The two-time premiership-winning halfback 80 minutes away from his third and perhaps on his way to becoming one of the greatest players of all time, with a wage being slashed every year to keep his mates together at a Penrith Panthers team priding themselves on being built from within.

Twelve of the 13 players who will start Sunday's grand final against the Brisbane Broncos at Stadium Australia made their NRL debuts with Penrith.

Cleary might have seemed destined for this, since the days he wore Warriors jerseys to watch his old man's team in Auckland. As for Dylan Edwards, maybe not so much - but now the little fullback plucked from Dorrigo is within reach of back-to-back Clive Churchill medals.

That's if he can keep it from Isaah Yeo, who was spotted playing off the bench in Parkes during a Catholic Colleges schoolboys tournament, or Temora tough Liam Martin.

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Then there's Jarome Luai and Brian To'o, a breath of fresh air who carry a speaker everywhere they go from the team bus to Coogee beach and the captain's run.

People love these stories, until they don't.

Now they say the Panthers are arrogant. The story of their success has been told, fans from rival clubs are adopting the Broncos for one night only and Luai is public enemy No.1.

"Oh, man, that's okay with me," Luai said.

"I understand it, we're in a fan-driven sport. People have their team that they go for and it's understandable that I'm not going to be liked by everyone.

"Coming into first grade you want to be loved ... but I pretty much found out after my first year, that whatever you say or do, there are going to be haters."

But maybe there are reasons why you should cheer for Penrith.

Ivan Cleary is on the verge of doing something not even Wayne Bennett, Craig Bellamy, and Trent Robinson have achieved in orchestrating a three-peat - something nobody has done since Jack Gibson coached Parramatta 40 years ago.

One has to marvel Penrith's success. A win on Sunday puts them firmly in the conversation as one of the greatest teams of all time, and they keep finding a way even after losing so many premiership-winning stars.

But if Luai's brash attitude is too much to stomach, your green eyes can't see past the night Joe Tapine was dragged into a scuffle by Stephen Crichton, or your red and blue hearts are still hurting after Cleary hit that golden point field goal, maybe you'll be a Bronco for the night.

That doesn't come easy for plenty of rusted on rugby league fans.

Because Brisbane were a team everybody loved to hate during an era of remarkable success which bore five premierships from 1992 to 2000.

It seems crazy to think the Broncos haven't won a grand final since Darren Lockyer and Shane Webcke lifted the trophy in 2006.

But just like Penrith were a few years ago, the Broncos are a breath of fresh air. In 2020 - the same year Penrith reached the first of their four consecutive grand finals - Brisbane were at rock bottom.

They won just three games and finished with the wooden spoon for the first time in the club's rich history. They would hardly fare much better the next year, and they spiralled out of finals contention in a remarkable collapse last season.

This time, it clicked.

Adam Reynolds, told he wasn't worth anything more than a one-year extension before leaving South Sydney, has a new lease on his rugby league career. Ezra Mam plays with the flair of a young Benji Marshall. Herbie Farnworth gets better with every passing week, and Selwyn Cobbo is the king of Cherbourg.

The Broncos have their own father-son combination in coach Kevin Walters and hooker Billy, Payne Haas is a softly-spoken giant who will run through brick walls and Pat Carrigan might rip someone's head off if Walters asks him to.

Then there's livewire fullback Reece Walsh, one of the competition's best - but if you're going to chip Luai for his attitude, it's impossible to excuse the Broncos ace whose mouth repeatedly lands him in hot water.

Plenty will struggle to work out whether they'd rather be on Caxton Street or the foot of the mountains come Sunday night. As soon as the first ball is kicked, they'll know.

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