NEWCASTLE Jets hero Andrew Durante admitted winning the Championship was the greatest day of his life - after he almost gave up the sport entirely.
Durante was named Man Of The Match for his braveheart performance in the 1-0 Grand Final win over Central Coast Mariners.
And it was the fairytale final chapter in a long road to recovery after twice breaking his leg.
After the match he admitted he once thought he might never play again.
"After the second break, I did question whether it was all worth doing the lonely rehabv in the pool and on the bike on your own," he said.
"But you know there's a light at the end of the tunnel and tonight is what everyone dreams of and plays for. It's unbelievable.
"I knew that back then that if I did the hard work then one day I'd get my reward and tonight is the greatest thing that's ever happened to me."
Now his future is wide open - with a lucrative offer to join Wellington Phoenix on the table...but his heart belongs to the Jets, he said.
"Obviously it's no secret that I've had a very attractive offer from Wellington," he confessed. "I didn't want to make my decision until after the Grand Final.
"I'll have a think about it nice and hard during the week but if I do end up leaving, I gave everything to this club and the club's been fantastic to me.
"If I do leave then there's no bad blood between the two of us. I'll make my decision in the next week or two."