Now it’s just the small matter of defending a minor premiership and proving to the cynics that the Bluetongue boys are no ‘one season wonders’.

The agony of losing the big prize to F3 rivals Newcastle was compounded by the Danny Vukovic referee-slapping soap opera that dragged on for weeks.

But with the Vukovic matter now put to bed and the players having reported back for pre-season training Wilkinson is delighted the focus is now firmly on football and the future.

The Mariners captain today told au.fourfourtwo.com: “Look, last year has to be stored away and it’s just a memory now. Obviously winning the minor premiership was a fantastic achievement while losing the grand final was pretty painful.

“We then had the Danny (Vukovic) situation of course. I spoke to Danny yesterday and it has been a tough couple of months for him. But I applaud the outcome in the end.

"He’s accepted what he did was wrong, he’s been punished for it but I’m pleased that it hasn’t wrecked his Olympic dream. He was an integral part of qualification.

“It’s all resolved now and we have to move on. We’ve a new season to prepare for. You can’t keep looking back.”

Wilkinson is delighted to be back in action again and knows Australian football will be watching for any signs that the Mariners, now minus the goals of John Aloisi, are not equipped to kick on this year.

He said: “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s harder to defend a title than to win one and that’s the challenge we have this time.

“Everyone is focused on the job we have to do and we have got the players to do it. Ahmad (Elrich) and Dylan (Macallister) have come in and we’ve also Adrian Cacares to join us after Melbourne’s Champions League campaign.

“We did well last year, perhaps the minor premiers don’t always get the same credit as the grand final winners, but the pressure is now on to back up our efforts last time.

“People wrote us off last time, they might do so again. It’s not about what people think though, it’s about what we do.”