With two straight NRL premierships already in the bag and a third available on Sunday, all roads still led to BlueBet Stadium in Penrith on Tuesday.
Some 6000 punters flocked to the Panthers' open training session ahead of their fourth consecutive grand final appearance.
Appropriately, the western grandstand was packed well before the 10.30am time the Panthers gave fans to arrive.
On a clear September morning, families scattered around the hill on the northern side of the stadium, while others waved cutouts of the star players on the south.
All were waiting for a glimpse at the team hoping to seal Australian rugby league's first "three-peat" in 40 years.
Football boss Matt Cameron and club legend Greg Alexander addressed the crowd, before the Panthers took the field to AC/DC's Hells Bells - their long-time walk-on song for game-day.
"It didn't really sink in until we got over the road that this is grand final week," prop Spencer Leniu told AAP.
"Seeing thousands of people turn up to one of our training sessions is obviously pretty special."
Most of the Panthers rode the bus back to their training base shirtless - jerseys aplenty had been given away to young fans who turned out to watch.
So generous was co-captain Nathan Cleary that he disembarked from the team bus in budgie smugglers, the only article of clothing not bestowed on the healthy crowd.
"It was a really good turnout," fullback Dylan Edwards told AAP.
"Our community's gotten behind us all year and it's been pretty special, and not just all year, for a few years now.
"They love their footy and we just want to do a good job for them."
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