There has been something just not 100 per cent right about the Penrith Panthers this year.
That's not to say they have performed poorly. Far from it. A team that has won three straight premierships really should be expected to drop off at some point, particularly when you consider they had a pre-season trip to play in the World Club Challenge.
Those points are only driven home further when you consider the injury toll they have had to deal with this year, the fact star halfback Nathan Cleary has been among them and only played six games to this point following his return last weekend, and of course the general fatigue and pressure which is generated by the State of Origin period.
There is a feeling though that the Panthers need to be Built Different heading into the finals than what they have shown for the majority of the season if they are in fact going to lift the premiership trophy again.
Because up until this year, the Panthers have simply taken everything thrown at them - and there has been a lot at times - in their stride, knocking opposition teams over for fun when understrength and then rolling through the finials before winning the competition.
They had to pull a rabbit out of the hat in last season's incredible grand final against the Brisbane Broncos to make it three Provan-Summons trophies in a row, but the fact remains they did it.
And it was Nathan Cleary who almost single-handedly did it.
Without wanting to revisit history too much, the Panthers were out of that game. It was gone. Over. The engravers were already getting to work with Ezra Mam's name on the Clive Churchill Medal, and the Broncos' on the premiership trophy.
And then, 20 minutes of Nathan Cleary brilliance flipped the script. It was only fitting his involvement ended with the match-winning play in the dying stages to hand the Panthers their third straight title.
And so, there is little wonder his return over the weekend in a tense golden point thriller against the Dolphins was a moment the Panthers and their fans - and frankly the remainder of the general NRL-watching public - watched with somewhat baited breath. If he stays fit, you could never write the Panthers off, no matter what sort of form they have been carrying, or will carry into the finals from here.
And that's because his brilliance - his dominance over this competition - was clear for all to see on Sunday afternoon as the Panthers overcame the Dolphins.
It took a golden point field goal, but Cleary's calmness and composure got the job done for the men from the foot of the mountains, when it was clear the inexperience on the other side of the park cost the visitors what would have been two crucial competition points as they mount a fight to stay in the finals hunt, likely needing at least three, if not four, wins from their final seven games now.
The same can't be said of the champion halfback and his team, although the remainder of the performance against the Dolphins, and how the game on home soil got to golden point, left plenty to be desired.
That all said, the Panthers have won 12 of their 17 games despite all the challenges thrown their way this year, and it seems there is little doubt that they will wrap up another top four berth. Realistically, they are not that far away from locking up a home qualifying final, although the minor premiership may already be beyond them given the four-point gap to the Melbourne Storm ahead.
The bottom line is that the Panthers are built different with Cleary on the park, and there is little doubt that once he shakes off the rust that inevitably comes with a ten-week lay-off combined with only five games for the year prior to that, his improvement will see the Panthers follow him to the top again.
The scary part for the remainder of the competition is that Cleary is fresh. He has barely been on the field this year, so there is little doubt he will be primed for this charge through the finals.
He needs his teammates - who as mentioned haven't looked the same without him - to come on the ride with him, but if they do, the Panthers are going to be exceptionally hard to stop.
They need to be better than they have been, they need to be built different, and will need to go up a gear from last year's finals series even, but it would take a brave, brave man to bet against Cleary and his men from the foot of the mountains claiming the trophy for a fourth time on the hop.
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