As they look to cement their status as the most dominant NRL team of the modern era, Penrith have made a point to better honour their past players this season.
Saturday night's preliminary final with Cronulla is all that stands between the triple reigning premiers and a fifth consecutive grand final appearance, an achievement unmatched in the salary cap era.
But for all their recent success, AAP understands portions of the club's old boys had felt the Panthers had become disconnected from their past players in the past decade or so.
Ahead of the grand final qualifier, Panthers coach Ivan Cleary said the Panthers had acknowleged this season there was room to improve on their relationship with former players.
"I think so," he said.
"When I first got here 12 years ago, the first old boys day I went to (in 2012), there were a lot of old guys, really old guys, not much sort of in between (ages)."
As a result, the Panthers have thrown open the doors this season, former player Brad Waugh leading the charge in his role managing the club's old boys program.
"The culture of the club, it's important you reflect on the past and respect it," Cleary said.
"But it's also important for us that we take the responsibility really seriously that we keep making our community proud and our community includes the old boys."
A handful of players from Penrith's inaugural 1967 team, including Grahame Moran, paid a visit to the Panthers Rugby League Academy earlier this season to swap stories with the current crop.
Premiership-winning five-eighth Steve Carter did the same this week as co-captain Isaah Yeo prepares to overtake him atop the leaderboard for most games at the Panthers.
Grand-final heroes of 1991, Royce Simmons and Greg Alexander are near-constant presences at the Panthers, while 2003 premiership captain Craig Gower has also dropped in more than once.
The recent old boys day proved vindication for the Panthers' efforts, with around 150 former players welcomed to BlueBet Stadium for the round-27 defeat of Gold Coast.
"It's the biggest turnout I think we've had for it," Yeo told AAP.
"We're sort of trying to make a bit more of a connection with our past players, the club at the moment.
"It's something we're trying to improve on and get better at. We're certainly trying."
Premiership players Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris and Sunia Turuva will soon become the Panthers' newest old boys, the trio bound for rival teams when the Panthers' 2024 campaign concludes either this week or next.
