Struggling after a horror 2-8 start to the 2019 season in coach Ivan Cleary's first year back in charge, the Panthers were a club in turmoil after a pre-season of off-field drama.
On the back of a six-game losing streak, Penrith at one stage trailed Parramatta 8-0 before a late Nathan Cleary try helped the Panthers to a 16-10 win.
From many observers, it was one of the ugliest matches of the season.
In the post-match wash-up, coach Cleary even admitted the toll the off-field drama of his return had on his players and the pressure son Nathan had been under from their Panthers reunion.
But for Penrith, the win was worth gold.
Hooker Mitch Kenny debuted, while Jarome Luai and Nathan Cleary played in the halves together for the first time.
Brian To'o was also playing in his first game, while Liam Martin missed that match but was becoming a regular first-grader that same month.
"We were in a real rut," Penrith's former head of performance Hayden Knowles told AAP.
"Ivan just decided they're going to pick guys on character and effort.
"I text Ivan a picture I found after the game (of Kenny and Nathan Cleary embracing) and I said we can build a club around this.
"Just around Mitch's type of character, his son's passion and love for the game and love for his teammates.
"That game seemed like a bit of a turning point."
It was.
Penrith won their next seven games on the trot, and while they faded late in the season the foundation was set.
From that point on, Penrith have won 75 of 91 matches and will play in their third straight grand final on Sunday.
Fittingly it comes against Parramatta, with eight Panthers players remaining from that night in May 2019.
"The benefit of losing games is you generally turn to young guys and give guys opportunities," Ivan Cleary said.
"That's the silver lining to losing or not going well.
"We definitely made some changes culturally, and those guys are now well entrenched in our culture and part of our team.
"Mitch was a guy who came through our junior system. He was only really train-and-trial type. He just absolutely killed it at training.
"We just we just kept pushing out his contract. A few more weeks, a few more weeks.
"And then he ended up debuting that game, playing really well. And look at him now he is just a mainstay of the team."
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