As the South Sydney Rabbitohs gear up to do battle with Melbourne Storm in week one of the NRL finals, it's interesting to note the difference in this year's side to the one that finished 12th in 2017.
The Bunnies ended the regular season in third position on the NRL ladder after an impressive campaign that at one stage saw them win nine matches on the trot in the early stages of the year.
One of the more important factors for Souths this year is the inclusion of their fit and firing skipper Greg Inglis.
GI was grounded during round one of last year's season after suffering an ACL injury, and he has been a wrecking ball, not only for club but State as well, in 2018.
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While on paper Inglis' inclusion in the playing ranks might be considered the most important difference between this year and last, the skipper himself has hailed the approach of rookie coach Anthony Seibold.
It's often difficult to remember that the players taking the field aren't just role models, but people as well, and Inglis praised the way Seibold treated the players at Souths.
"He's (Seibold) been terrific," Inglis told reporters on Monday.
"We've had our year planned out since December, we know when we train, we know when we have our days off, nothing ever changes.
"He's a rookie coach, he's been around as assistant coach for a number of years now and has come from a good background in Melbourne and Queensland Cup, he's obviously been in the Origin arena as well as an assistant coach with Kevin Walters.
"He can only do so much, but, at the end of the day, for the 80 minutes it's up to the players because we all know coaches aren't out there, they're sitting up in the box.
"He makes sure our preparation is spot on and has always been, 'person first, athlete second'."
On the eve of finals, some NRL clubs enforce bans on things such as alcohol, but Inglis revealed that Seibold trusts his players to know what is best for themselves.
"Seibold puts the onus back on the players," GI said.
"You can't really change anything, we got into this position by doing what we do away from footy.
"If the boys want to do it, Seibs said it's up to them. That's what's so great about him.
"I know some clubs have a five-week alcohol ban, but, if it's something that's got you this far gets you ready to turn up to play, Seibs is all for it.
"We haven't got any bans or anything like that."
One of the more stunning revelations that the legend told reporters was the amount of weight he has dropped this year.
"I wasn't in that great shape last year," Inglis joked on Monday.
"At the start of the season I weighed about 113/114kgs for Charity Shield, and I'm down to 102kgs now.
"That's what happens when you watch what you put in your body. It's just the way my body goes."
