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“Luke Brooks played incredible, his kicking game was A1 today, and I couldn’t be happier for him - he really led us in that second half,” Koroisau said.

Sheens was more reserved in his praise and said: “He had a good game, that’s all I want to say. Brooksy doesn’t like seeing his name in the paper. Both halves played well. It was their second game together.

“It’s not just a win, it’s a very good win. I didn’t think we did anything not to deserve it. There was no luck in it. We worked really hard.”

Bula, in just his second game in the top flight, came up with some individual brilliance that Sheens had seen at training all summer.

He threw a cut-out pass for Nofoaluma’s four-pointer, forced a dropout in the second half, and was rock solid under the high ball.

His crowning moment came approaching the hour when Nathan Cleary had made a break and went to dive for the tryline, only for Bula to launch himself at the halfback and force the ball free.

The Tigers were quick to congratulate him. The former basketball ace has a huge future. The way he kept his cool late in the game, and in the wet, and with Cleary sending kicks to the heavens, was outstanding.

The brave souls who braved the dreadful muddy conditions on the other side of the Blue Mountains will not forget this one in a while.

The Panthers conceded plenty of metres up the middle, and they were not helped when Matt Eisenhuth was forced from the field midway through the first half with a shoulder injury.

Penrith went into the game without James Fisher-Harris (knee) and Spencer Leniu, who was a late scratching because of a calf complaint.

Hooker Soni Luke was binned for a hip-drop tackle on Alex Twal. Coach Ivan Cleary said the only way to avoid hip-drops was to instruct players to let go.

“[But] how do you tell a footballer to let go?,” Cleary said. “I don’t know how you tell a player to let go deliberately. It’s not in any players’ make-up. I feel for the referees.”

The Panthers lost on the bell last week to Souths, and must now dust themselves off against the Warriors at Magic Round.

The Tigers will shoot for back-to-back win against St George Illawarra. They might know the words to the team song by then.