United are set to lose a number of key players for next season including Jason Culina, Bas van den Brink, Dino Djulbic, Zenon Caravella, Steve Pantelidis and perhaps Shane Smeltz.

Bleiberg believes the club's youth team, which recently won back-to-back premierships in the National Youth League, will provide a key part of the side next term as they enter a period of transition.

"I think you can see all the other clubs doing reports or in-house inquiries or whatever, for this club I think we run it like an oily machine,” Bleiberg said after Saturday's defeat.

"We've got one generation of players, a lot of them were unwanted by other clubs, they found a house here and now they are going to greener pastures.

"A few players will stay and that will be the core of the team and we have a young team that have been champion for the last two years and we will let them express themselves and we will continue."

He added: "Overall I'm proud of what we've done, we had a good year. We had a good generation for a young club.”

Bleiberg continued he wants to see his side play 'beautiful football' next season.

“The team that will stay, look, we're definitely going to play beautiful football next year because the youngsters are all good footballers,” he said.

"Whether it will challenge for the top it's yet to be seen, if not we call it transition year.

"But it's worth the investment and I'm looking forward to it."

Speaking about Saturday's preliminary final defeat, Bleiberg added: "I’m proud of my players and I’m proud of what we have achieved this season. We did our best today.

“They gave everything and in the end the Mariners were the ones who managed to get the vital goal.

"We are naturally extremely disappointed because we wanted to be there next week, but we are not sore losers and congratulate Central Coast for making it through to the Grand Final.

"Their goalkeeper had the game of his life and congratulations to him also.

“For a young club we have done well and we would like to say a very big thank you to all the wonderful supporters who travelled here today from the Gold Coast.

"They were terrific but it just wasn’t to be for us today.”