After overcoming seemingly endless setbacks, not even having his nose splattered across his face was going to stop Melbourne City's "animal" Mathew Leckie in the A-League Men grand final.

Neither was being thrown into a different position.

The City star has played just 15 games this season and completed 90 minutes only three times, between hamstring and calf injuries.

But a Socceroo who has scored in big games before, Leckie backed himself to start for the first time since his latest calf setback.

He was thrown in at defensive midfield and shone, winning the Joe Marston Medal for man of the match.

The 34-year-old was relentless throughout City's 1-0 triumph, even when an accidental boot from Victory's Zinedine Machach split his nose open in the 49th minute.

Leckie played out the rest of the match with a bandage around his face

"He's an animal, mate," defender Kai Trewin told reporters.

" I think everyone knew what he was going to be like today, when the big, big occasions come, he's always the main man.

"He won the Joe Marsden today, and fully deserved that, and was probably our best player.

"You can always look to him to do pretty much everything on the pitch."

City coach Aurelio Vidmar said Leckie had just told him not to substitute him unless he put his hand up - and he never did.

"He was enormous tonight for us, absolutely enormous," Vidmar said.

"We sort of let the Ferrari get out of the garage tonight, and he just played an incredible game.

"Look, he had a lot of issues this year. He had a lot of issues also going into this game as well.

"But he's, such a tough competitor, a guy that always wants to win, and thoroughly the deserved Joe Marston absolutely and just fought to the death."

The 34-year-old, who appears likely to be called up to the Socceroos on Sunday, will hope his nose injury won't stop him from flying.

He was unable to attend the post-match press conference as his face had blown up when he was receiving treatment in the rooms afterwards.

"He looked better before, I think he's gone 15 rounds with Mike Tyson," Vidmar said.

"Yeah, he's pretty banged up. He's been in the medical office since he's come back inside.

"I don't think it's concussion. He got studs on the face, so he's got cuts. He may have even broken his nose, but I don't know at this stage what the extent of it is."