Spencer Leniu played just 25 minutes in the grand final, and he made them count. The prop came off the Roosters’ bench, brought immediate energy, and helped a pack that had been rotating all season grind down Newcastle in a 19-18 thriller. When the siren sounded, Leniu had his fourth premiership. It was also the first time a player from Penrith’s golden era had won a title with another club.

The path to that moment started at Penrith. Born in September 2000, Leniu debuted for the Panthers in 2019 and played 83 games for them through to the end of 2023. He was part of the club’s 2021, 2022 and 2023 premiership sides. Along the way he became a Samoan international and a NSW Origin representative, and a prop other teams had to plan around.

Then he left. Leniu joined the Roosters for 2024, and the move seemed to confirm that Penrith’s era was ending. Others from that group have scattered since, Jarome Luai and Api Koroisau to the Wests Tigers, James Fisher-Harris to the Warriors, Stephen Crichton and Matt Burton to the Bulldogs. None of them had won a title at their new home. Leniu has now done it.

His Roosters stint was not always smooth. He struggled to lock down a starting spot under Trent Robinson, and he is a polarising figure whose edge can cut both ways. Yet Robinson praised the energy and personality he brought to the group and Sunday was the reward for staying the course.

Now comes the sequel. Leniu has been released from the final year of his Roosters deal and has signed with Parramatta. The reason is simple, he wants to start. The Eels are the club Penrith beat in the 2022 grand final, and he will join Luai, who is also bound for Parramatta in 2027. First, though, the pair will team up for Samoa at the World Cup.

At 26, Leniu is chasing a fifth ring. Few players his age have a realistic shot at that many, and fewer still have won them at two different clubs. If he gets there, it will be as the player who proved Penrith’s winning habit is portable.