A premiership ring, the one initially handed to coach Michael Maguire, adorns his finger. If going back-to-back isn't motivation enough, earning another piece of bling is. So that he can return the gesture.

"Madge gave me a Christmas gift and I will hold onto it forever until I hopefully can get my own and then, obviously, I'll give it back," Luke said.

"Madge drives you every week, it's a week to week thing for me.

"That will be in the back of my head for the whole year."

On the day the Rabbitohs broke their long premiership drought, Luke watched helplessly from the sidelines. It was harsh punishment for a lifting tackle on his mate Sonny Bill Williams in the penultimate game. The incident raised questions over whether suspensions for big games, such as Origins or grand finals, could be served afterwards.

However, Luke accepted his fate without complaint and said the onus was on the players staying within the laws.

"When it happened, I dealt with it that night," he said. "It wasn't about me, it was about my teammates and then the boys went out and performed the way they did. I had full confidence going in and [it was justified].

"If you keep yourself clean you won't get in that position. They did the right thing by what they had to do, the judiciary, and I fully support them as well.

"If I keep [my] nose clean – and it has been the last few years – I'll be right. I'll just get back on board now."

Luke and the man who replaced him in the grand final, Penrith recruit Apisai Koroisau, were reunited at the launch of the Auckland Nines jersey during the week. They refer to each other as "brothers" even though they will be opponents rather than teammates next time they play.

"We are like twins," Luke said. "I like to bring my age level down to his age level.

"It's awesome to see him, I'm going to miss that little fella. We had a lot of good times this year. He brought the best out of my and kept me on my toes.

"To be able to play in the last game for me, I've got respect for him."

Luke has something else to celebrate. Although he got married two years ago, the New Zealand hooker is yet to enjoy a honeymoon. His wife, Mikayla, has planned a surprise getaway from Sunday.

"She just said 'pack your bags and we'll go somewhere'," he said.

Having not officially returned to preseason training – Test players have been given extra time off – Luke was unsure whether centre Lote Tuqiri would return for one last hurrah.

"He was great to have in camp and I'm sure he'll be floating around, he loves being around the boys," Luke said.

Luke said he would miss rugby-bound forwards Sam Burgess and Ben Te'o but believed the club had the depth to cover for their losses.

Asked if he too would consider a switch to the 15-man game, Luke said: "I used to play rugby when I was a kid. I never played in boots, I played bare feet.

"I don't know about that happening. It could be on the cards, we don't know."