Though his absence may not have been felt on the scoreboard, the impact of Hoogland’s absence was clearly demonstrated in Victory’s struggle slingshotting from defence to attack.

In a league in which transition remains king, the four-time A-League Champions are beginning to look stilted in their attempts to get the ball forward.

“In the worst case it’s six weeks (for Hoogland),” Kurz said.

“In the best case, maybe three to four. If he is ready for training we will let you know and then they need one-to-two weeks to come back and be ready for a game. 

“I’m disappointed for the boy because he played a really good pre-season, he is a big loss for us. He is a big player. 

“He will come back in good shape.”

Nonetheless, in brighter news for the Victory faithful, back-up striker Kenny Athiu is expected to be available for the Wanderers' visit after returning from international duty with South Sudan.

He and his teammates secured progression to the next round of AFCON Qualifiers with a 3-1 aggregate win over Seychelles. The 27-year-old striker will likely return to the bench in what Kurz is expecting to be a tough encounter against Sydney’s Red and Black half.

“The first game is always hard,” Kurz said.

“To have a long pre-season without official games, that was what we had - it’s always hard. 

“I felt this week, I saw a focused team, it was different to last week because now we know the tournament has started.

“I wasn’t disappointed with the [derby], we had a really good first half. The final pass and crosses - the last decisions - we can do it better. I think the improvement this week was ok but it’s now our job to bring it to the pitch on Friday.

“[Western Sydney are] a strong team. They made really good signings in the pre-season. 

“Maybe they’ve some of the same problems to get players fit after late signings but they have a strong offensive line with Duke and Meir. They have a very smart midfielder with Schwiegler.

“They started with a victory, that means they are confident to come to Melbourne. I think they’re a strong side in Western Sydney.”