The 31 year-old centre-back said that his dad Esad’s presence at home games galvanises him, as the ex-professional from the former Yugoslavia battles a recurrence of melanoma which has spread to his vital organs and threatens his life.
Esad, 61, who swapped football for the military to fight for the Bosnian army in the early 1990's as war engulfed the Balkans, is facing a similarlily deadly foe now with son Dino admitting that each treatment is buying time rather than offering a cure.
"His illness was the reason I came back to Perth in the middle of 2014 (from playing in the UAE) and there was a time there when the chips were really down and his spirits were pretty low," said Djulbic.
"But a new treatment he started three months ago has had a great effect and when I see him there watching me at our games, it's what lifts me above anything else.
"It’s the biggest gift that I can give him. And it’s just as well we’ve been winning mostly because he gets pretty grumpy when we lose.
"My wife Bonnie and I had a son 13 months back and we named him Esad in tribute to my dad.
"He’s been a hero all my life – he's the reason I got into football. Like me he was a defender before switching to refereeing later in life and he was still doing that until a few months back in Perth's local leagues.
"It was when he stopped that it really hit home how serious this was – he lost about 16kg. He had to stop work as well and hit me hard when that happened.
"He's now back at work full time as a printer and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him refereeing again. He’s a real fighter. He’s with his grandson every day – his his pride and joy."
Esad was first diagnosed 12 years ago when he had a mole removed from his shoulder and the melanoma returned in 2012 with the discovery of a lump under his arm.
It was removed but further tests showed tumours had spread to his lungs and liver.
"It's not really curable – we are sort of buying time right now," added Djulbic. "There are always new treatments coming out and when one doesn't work, you move to another.
"He's a guy who never went to the doctor and thought nothing could hurt him. If he'd gone earlier who knows what would have happened?
"It just shows it can affect anybody. There were times when he doubted things but we lifted him up and now he is back believing again."
His father's condition has led to Djulbic becoming involved in awareness campaigns through Melanoma WA.
"It’s about showing how this can affect people ... before my dad’s illness I never used sunscreen myself but when it hits home you realise how important these sorts of things are," he added.
Ladder leader Glory, which holds a four-point buffer on Victory and Wellington Phoenix, can make what Djulbic describes as a statement against Kevin Muscat's men when the top two collide.
"For me, they are the team to beat this season," he said. "We have Nebojsa Marinkovic back for us from the bug that made him miss our last game (a 1-1 draw with Melbourne City) and he’s a big player for us.
"He's our creator and with Mitch Nichols and Youssouf Hersi missing he's our link from back to front.
"We showed our character again in coming from a goal down against City (on Boxing Day). In some strange way it seems to lift us when we concede … I don’t know whether that’s a good or a bad thing. But if it's working for us then we’ll take it."
Asked what was behind Glory’s enduring form, he replied: "For me, the secret this season has been the club recruiting well and the chemistry we have with the coach Kenny Lowe.
"He gives us the confidence and the freedom to go out and do our thing. He doesn't stop us expressing ourselves, although obviously within a certain style of playing the game. And we respond to that.
"We can be unpredictable … people don't know what they are getting from us and we also have a lot of strong characters in team and a lot more experience than last year.
"There are a lot of winners in the team – players that are not happy to lose or draw and will do what it takes to get results when the chips are down. Thanks big difference from past years."
