Alen Stajcic wants Western Sydney's return to the finals to be the springboard to sustained excellence, arguing the underperforming A-Leagues club has the potential to become the biggest in Australia.
Namechecking NRL heavyweights Melbourne Storm and the Wanderers' neighbours Penrith Panthers as examples of what he wants to replicate, Stajcic is eager to ensure his club's finals campaign is not a one-off.
Western Sydney finished fourth at the end of the regular ALM season to set up a sudden-death elimination final meeting with Melbourne Victory at CommBank Stadium on Saturday.
It's just the second time in the last eight seasons that the Wanderers have made the top six with the club struggling to reach the heights scaled during its earliest years in the competition.
"When you have a good foundation, you have a longevity of success and it's not something that's a flash in the pan," Stajcic said.
"I look at Melbourne Storm - at the top for 20 odd years with Craig Bellamy - I look at the Penrith Panthers, and what Man United did under Alex Ferguson.
"I'm not comparing us to them for one second but the platforms they built within their teams and within their cultures were built for long-term success."
Stajcic said the Wanderers should aspire to outrank their catchment area's NRL sides for popularity.
The Western Sydney boss pointed to the club's nursery of talent - exemplified by the rise of playmaker Nicolas Milanovic - in an area that boasts the country's most diverse and rapidly-evolving demographics as further proof of the Wanderers' potential.
"We have the best chance of being the most successful club in the country," Stajcic said.
"We can be and should be bigger than all of them (NRL clubs)."
Stajcic's confidence in the Wanderers' direction is born out of the back of their regular season campaign, where the club finished without losing in 11-straight games.
Beating the Victory to move closer to the grand final would just be the start of their journey back to the top.
"It'll be an amazing fixture with so many quality players, Socceroos, fringe Socceroos," Stajcic added.
"They definitely have one of the best squads. You only look at their bench and Bruno (Fornaroli) isn't getting a regular run … it's laden with talent."
