Victory's Kemp set for more grand final pain

Injured Melbourne Victory defender Matthew Kemp says sitting through Saturday night's A-League grand final will be tough, but not as painful as a previous miss.

Kemp, who badly injured his knee in February to prematurely end a career-best season, is uniquely placed to compare shades of grand final hard luck, having missed the 2006/07 decider through suspension.

On that occasion, he watched his then-teammates at Adelaide United get flogged 6-0 by the Victory.

"That was probably more frustrating because I'd played all the games right up until the preliminary final," Kemp said.

"Then the way that it happened, with a tackle that was just clearly not a yellow card offence, the injustice made it more frustrating.

"This time, I've had time to let it sink in and I've seen the team progress and haven't been part of it for a while.

"Definitely the first grand final was more frustrating, but at the same time, a big week like this, the boys are all buzzing, you just want to be part of it and you can't be."

The fact that Kemp was part of Victory's championship team last season has also eased the pain.

But the timing of the injury - which required a full knee reconstruction and will delay his start to next season - hurts, given his career was on a high.

The 29-year-old had made a longed-for Socceroos debut four weeks earlier against Kuwait in an Asian Cup qualifier, and his A-League form was good enough to earn selection in the players' team of the season, despite the injury.

"It's just a shame it ended the way it has. I was happy with the way things were going, I got my first Socceroos cap, which I was stoked about ... it's funny how these things go," he said.

"But it could have happened before I got my cap, so the positive is I got to play for my country and no one can take that away from me."

Captain Kevin Muscat said Kemp deserved to feel part of the championship, if Melbourne down Sydney FC at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night.

"He's certainly in the back of the players' minds because we certainly respect the contribution he's made," Muscat said.

But Kemp did not expect watching to be pleasant.

"I'm not a great spectator, not at all," he said.

"... You've got no control of it whatsoever, I get nervous and a bit edgy, I'm not really looking that forward to it."

Unlike his fellow Victory players, who have to fly to Japan for an Asian Champions League fixture within hours of the grand final, Kemp will at least have time to enjoy a celebratory drink if they win.

"I feel really sorry for the boys, it's going to be a surreal experience," he said.

"We basically partied for two weeks straight after winning it last year. We're going to be lucky to party two hours should we win.

"It's going to have to be delayed ... that's a very frustrating situation for the boys to be in, but I'll celebrate for them."

- AAP