Victory were ninth at the end of Round 6 as many predicted towards the end of the season that Sydney FC or Newcastle would eventually lift the A-League trophy.

Antonis came into Victory’s squad in January after the departure of Socceroo Mark Milligan and has been vital to the Big V’s ultimate success.

There were calls for Kevin Muscat’s head during the season and even endured boos from his own fans in February.

The 24-year-old said the win was sweet after they defied the odds in the finals.

“Everyone was writing us off and to beat Adelaide United here, Sydney and Newcastle both away are massive results,” Antonis told FourFourTwo.

“Melbourne’s a big club, you can’t really put us down, we have great players in our team and everyone stands up.

“It took me a while to start to get into good form. I feel like I started to get there in the last two months, but I’ve enjoyed my time here, we turned the season around and we did well.

“In junior level, you’re always winning stuff. The last time I won something major was when I was with the Aussie team at the Asian Cup, but other than that it’s been a while since I won something.”

Victory unveil the trophy at AAMI Park on Sunday. By Ashley Perez Photography

Antonis went from villain to hero for Victory in their 3-2 extra-time semi-final win against minor-premiers Sydney as he made amends scoring the winning the game after scoring a disastrous own goal.

He is now put his lack of game time in the Netherlands last year behind him, stating he has no intentions of leaving Melbourne.

“I’ve got another two years here, I’m happy here and I’m enjoying my time and we just won, so there’s no reason why I should leave at the moment,” he said.

“You always remember this stuff and it’s something I’ll cherish for a long time, especially this season. 10 months ago, I was in Holland and now this, so it’s a crazy feeling.”