Final which was the first time the club had gone back-to-back since the glory days of the 1960s. This win would be Hellas' 4th and final national championship. By now, South Melbourne had dropped the Lakers moniker and become South Melbourne Soccer Club, and sported a new emblem—the current blue and white shield with stars (each star representing a national championship). They followed up their fourth domestic title with the 1999 Oceania Club Championship, a win that qualified them for the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship in Brazil. 2000–04 Taking on the World Grouped with Vasco Da Gama, Necaxa, and the treble-winning Manchester United in the 2000 FIFA Club World Championship, South Melbourne lost all three games. Despite the losses and being the only non-professional club at the tournament, the club gained some respectability amongst its peers with its performance, as well as some much needed exposure on the world stage, something that had been severely lacking for Australian soccer clubs at the time. On its return from Brazil, South Melbourne failed to make the finals in the 1999/2000 season, finishing well outside the top six finals spots. Before the new season started Postecoglou left South Melbourne in order to take up the position of Australian youth coach, and was replaced by former South player and teammate Mike Petersen. At the end of the 2000/01 home and away season, South had finished a comfortable 8 points clear of Wollongong, but lost both legs of its major semi final against the Wolves 2–1, meaning South would have to win the preliminary final in order to earn a rematch. South duly did so with a 2–0 victory over Sydney Olympic, but in the grand final put in a lacklustre performance, with a late revival not being enough once more losing 2–1. Prior to the start of the 2001/2002 season, South suffered a major blow as Petersen, along with several players including Boutsianis and Andy Vlahos left to join the Football Kingz. A young squad under the management of Eddie Krncevic struggled, occupying the bottom rungs of the table halfway through the season, before the return in controversial circumstances of Boutsianis sparked a major revival, which saw the club finish fifth in the standings, eventually being eliminated by eventual champions Olympic Sharks in the finals. Krnčević was replaced by former player Danny Wright for the 2002/03 season, but the club failed to reach