The moments that have shaped Penrith's preseason narrative continue to linger.
Ivan Cleary offered a clever take on the NRL's round one scheduling, calling it "quite romantic."
Once again, the team heads back to Brisbane, where their first season without a premiership since 2020 came to a close.
No longer is there a need for vengeance to drive them forward.
As Cleary pointed out earlier this week, wearing "half a smirk," it's clear that "you can't take the [premiership] rings off them; they earned them."
Their last visit to Suncorp Stadium saw them falter when the stakes were highest: they held a promising 14-0 lead at halftime, showcasing a near-flawless first half that boasted 57 percent of possession.