Nathan Cleary capped his return from a 10-week layoff in Round 20 with a 14-point comeback and a two-point field goal.
His return from a shoulder injury on Friday night was much less dramatic but the message it sent to his competition rivals was even louder.
Playing his first game since he aggravated the injury in a Round 24 loss to the Storm, Cleary was flawless in his side's commanding 30-10 victory over the Roosters at BlueBet Stadium.
The halfback controlled the match from the opening whistle and put to bed any concerns about his health in the process.
But it was the other message Cleary sent that will reverberate throughout the rugby league world.
Brian To'o Try
If the Penrith skipper is on the field, it will take a flawless performance from their NRL rivals to prevent a fourth-straight Panthers premiership.
"He was outstanding," Cleary's father and coach Ivan said. "He makes a big difference for our team, not just the way he plays but he gives everyone confidence.
"He's got this knack of being out for a while and just clicking straight into gear [when he returns]. At training some of the defence he did was more than we wanted him to do but we wanted him to get that confidence before going up against Angus [Crichton], arguably the best back rower in the competition.
"He went about his business really well, did exactly what he needed to do with his kicking, he ran the ball a few times and had a great game."
Cleary finished with two try assists, four tackle breaks, 92 running metres and 334 kicking metres. Crucially, he made 17 tackles, missing just one.
Match: Panthers v Roosters
Finals Week 1 -
home Team
Panthers
2nd Position
away Team
Roosters
3rd Position
Venue: BlueBet Stadium, Penrith
If there were ever any doubts about his defensive commitment, they were promptly put to bed when the halfback ran 45m to chase down Connor Watson. His side was up 22-0 at the time.
The Roosters threatened to mount a comeback in the second half but again it was Cleary who took control of the match with his pinpoint kicking game.
A perfect grubber for Luke Garner sealed the result and sent the Panters into a fifth-straight preliminary final.
Cleary conceded it's been a frustrating year as shoulder and hamstring injuries have limited him to just 11 appearances but it's that pain that's driving him to deliver another title for his side.
Luke Garner 2nd Try
"It's been a frustrating year," Nathan said. "The times I've been injured I've felt bad not being out there, not being able to go to battle alongside my brothers. It's almost embarrassing sometimes getting those injuries and having to take time out again.
"It's been an up and down year but I set my sights on this game. I had to get over it, there was no point moping around, I had to be a positive influence on the team even though I wasn't playing.
"In the background I was working hard to put my best foot forward when I did get back out on the field. I'm happy with how I went tonight but there's more ahead of us. I've got to keep working hard and put myself in the best position to help the team."
Penrith will now enjoy a week off before they host a preliminary final in a fortnight. The Roosters must quickly regroup and will take on the winner of Sunday's showdown between the Bulldogs and Manly in a sudden-death semi-final next weekend.
Cleary feeling confident
If history is anything to go by, the Panthers will use the week off well. The side won straight through to the grand final qualifier in each of the past two seasons, before prevailing 32-12 in 2022 and 38-4 last year to book their place in the grand final.
Cleary is preparing to play his final games alongside halves partner Jarome Luai before the five-eighth's departure for the Wests Tigers next year.
While he's aware each match could be their last together, Cleary said he's determined to make the most of the next few weeks without looking too far ahead.
"It's something I'm trying not to think about too much," he said. "I'm trying to enjoy the time we have together. We've been playing together since we were 16 years old, we understand each other's game really well.
"Being back out there with him, it's just fun. It feels like we're kids again but on the biggest stage. It's the stuff we talked about as kids, we dreamt for it to happen. It would be silly if we were to think too much about the end, we'll just enjoy the moment. It will be a sad time when it does come to an end but not yet."
