Mark Nawaqanitawase and Corban Baxter have each farewelled the game with respective men and women's rugby league premierships in Sydney.
The Pasifika pair celebrated grand final wins for the Sydney Roosters on Sunday in what turned out to be a double triumph for the historic eastern suburbs club.
However, they are both leaving their Bondi training base amid different points of their celebrated careers.
Nawaqanitawase is heading back to rugby union on the back of three years of dipping his toe in the rival code, after playing an indelliable hand in a 19-18 victory against a gallant Newcastle.
The 26-year-old of Fijian heritage is set to link up with Japanese club Saitama Wild Knights from December 12 before looking to join the Wallabies' national 2027 Rugby World Cup campaign.
The dynamic winger, who fell just one try short of crossing the line once for every one of his 46 NRL appearances, was ecstatic to deliver the Roosters fans its first NRL premiership since 2019.
"I got no words - I can't believe it, but we did it," Nawaqanitawase told the crowd.
"I know there were a lot of people against us...I love (our fans) and love that I could share all this win with them and the club.
"This is going to last me a lifetime."
Five of the NRL grand final's six tries were scored by four Pasifika men, including two from the highly-paid Easts' talisman.
The Roosters trailed the Knights 12-0 for in the first half before Nawaqanitawase's outfit piled on the next 19 points, securing the club's fifth title this century.
While Nawaqanitawase didn't quite capture the Clive Churchill Medal as best afield, his quality finishing was enough to alter the course of the match.
His Tongan teammate Rob Toia batted back a high ball to set up the first of Nawaqanitawase's game-changing tries in the 35th minute which followed a Roosters' downfield kick, only for the skilled convert to regain control by kicking it twice with either foot to regather possession on the bounce.
The other defying Nawaqanitawase cross in the opposite corner proved to be decisive.
The Roosters moved the ball to the left side and were forced to switch it back to the right following a Daly Cherry-Evans' dribbler ricocheted off the uprights before ending up in the hands of Nawaqanitawase, who had the wherewithal to dodge around two Knights defenders.
However, the grand final underdogs were never going to be denied.
Greg Marzhew gave the Knights' faint hope in the corner after hands in the play came from Pasifika stars Kalyn Ponga and Francis Manuleleua, before Bradman Best delivered a crucial pass to the barging Samoan winger.
Newcastle had initially scored first in the 15th minute through Manuleleua on the back of running an inverted angle off a pass from Fletcher Sharpe, where the Samoan second-rower found a gaping hole in the Roosters' defence.
The Knights were the longest-running tryscorers of this year's competition, with 37 of their 142 tries coming in the back half of the ground.
As statistics later revealed nearly 85 per cent of the grand final was played on their defensive side of halfway.
It was therefore fitting that Māori superstar Kalyn Ponga scored off the back of pouncing on a loose Roosters tap to scoop up the ball and run more than 90 metres to the line on the half hour.
The Roosters had earlier completed an unbeaten NRLW season after claiming an emphatic 30-6 win over the Brisbane Broncos.
It proved an ideal stage for Baxter to walk away as Sydney's 2021 premiership captain and one of the lasting Roosters women to survive from the inaugural competition in 2018.
"We definitely saved our best for last," the 32-year-old said amid dressing room celebrations.
"I think we put together a full 70 minutes after we started strong."
Amber Hall had all but sealed Brisbane's fate by the 32nd minute to bring up a 26-0 lead, after the 108-kilogram Māori powerhouse rampaged over the top of her rivals to line.
The lopsided scoreline came after triple Dally M medallist, fullback Tamika Upton struggled to make an impact against a brilliant Roosters' attack which scored five tries by half time.
The Barada woman slowly came into her own, with Upton's sole dashing line-break providing the Broncos their only try.
Māori woman Olivia Kernick ensured Brisbane never had a chance, the lock completing a Roosters' high 27 tackles to curb the chances of a late comeback.
