Just as they had fallen victim to a Nathan Cleary-inspired comeback in the 2023 grand final, the Broncos rode their own superstar Payne Haas to a 14-14 scoreline in Sunday's grand final qualifier, having trailed 14-0 at the half.
Adam Reynolds, tormented by the Panthers in the 2021 and 2023 grand finals, stepped up for the Broncos' first lead with a conversion from the sidelines.
Now it was over to the iceman Cleary.
Cleary has become the most recognisable player in the NRL, and the finest half of his generation, on the back of nailing moments like this.
Clutch plays in big moments have become his calling card, most memorably in the 2023 grand final win over the Broncos.
But Penrith's four-peat of premierships was bookended by wins that showed that quality in the Panthers as a unit, not just in their iceman Cleary.
The 2021 grand final, won with an intercept try from Stephen Crichton, and the gritty, low-scoring 2024 decider could not have been won without grace under pressure across the board.
So when the Panthers raided Brisbane territory in the final minute, the packed Suncorp Stadium shifted in its seats.
Cleary dropped back to attempt a two-point field goal from outside the 40-metre line, just as he did in the golden-point win over Gold Coast earlier this season.
But hooker Mitch Kenny hesitated and instead passed left to his co-captain Isaah Yeo.
By the time the big lock forward looked over his shoulder and found Cleary, the Broncos defence was already rushing up to him.
The halfback knew he didn't have the space or time to slot the two-point field goal that would have equalised the game.
He passed right to fullback Dylan Edwards, who has kicked only one field goal in his career, and his strike landed short of the woodwork.
As that ball sailed on to the turf, so too did a streak of premierships unmatched in the salary-cap era come falling to earth.
There would be no fifth consecutive premiership for the Penrith Panthers.
The stands quite literally shook as the Brisbane faithful celebrated victory after the Broncos, almost two years on from the 2023 grand final, finally standing over the Panthers in a big game.
Win or lose next week's grand final against Melbourne, no one can take it away from the Broncos that they were the first NRL team to truly do that.
8°C