His older brother Ahmad wasn't there. The former Socceroo star and English Premier League player was in Silverwater Jail serving a four-year term for drug and firearm offences. The 2-0 defeat for Tarek that day hurt, but not as much as it did for Ahmad who had to wait until visiting hours to hear about it.

"For me, going to jail was the best thing that happened to me because I figured out who I was, I figured out there was more to life than football," Ahmad said.

Throughout Tarek's childhood, Ahmad was everything; a role model, provider, coach, advisor, guardian and the professional he looked up to.

"I always wanted to emulate him. Everything I did was his style," Tarek said.

The 28-year-old full-back always knew when his elder brother was watching. As a kid, he had a perfect scoring record when his idol Ahmad was in the stands. To understand why, you only have to take two footsteps into the Elrich family home.

It is distinctly Lebanese. A cedar hangs above the doorbell. Cars sprawl across the front lawn. It's loud, warm and vibrant and that's all before the aroma of kebbe fills the room. However, what stands out most is the tale of the two brothers on nearly every wall.

Ahmad's Fulham jersey is the first in sight next to Tarek's framed shirt worn in his international debut last year. More memorabilia decorates the family home with the story of their careers, however it's those from the backyard they remember most fondly.

Tarek used to be a goalkeeper simply so Ahmad and the eldest brother Hafiz could practise shots in the backyard. Despite being six years Ahmad's junior, Tarek was toughened into a sparring partner.

"In boxing we would say body shots only but I could hit him anywhere. I knew when he had to go because he would hit me in the head, then give me $20 and run off. That was worth a lot of lollies back then," Tarek said.

Ahmad laughs, knowing, but not revealing, the other side of his character.

"For my parents it was hard for them obviously growing up having six kids," Tarek said. "Ahmed used to get upset when he would see my mates rock up with new bikes or pocket rocket motor bikes so he would drag me to the shop and buy one for me."

After gaining his first professional contract with Parramatta Power in 1999, Ahmad also became Tarek's first employer.

"He was a clean freak, he hated getting dirty," Ahmad said. "He used to wash my cars, sometimes twice."

Knowing Tarek, Ahmad would leave pocket money in the glovebox there with instructions for his little brother to keep it.

When they outgrew the backyard, they practiced football moves together in the local park and when Tarek couldn't afford to live in Newcastle in his fledging football career, Ahmad made that possible.

When he played against his idol for the first time in 2007, such memories made Tarek sick in the stomach.

"We had about 40 or 50 of our cousins come to the game, all his mates, all my mates. I walked out and I felt nervous. I could feel the vomit there," Tarek said.

Ahmad saw things differently.

"I tackled him. I thought it was funny at the time but the referee didn't, he gave me a yellow card," he said.

However, shortly after that, Ahmad's career fell apart. Injuries took their toll but none more so than the depression that came with an abrupt retirement. A life once solely dedicated to football became devoid of direction and support from the football fraternity.

"I partied for a hundred people. I got caught up in a scenario that, well, I'm just saying you get caught up in things you normally wouldn't and that's life," he said.

Tarek never lost faith in his older brother after Ahmad was arrested in possession of firearms and prescription drugs in 2011. When he signed with Adelaide United, he was offered the coveted number nine jersey most stars fight for. Instead, he requested number 21, the one Ahmad wore throughout his career.

Tarek went on to become a Socceroo and a revelation in the red kit of Adelaide while Ahmad went soul searching in green overalls. The family home provides him with peace but there's a sense of resentment in Ahmad's voice when it comes to football. However, when Tarek came to town last January, he couldn't help himself but return to where it all began, Parramatta Stadium.

"It was awesome and at the stadium I used to play at," he said.

Amid the noise of all the home fans, Tarek noticed a difference presence just as he did during his teenage years.

"It felt weird because he missed a lot of games when I was playing," he said.

The hard stools in the visitors area of Silverwater Jail are a far cry from Sunday's grand final at Adelaide Oval, where Ahmad will watch a brother he too looks up to.

"I'm sure in the way I'm his biggest fan, he's mine as well," Tarek said.