Twelve months ago Pirates' grand final hopes lay strewn across Dangar Park.
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With them, their chance to rewrite the history books again.
But like a pheonix rising from the ashes, they are back where they have been so often over the better part of the last 15 years - preparing for a home grand final and looking an almost irrepressible force.
Certainly on the evidence of Saturday's 43-7 qualifying final win over Gunnedah they will take some beating in two weeks time.
It was a commanding performance from the minor premiers. Some would say their best of the season.
Breakaway and club captain Nick McCrohon and co-coach Evan Kellow both expressed as such post-match.
"All the things that we worked on the last two weeks I think we did really well, which is probably the pleasing thing for as a coach," Kellow said.
"Our defence was exceptional I thought, our attitude around line speed was really good and we kicked really well."
After grinding their way to a 14-7 half-time lead, from the moment winger Josefa Goneduadua ran onto McCrohon's loop ball over the top to score his second try in the opening minutes of the second half, it never looked like the grand final was going to be anywhere but Ken Chillingworth Oval.
They just kicked it up a gear, and in the blink of an eye what was a seven point lead had blown out to 19.
"Everything we've done all year finally seems to be coming together," McCrohon said.
"It was a pretty polished performance."
That polish is probably the thing they had been missing.
The effort's been there, he said, it's just been the "completion" or lack there of.
"Getting down there and actually finishing it," he said.
"We did that very well today so reaped the rewards."
They probably missed some opportunities in the first half, Kellow said, but for the most part he "couldn't fault" their execution.
Goneduadua went on to finish with what is believed to be a qualifying finals first four tries, and profited from some great balls from his inside men.
"He was a bit quiet the last couple of weeks and you could tell this week at training that he wanted to probably step up and be a bit more dominant," Kellow said.
"I think the key for us is making sure that we get good ball and we can give him ball, because he's only as good as what we can give him out there, and I think Jayden (Kitchener-Waters) and Ricko (Brendan Rixon) and blokes like that did a great job of finding him."
They will now host their first grand final since 2018, when they beat Walcha to win their third straight premiership.
"I said earlier in the week it's about us working our butt off to give it back to the club, and hosting the grand final that's a pretty special thing for the club," McCrohan said.
"It's our way of thanking them."
But as he finished with: the "job's not done".
For the Red Devils they now have a week to pick themselves up from what was a disappointing performance and ready for a Moree side that was impressive in winning the elimination final.
There wasn't really a lot for them to take away. They had some promising moments in the first half but were outplayed.
"Pirates came to play [and] we were left lacking," captain Will Burke said post match, the disappointment clear in his voice.
They were lacking in defence, in their ball control at times but above all at the breakdown. That was where Burke felt they probably most fell down.
"They were a little bit more aggressive, they were better at the clean-out, pushed us off the ball a couple of times," he said.
"We really let ourselves down there."
