On October 3, 2004, soon to be departing Canterbury Bulldogs captain Steve Price had to be feeling mixed emotions.
His beloved team had gone into the furnace without him, as a cruel knee injury would
prevent him taking the field, and emerged with a 16-13 victory over the favourite Sydney
Roosters, to lift the NRL Premiership crown.
Standing with his team on the field as the official grand final presentations were beginning to wind down, Price was approached by the quiet utility player who had covered for him by taking a spot on the bench for just his 29th game.
The young man in his early 20s proceeded to hold out his own premiership ring for his injured skipper.
Price was overwhelmed, as the player had already worn jersey No18 so that Price's absence from the squad of 17 could be acknowledged - but this was too much.
But that was the character of Johnathan Thurston, and that was the debt he felt he owed Price.
Having lived in the Price household after making the move down from Queensland, Thurston was mentored by the uncompromising Bulldogs front-rower, who with Canterbury and later the Warriors would foster a well-earned reputation as the ultimate club man.
Thurston would take what he had been taught back up across the border to the North Queensland Cowboys, where he would appear in another grand final in 2005 - a 30-16 loss to the Wests Tigers.
Since then, Thurston has emerged as a champion of the game - a record-making four time winner of the converted Dally M Medal which signifies the NRL's greatest player.
Just like Price all those years ago with the Bulldogs, Thurston is the heartbeat of the Cowboys, and now stands to finally claim a Premiership ring of his own, won on the field tomorrow night against the Broncos.
For the record, Bulldogs coach Steve Folkes, a multiple-time premiership winner as a player, was so moved by Thurston's gesture that he gave the young player his own ring, although Thurston would later concede it never really felt like his.
Last year, jeweller Allan Zreik also created a replica of the 2004 ring to give to Thurston on the 10-year anniversary of his magnificent gesture.
But the time has come for the story to go full circle.
Like Price was, Thurston is now the veteran captain from whom his fellow players, some of whom grew up watching him play, will draw their inspiration within the cauldron of ANZ Stadium.
It will be a unique event - two Queensland teams playing in Sydney for the championship which was originated in those suburbs.
But if any of the neutral observers are wondering which way to swing their allegiance, I think the former young utility Bulldog should receive those plaudits.
An original ring, awarded specifically to him to keep, is the only thing missing from Thurston's trophy case.
It's no less than a champion deserves.