There comes a point in every sporting dynasty where fair minded fans of opposition teams start to feel that enough is enough. You've had your success, you've partied long enough at our expense, it is time someone else was allowed to enjoy the spoils of victory.
With the Panthers of Penrith lining up to win a ridiculous fifth straight NRL title, the good grace of the rest of the fanbase has long worn out. Anyone happy enough initially to see the Panthers add to their 1991 and 2003 titles, has reached the point where they'll cheer on just about anyone to end their run.
With the Kansas City Chiefs enjoying a similar run in the NFL, not only have opposition fans started cheering on anyone to beat them, they have started conspiracy theories suggesting that match officials have been aiding their success. You will hear similar suggestions about the Panthers being protected and aided by the referees. All rubbish of course, borne of the frustration that comes with supporting a continuously inferior team.
This season the Panthers face possibly the greatest test of their dynasty. Of the long list of players they have shed since their run began in 2021, the latest two are set to have the most detrimental effect on the playing group. Jarome Luai and James Fisher-Harris are in no way surplus to this team, they are both integral parts of the long-running success.
Jarome Luai has, for much of his time in first grade, played in the shadow of halfback Nathan Cleary. There have been many knockers who were happy to insist that Cleary has carried Luai. Of course, with a halfback as dominant as Cleary, Luai was always set to play a secondary role, but last year with the superstar half out injured for a lengthy period, Luai's class came to the fore. Luai ensured the Panthers remained high on the premiership ladder during Cleary's absence and even took the time to play a key part in New South Wales' Origin series victory over Queensland. Again, there were many knockers who insisted Luai was not good enough to dominate at representative level.
Luai has gone to Wests Tigers where he faces the toughest test of his career, leading the perennial wooden spooners away from the bottom of the ladder. We will get to see just how good he really is, while the Panthers will no doubt struggle to replace him.
Also leaving a giant hole in the Panthers line-up is the departure of James Fisher-Harris to the Warriors. Fisher-Harris has been the backbone of the Panthers forward pack, a natural leader and one of the best front-frow forwards in rugby league. The Panthers will no doubt have some up and coming big-boned locals ready to charge into the breech, but even Ivan Cleary can't coach experience into them. The front row is notoriously brutal on fresh faces, and the leadership of Fisher-Harris will be sorely missed. He is the kind of player who inspires those beside him, who no one wants to let down, the kind of leader who will be the first to charge through the brick wall and follow up again a tackle or two later.
The Panthers have signed former Tigers forward Isaiah Papali'i to help fill the the boots vacated by Fisher-Harris, and he is fully aware of the task ahead of him.
"He [Fisher-Harris] was a big part of this club and I'm sure if you ask anyone at the club, they'll say the same thing," Papali'i told Foxsports.
"And yeah, there is an element of pressure to that, but coach just kind of helped me calm those nerves by saying that 'you don't have to come in and be Fish or be that type of person. You be your own player, there's a reason you're here' - and that is to be me".
The best version of Papali'i will still need plenty of help to ensure the Panthers forwards retain their formidable reputation. If they can continue to dominate up front, the backs are still one creative force short of their best, thanks to the departure of Luai.
And so, the Panthers will enter 2025, hoping to continue their incredible run, but with a weaker side and the whole NRL seemingly against them. If they make the grand final again this year they will have overcome some enormous odds. It is a long-running adage that other teams lift when facing the reigning champions, as the premiers carry a target on their back throughout the season. How big must that target be when you set out to win your fifth successive title?