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Defensive rocks ... Beauchamp and Topor-Stanley laud the influence of coach Tony Popovic. Source: Gregg Porteous / News Limited
Michael Beauchamp has gone to two World Cups. Nikolai Topor-Stanley has been a professional footballer for seven years.
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But that wealth of experience hasn't been the sole reason for the success of their tenacious combination at the heart of Western Sydney Wanderers' defence.
Both centre-backs admit as much. And it's no surprises who they pay tribute to for helping them hold the fort on the way to 10 clean-sheets and an A-League low of 21 goals conceded.
"(Coach Tony Popovic) changed my game leaps and bounds," Topor-Stanley told foxsports.com.au.
"Everyone talks about little small details he never over-looks and it's those one per centers that really make a difference."
Fans and pundits have marvelled at the side's attention to detail – their ability to consistently win a loose-ball, close down their man, or hit expertly on the break.
Topor-Stanley, whose career spans stints at Sydney FC, Perth Glory and Newcastle Jets, had always been a first-team A-League player. But now, looking chiselled, fit and athletic, he says it wasn't until he walked into Wanderland that he truly understood what was required of him to go to the next level as a player.
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"It's taken me seven years of professional football to understand what is truly meant by that," he admitted.
"That's why I think we're a pretty consistent team – not up and down each week."
Watch the Wanderers host the Roar for a place in the A-League grand final, LIVE at 7.30pm (EST) on Friday on Fox Sports 1 HD.
When asked if he could compare Topor-Stanley of 2013 to this time last year, the left-footed centre-back laughed at the difference.
"Not really – I mean, I was seven kilos heavier," he said.
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"I'm really happy I made the move. I'm under a great leader in Popovic, the boys here are second to none and there's a great culture here."
Club captain Beauchamp has played at the highest level, starting for the Socceroos against Serbia at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
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But even the well-travelled defender admits he owes his 2012-2013 performance to the guidance given by one of Australia's greatest defenders.
"This year, certain things Poppa has tweaked, I've never had that from a coach before," Beauchamp told foxsports.com.au.
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"It's changed my game personally. It's made the game a lot easier.
"I think Topor and I have spoken about it a bit – the simple things you need to change a little bit and it makes you see the game a whole lot differently."
They'll have a key role to play again, lining up against feisty Brisbane Roar striker Besart Berisha as the defending-champions try to cash in on some late-season momentum.
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There's been much written about the fairytale, the unbeaten run, the surprise packet, the hype in western Sydney.
But when you talk to the players, they reveal a sense of belief that was instilled the moment Popovic picked up the phone. He barely had to convince them to join the club.
"Once I got the phone- call from Poppa; knowing him as a player and having had a chat to him initially, there was no second-guessing where I wanted to be," Beauchamp said.
"Everything he told me on the phone has happened this season, I'm sure it will continue. He's a winner – on and off the field."
Was there no element of doubt about joining the great unknown? Topor-Stanley said: "I was hoping one day I'd get the chance to work with him. As soon as he called me up, I knew it was a no-brainer."
The themes whenever the Wanderers players talk are often similar. Admiration for Popovic. Working hard for the team.
On cue, Topor-Stanley added: "It's not just Michael and myself ... we defend as a team from the front."
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"How many balls have we won down that end? It comes down to the hard work."
Focus is another obvious trait.
That's certainly one thing that won't be wavering heading into this weekend's preliminary final as they achieve the goals they set themselves.
"We set up in Lismore in our pre-season camp and set our goals for the season," Beauchamp said.
"We've achieved a lot of things so far, (but we) still have one thing to go, get into that grand final, and hold up the trophy. We're one game away from that, hopefully we can get there.
"It's great to be a part of it in general. It hasn't come overnight; there's been a lot of hard work. We had a very tough pre-season – this is what has got us to where we are now. It's a great honour to lead the boys out there each week and to see where all the boys have come as players.
"The hunger they still have is a credit to all the boys."
And belief is what has stirred this side on from day one, when there were just a handful of them at training, sweating it out based on a trust in their new coach.
"I think early doors, a lot of people said we'd be competitive and this and that, but the more I saw the boys training, the more I started to be amongst it, I could see from very early days we'd be more than competitive," Beauchamp added.
"It's been an incredible journey but something we all believed. That's why we are where we are."
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