Canterbury were written off by everybody a month ago, but was their coach the first one to do so or was it another stroke of genius?
On the eve of the finals, the Bulldogs squandered an 18-0 lead against a second-string Gold Coast team to crawl into the finals.
Their season was on life support, looking as though Mad Monday would follow a shellacking at the hands of Melbourne in the opening week of the play-offs. But somehow they blew the Storm out of the water in an opening blitz that set up an incredible charge to Sunday's grand final.
Des Hasler will never admit it, but there have been a few things that have happened at Belmore during the past year that suggest maybe he did not see this coming. Why else would a coach let go his hooker and captain for a relatively untried rookie and search every surface of the globe for a fullback if he was not looking to the future?
Since it was known Ben Barba would be leaving the club to link with Brisbane, Canterbury have searched far for his replacement.
They have been linked with Israel Folau, Kevin Locke, Kurtley Beale, Brett Morris, Josh Hoffman, James Tedesco, Josh Dugan, Brett Stewart and just about any other half-decent fullback with a bit of flair about them.
All while the man with the least flair of the lot – Sam Perrett – has helped guide them to within 80 minutes of a premiership.
"It doesn't bother me," Perrett said. "Clubs are always going to be doing that for the future of the club. There is always going to be young boys coming through. If I do my role right and play my part in the team, and do a good job of it, the opportunity will be there on the wing or fullback. I'm not too fussed what the club is doing and they have to look after the future of the club.
"I wasn't worried. I have always known what I could do. I know I could improve in different areas. I've always had a positive outlook on how I can influence and help our team. It was no different when I had the opportunity to play fullback. With time there, as with anything, you get better and you get a bit more comfortable with that position."
Assistant coach Jim Dymock said the former Roosters winger had not got the credit he deserved for what he had delivered for the Bulldogs this season.
"Sammy Perrett has been unbelievable," Dymock said. "He doesn't get many accolades from the people out there but he has only 14 errors this year, Greg Inglis has 18. It's a big change coming from wing to fullback."
Then there is Michael Ennis – in the form of his career – about to be ushered out the door to Cronulla. He still has a few good years in him yet, but Hasler has sent him packing to his fifth NRL club for Michael Lichaa.
Lichaa is one of the brightest young hookers to come through the game in recent seasons, but the decision to bring him in at the expense of Ennis shows how Hasler was looking to the future.
In hindsight it seems like madness, but it is that very method of madness that has had Hasler-coached sides qualify for five of the past eight grand finals.
Trent Hodkinson and Josh Reynolds look established in the halves, but there is often talk of more high-profile playmakers joining the club, after Kieran Foran and Johnathan Thurston were linked to the Bulldogs.
The future of the spine – the Nos.1, 6, 7, and 9 – have been in the headlines at one point or another this season.
But chief executive Raelene Castle says the club felt it had a team capable of playing finals football, and a coach who could bring the best out of them when it mattered most.
"Your aim is always make top eight, then once you made the top eight, you start thinking about going deep in the finals series," Castle said.
"We knew we had team capable of making the finals. Then with Des' experience, you know you're an excellent chance of going deep into that. List management or roster management is one of the key critical areas of any football club.
"It takes an experienced person to work with that and Des is the master of blooding young talent and developing players to make sure you have experience in the spine. With our roster management, not a week goes by when we don't have a conversation in one form or shape about roster management or our recruitment process."
