Western Sydney Wanderers defender Nikolai Topor-Stanley insists the impending departures of star imports Shinji Ono and Youssouf Hersi won't be a distraction ahead of the A-League grand final.
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The Wanderers will be looking for retribution for their loss in last year's decider when they take on the Brisbane Roar on Sunday in front of more than 50,000 fans at Suncorp Stadium.
Although they missed out on claiming back-to-back Premier's Plates, the Wanderers are taking plenty of confidence out of being the first Australian side to top its group in the Asian Champions League.
Ono and Hersi have played instrumental parts in the outstanding success of the Wanderers in the club's two-year existence, but both will be moving on at the end of the season.
Japanese legend Ono will be returning to his home country with J-League division two side Consadole Sapporo, while Dutchman Hersi will join Perth Glory.
Canberra product Topor-Stanley said the salary cap restrictions in the A-League made it inevitable that successful teams would not be able to stay together for a long period of time.
"We're trying not to think about that kind of thing, although it's impossible not to realise the facts that people will be moving on,'' Topor-Stanley said.
"That happens every year, that's the nature of the beast in the A-League with salary cap restrictions and it happens in the football world.
"We're professionals, we're dealing with it and we know this is a chance to win something together and we're in the right frame of mind to win this game.''
The Wanderers finished second on the table at the end of the regular season, beating the Central Coast Mariners 2-0 in last weekend's preliminary final to advance to the decider.
That result gave the Wanderers a small piece of payback after they lost by the same scoreline to the Mariners in the 2012-13 grand final.
Topor-Stanley said winning a grand final would be the highlight of his career, which started with Sydney FC in 2006.
The Tuggeranong United junior has also had stints with Perth Glory and Newcastle Jets, joining the Wanderers as a foundation player in their inaugural season in 2012-13.
"The pain of coming so close to having a fairytale run was very intense and I never want to feel that again, but you have to put it on the backburner and not let your emotions take over,'' Topor-Stanley said.
"You've just got to play the game and not the occasion.
"This is what you play the game for, to hold up that trophy at the end of the year.''
Containing dangerous Roar striker Besart Berisha will go a long way towards the Wanderers taking out the title.
The Albanian marksman has scored in two of the Roar's three games against the Wanderers this season and fired home the decisive goal in last weekend's 1-0 preliminary final win against the Melbourne Victory.
"There's no doubt he's very talented and he's a proven goal-scorer,'' Topor-Stanley said.
"We just stick to our game plan - that is to be intense and take away their space, and when we get the ball punish them for any space they give us.''
