Diego Castro's return to Perth Glory training on Wednesday has lifted the squad's spirits, according to teammate Andy Keogh.
Castro has shaken off a hamstring niggle and is on track to return for Sunday's elimination final against Melbourne City at AAMI Park.
The Spanish midfielder is the favourite to win this season's Johnny Warren medal as league MVP after producing a standout campaign.
Castro's wizardry with the ball and expert vision has helped transform Glory into a championship threat.
Probably the biggest benefactor of Castro's magic has been Keogh, who at one stage had scored in eight consecutive matches to set a new A-League record.
That golden run was brought to an abrupt end in last week's 4-0 loss to Sydney.
Castro was sidelined from that match with a hamstring complaint, and it came as little surprise that Glory struggled without him.
Keogh said he was thrilled to see Castro back on the training track, saying his inclusion for Sunday's final would be a massive boost.
"He's the guy who links the midfield to me and creates so many chances," Keogh said. "We understand each other.
"The way he comes to get the ball and my movement -- they complement each other. It's difficult for other teams to defend. "On Sunday, he was missing and our attacking threat wasn't as positive. He's rightly getting all the accolades."
Attacker Chris Harold is also a chance to return after being sidelined by his own hamstring complaint.
Melbourne City are set to be without winger Harry Novillo, who has been slapped with a two-match ban for kicking out last week at Adelaide players.
City have accepted the one-match mandatory ban, but are appealing the additional week of the suspension.
The Glory were written off as a finals contender in December after crashing to second last on the table.
But they have since compiled 10 wins from the past 12 games to announce themselves as genuine chance.
To reach the grand final, however, the Glory will need to string back-to-back wins away from home.
Keogh said there was no reason why they couldn't do it.
"We've been away on a lot of road trips and picked up lots of points. It doesn't affect our mentality," the Republic of Ireland international said.
"We won't let anything go to waste. We're not going to just throw it away."