THE reaction is almost involuntary.
Mention it - that glorious day, February 24, 2008 at the Sydney Football Stadium when the Jets lifted the A-League trophy - and a smile appears instantly on the face of Stuart Musialik.
Just the thought makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
The fans lined along the streets as the team bus snaked its way out of Newcastle.
The unveiling of the giant "Newcastle" banner and the noise when they entered the playing arena.
The jubilation when Mark Bridge angled a shot past Mariners goalkeeper Danny Vukovic.
The euphoria when referee Mark Shields blew full-time.
The thousands who packed into Adamstown Oval to welcome them home. The party.
"It was a fairytale," Musialik said.
"Playing for my home town in my first grand final. It was incredible."
Now at Sydney FC, Musialik will line up for a second decider when the Sky Blues take on defending champions Melbourne Victory on Saturday night.
It is the first time Australia's two largest cities have met in an A-League finale.
A promoter's dream. There won't be a spare seat inside Etihad Stadium.
Musialik can't wait.
Though excited, there are none of the nerves and sense of anticipation that accompanied his first trip to the big stage.
"At Newcastle I didn't know what to expect, but now I have been there and done it, I know what it takes to win," Musialik said. "I wouldn't say I'm comfortable, but I'm a lot more streetwise and a bit smarter.
"I won't be overwhelmed."
Words which will be music to the ears of the Sydney faithful.
As the anchor of the Sky Blues' diamond-shaped midfield, Musialik will be at the fulcrum of everything the minor premiers do.
As well as pulling the strings in attack, he will be entrusted with shadowing Melbourne danger man Carlos Hernandez.
"If you look at the way Melbourne play, they are most dangerous when the attacking team loses the ball," he said.
"They break so quickly and a lot of that comes down to Hernandez.
"He likes to sneak into little holes off your shoulder where he can get the ball and be facing forward.
"You have to be switched on to where he is. Then if you lose the ball you can be thereabouts when he picks it up on the break."
Musialik has not always been integral to Sydney's plans.
Lured along with Bridge down the freeway after the Jets' championship success, Musialik initially found life tough in the Big Smoke.
He had come off the high of the Beijing Olympics, and although he started in 19 games his form had dipped.
Things didn't improve when Vitezslav Lavicka took over from John Kosmina, who was axed after Sydney missed the finals.
The Czech-born boss preferred Terry McFlynn and Karol Kisel in the centre of the park, and with Steve Corica also in the mix, Musialik could not even get his name on the teamsheet.
Off the park, things had deteriorated to the point where he considered coming home.
At one stage he was housed in $60-a-night hotel room room in Ryde with cockroaches as company.
"Last season was a very tough year down here," he said.
"It was my first year away from Newcastle, and football-wise things didn't go to plan.
"But I was getting to the age where it was time to step up."
His moment came, fittingly, against the Jets in round seven after an injury to McFlynn. Sydney won 2-1 and Musialik hasn't looked back.
He purchased a unit in Freshwater a month later and has since signed a one-year extension with the club.
"'I have got a lot stronger mentally and have matured off the pitch," he said.
"I'm playing a different style to what I did in Newcastle.
"In Newcastle we played a more patient brand of football the year we won it.
"Down here I have started playing a lot more forward balls early, which is something that Lavicka wanted.
"Defensively my game has come along a lot. Not so much winning the ball, but getting into areas where you can block the flow from the midfield to the strikers.
"With Lavicka it's all about professionalism and discipline. Not just off the pitch but on the pitch as well.
"The main thing he drums into us before the game is to stay disciplined in challenges and not talk back to the referee."
By his own admission, self control has not always been Musialik's strong point.
He went AWOL after the Jets' grand final victory and missed an Olyroos camp and subsequent tour to the US - an indiscretion which nearly cost him a place in Beijing.
There are no Aussie camps to worry about this time, but Musialik is booked in for surgery on March 30, a day after his 25th birthday.
"I have a labral tear near the hip flexor on the right side and a chipped bone," Musialik said.
"It's not pleasant but thankfully I have been able to manage it and get through."
Sydney beat Melbourne 2-0 in the final round to claim the minor premiership, but they could not maintain their edge over the competition favourites in the two-leg major semi-final, which was decided in extra time.
"It was disappointing not to go straight to the grand final, but it was not a disappointing game. We didn't get out-played or smashed," he said.
"In that sense it was an easy game to bounce back from because our confidence was still high."
Sydney did exactly that, beating Wellington, who had knocked out the Jets, 4-2 to set up another showdown with Melbourne.
"Playing for my home town in my first grand final at that level, that was a massive game," he said.
"Having said, that Sydney versus Melbourne, it doesn't get much bigger than that."
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