At Thursday's grand final lunch he was quoting from the movie of the same name, when describing skipper Michael Ennis' injury as "just a flesh wound". It was vintage Des. If his troops can reproduce that sort of form, they too may find their Holy Grail.

Hasler was in his element. This is not his first rodeo, having experienced grand final week on five occasions as a coach and three as a player. Experience will tell him that while you can't win the game in the lead-up, if your men endure rather than enjoy the build-up it can be lost.

He was in his element at Dockside Pavilion, deflecting and diverting whenever the topic was not to his liking. In doing so he may have inflicted the odd psychological blow onto his opposition. Like when he urged the pink shirts to allow "an open game of footy", one which no doubt suits his team's chances.

When MC Warren Smith raised the fact the blue and whites had lost their two penalty counts against South Sydney this year – and that fewer penalties could, in turn lead to more wrestling – he saw his chance.

"That's a fair point," he said. "That's where South Sydney have been outstanding."

Whatever he said afterwards was inaudible due to the chortling echoing around the room. Whether it left a fatal blow or flesh wound remains to be seen.

Michael Maguire, meanwhile, appeared shut tighter than Hasler's wallet. Too much can be read into this, as this is Madge's natural state of being. The South Sydney coach appears forever on edge, perhaps a trait picked up at the Bellamy School of Coaching. Like the rest of his troops, Madge attended sans tie as the pressure building on his team to break a 43-year drought is enough of a noose around one's neck.

While economical with words, Maguire said less but gave away more, confirming that youngster Apisai Koroisau would start at hooker in place of the suspended Issac Luke. "What you see is what you get" he said of his team but he could have been referring to himself.

Souths Sydney's comic relief was never going to come from the coach. It came from an unexpected source; Elena Sutton. The mother of Souths skipper John spoke passionately about what this week meant to the family. And then, she added with gusto, that it was time for 'Ripping and a tearing', a nod to the comedic stylings of Fletch and Hindy. It might not have been champagne Monty Python, but it lightened the mood.

For most of the afternoon, journalists and observers became amateur psychologists trying to find some hidden meaning where there was none. Was Maguire looking more twitchy than usual? Is Mick Ennis having a lend of us with the whole crutches routine? Have South Sydney found their "Mythical Beast" in the departing Sam Burgess?

We followed the players and coaches to a press conference in the quest for truth. Like Ennis, Hasler walked with a slight gait, perhaps the result of wearing the same pair of shoes for two decades. For almost 20 minutes they spoke but said nothing. If their defence is as watertight on Sunday it will be a nil-all draw.