Wilkinson was less than impressed with his team after their 2-0 defeat by Queensland Roar on Friday night but had matters worked out differently then he might not have been on the pitch at all.

There had been whispers of Asian interest in Wilkinson but McKinna has now confirmed that there had been the possibility of losing his captain.

He told au.fourfourtwo.com: "He was targeted. A club came in and showed a lot of interest in him. I was starting to think 'he could be gone', at least for Asia (the Champions League). Lucky for us and maybe unlucky for Wilko, an official offer never actually came in.

"I think at the end of June when you can prepare for next season, that's different, but when something comes in a week before the finals series, well - the timing was not good.

"Mile Jedinak was different. We knew he was going to go. It was a big offer for the club and you have to make a decision. If Wilko had gone (at such short notice) we'd have struggled to fill that spot."

Both coach and captain now have to pick up the Mariners squad ahead of the second leg at Suncorp Stadium.

Few headlines are likely to offer much hope of a Mariners triumph but then McKinna has got used to proving critics wrong and he no longer worries too much what people say about his team and the club.

He said: "Probably the first two or three years I'd read things, get upset by it, go home and chew my wife's ear off but but everyone has their right to an opinion."