This time last year, Steve Sharp was telling anyone who would listen that Parramatta would make the finals.
Given what was transpiring on and off the field at the time, they appeared the utterings of a madman.
Just 12 months later and, depending on what transpires in the next fortnight, the only thing standing between the Eels and September football could be Ricky Stuart. You can't make this stuff up.
"I had the belief," said the Parramatta chairman after watching the club's best display in years.
"The club has the spirit, we had the right talent, we just had to get the right coach to bring that talent out on display. They have taken a bit of time this year, they've gelled and we have the right spirit at the end of the season.
"The old Parramatta spirit they had when I played back in the '80s was evident."
That the wooden spooners scored 22 unanswered points after conceding the opening 12 - to premiership leaders and arch rivals Manly no less - is a credit to those involved.
It was also the game rugby league so desperately needed. It came on the day that 17 players were offered to cut a deal to ensure the evidence against them was never properly tested.
In many respects, August 22 was truly the darkest day in Australian sport. Yet, at Pirtek Stadium, you could find a rugby league positive.
It is said that when South Sydney is going well, rugby league is going well.
That applies also to the men in blue and gold. While the Rabbitohs, with their monolithic forwards, have been branded predictable, with Parra you never know what you're going to get.
"Everyone struggled in '09 to put their finger on what made us good," said co-captain Tim Mannah.
"This year, we know what's made us good. We've got a brand of footy we can be proud of for once. It's called Parra kinda footy. We play up-tempo and we play some footy which is great. Going forward, we've got a brand here we can be proud of.
"The last few years were pretty disappointing and it's nice now to know we've got a style of footy we can be proud of."
Not that it always comes off. That a team which plays perhaps the most exciting football in the NRL yet has a negative points differential which could consign them to the bottom half of finishers, says it all.
But on Friday night, not even another disallowed try to Chris Sandow - the decision even more dubious than that which which proved costly against Canterbury - would deny them.
"Without looking too much in the past, we probably wouldn't have responded that good a while ago," Mannah said.
"This season, the most pleasing thing is yeah, we are a young team, but there's a lot of maturity. The maturity is growing every single week."
While the resurgence of the wooden spooners has come as a shock to most, those who have previously played under Brad Arthur are less surprised.
"We knew both times that we played Parramatta that Brad was going to have them up for the challenge," said Manly superstar Daly Cherry-Evans.
"It's a credit to him as a coach what he's been able to do with the side. They're playing some really good football and look like they're a big chance of scraping into the top eight
"It's down to hard work, they have obviously been working really hard. The results are showing now.
"He's just instilled some general rules, put them into practice and the players need to be congratulated. It's a great combination between Brad and his playing group and they're seeing some rewards late in the year and obviously they're a chance of making the eight."
On a night when long-suffering Eels fans found their voice, the greatest cheer was reserved for a man who didn't take the field. For the last time, the chant of "Fuuuuui" rang out in tribute to departing favourite Fuifui Moimoi.
"It was an exciting night for the fans and that's what makes me happy," Sharp said.
"I've been watching the juniors coming through and the players we've had in the last couple of years and I've been disappointed they haven't been able to produce football in the park.
"It didn't feel right. The club didn't smell like a football club. I knew if we could get that part of it right, those players will start playing like they're at a football club."
