The Penrith Panthers have got their premiership defence off to the best possible start, running up a 28 points to 6 victory over the Manly Sea Eagles at home.
In their first game back at BlueBet Stadium since mid last year, the Panthers picked up where they left off last year despite not having Nathan Cleary available, and being in their first game following the off-season departures of Matt Burton, Kurt Capewell and Paul Momirovski, all of whom were apart of the grand final-winning team against the South Sydney Rabbitohs last year.
The Panthers were on another level though.
Izack Tago looked the real deal as he slotted into the centres, Stephen Crichton was at his best back in his favoured position, and Liam Martin proved he is a genuine starter.
He did it enough last year, and showed beyond all reasonable doubt he could have done it on a permanent basis, but will do so this year without a doubt.
Then there was Sean O'Sullivan.
He has always been a talented youngster, but it you had of only looked at the number on the back of the jersey, you could have been mistaken for thinking it was Nathan Cleary on the park anyway.
In control of his game from the get-go, O'Sullivan was superb in leading the kicking game. That then let Jarome Luai go to work and get the job done with the ball in hand, and not for a moment did Penrith look anything but a team destined to be near or at the top of the table again.
So in control was O'Sullivan in his first game for the new club, and so structured were the Panthers at both ends of the park, you could swear they were just the Melbourne Storm running around in Penrith jumpers.
The Storm, under Craig Bellamy for the last two decades, have become known for being able to put any player on the park, and for having that player do the same job as if a future Immortal was out there.
A picture of consistency is what the men in purple prided themselves on, and the Panthers are starting to build exactly the same under the excellent tutelage of Ivan Cleary, who is adding more and more stripes to his coaching resume seemingly by the week.
Manly may not end up being the stiffest competition for the Panthers, but coming off a shortened pre-season, and with a premiership hangover on their heads, the Panthers simply shouldn't have been - and in fact didn't have any right - to be as clinical as they were on Thursday evening to kick the new season off.
But they were, and that is an enormous positive for a club looking to go back-to-back.
Back to back is one of those things that few teams have ever been able to achieve in this sport, but the Panthers look primed and ready to give it a red-hot shake.
They'll have to deal with the Rabbitohs again, the Storm firing back towards their best, and the Sydney Roosters (hopefully for their sake) without as many injuries.
But for all the rumoured demise of Penrith stories following their premiership and exits of key stars, this was a team who put those myths to bed in less than 80 minutes during the season opener.
From their defence, which was excellent last year, often conceding single figure points, and was the key reason behind their premiership victory following three tight tussles during September, to their attack, there was no chink in Penrith's armour.
It will be anything but straightforward for the men from the foot of the mountains, but clinical and ruthless are the two words which spring to mind after their opening clash.
They are two words which could be used to define every premiership team dating as far back as your memory will let you go.
The Panthers are going to be very hard to stop yet again.
