Veteran rugby league journalist Paul Kent has spelled out a big reason why the Sydney Roosters and Melbourne Storm have been able to sustain their success for so long.
And it has nothing to do with "brown paper bags" as some conspiracy theorists allege.
For years, the Roosters have been accused by rival fans of having a "salary sombrero", such is the consistent strength of their squad.
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Melbourne, meanwhile, were stripped of two premierships (2007, 2009) and copped huge financial penalties after being caught breaching the salary cap in 2010.
The stains from the cheating scandal have never been wiped away and the jokes from other supporters still abound freely as a counterpoint to the Storm's current dominance.
But Kent said the truth is that last year's grand final teams are simply head and shoulders above everyone else when it comes to recruitment strategies and player evaluation.
"The way Melbourne operate their roster and the way the Roosters operate their roster, particularly those two clubs [is incredible]," Kent said on NRL 360.
"Those two, in particular, are just so spot on with their talent identification and how they put their roster together.
"And that is why year after year [they're successful]. And I know everyone's sitting out there blowing up going, 'Oh, brown paper bags' and all this rubbish – it's actually not.
"They are just spot on with how they assess a player, how they value a player and what the player can bring to the club.
"Can he fill their needs? Yes he can, let's get him in.
"And you've only got to look at the fact players come to the club, perform incredibly well at both clubs, and very rarely reach the same heights once leave the club.
"They go back to the heights they were at before they got the club."
Melbourne and Sydney are the two winningest clubs of the past 20 years, with the sides featuring in 14 of the previous 19 grand finals.