Former Melbourne Victory defender Dylan Murnane says the experience of battling relegation in Finland has taken his game to a new level.
Murnane spent the 2018 season with IFK Mariehamn in the Finnish Veikkausliiga.
The 23-year-old made 36 league and cup appearances as the Grönvitt finished 10th in the Finnish top flight, dodging relegation by just two points.
Murnane, who spent three years with Victory, said he learned a lot in his European stint.
"The season was a tough one in terms of results, not what the club and team expected narrowly avoiding relegation," he told FTBL.
"For me personally overall, of course it's disappointing to be in that position but I think I learnt a lot through it.
"I think it's been another year where I have continued to develop getting good game time and having to play in a lot of high pressure games, especially towards the end of the season needing points, which I believe has helped me grow as a player.
"It definitely was intense. They're difficult games to play in when mistakes can be so costly. But it was a new experience for me and just trying to learn from it all.
"I'm looking forward to hopefully bigger things next season."
The leftback admitted the mental toughness and strength required for a relegation dogfight was a change.
The Australian had few problems with the language barrier or adjusting to the weather.
Murnane is contracted to IFK Mariehamn for 2019.
"The club wants me to stay and they are also very intent on improving the squad significantly, so I don't see anything changing at the moment," he said.
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