in ahead of the 2018/19 season, Popovic has refreshed Perth Glory’s fortunes in his first year in the West.

Instilling steely discipline and grit, exemplified by midfielder Neil Kilkenny, there is a clear preference for defence over attack.

Under the 45-year-old mentor Perth Glory has conceded six fewer goals than any other side in the A-League in 2018/19.

Going forward, though, Popovic’s side possesses individual game breakers in the form of Diego Castro, Andy Keough and Chris Ikonomidids that are capable of breaking games open and punishing opposition lapses.

Popovic has his own calamitous history to overcome, having lost three grand finals in charge of Western Sydney Wanderers.

Now, he needs to show how the West was truly won.

GRAND FINAL – THE NUMBERS

Sunday: 4.30pm, 6:30pm (AEST)

Optus Stadium, Perth

PERTH:

Premiers – 18 wins, six draws, three losses, +33 goal difference

Defeated Adelaide United 3-3 (5-4 on penalties) in semi-final

SYDNEY FC:

Second-placed finishers – 16 wins, four draws, seven losses, +14 goal difference

Defeated Melbourne Victory 6-1 in semi-final

HEAD TO HEAD:

Overall: Perth 9 wins, Sydney 25 wins, nine draws

THIS SEASON:

Rd 9 – Perth 1-2 Sydney FC, HBF Park

Rd 12 – Glory 3-1 Sydney, HBF Park

Rd 26 – Sydney 1-0 Perth, Netstrata Jubilee Stadium