It was 1991 and the second straight year they played the Canberra Raiders in the decider. The Green Machine had claimed the first edition the year before, sparking a finals rivalry between the two clubs that will play out again at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night.

The Raiders won 18-14 in 1990, and the Panthers turned the tables to triumph 19-12 a year later.

And Geyer believed him getting his marching orders in the second half – for calling the tough judge a "cheat" – might have played a role in the Panthers' victory.

"In a roundabout kind of way, I think that's what won it for us because the five forwards that remained on the field tackled themselves into a standstill and, when a fresh bloke comes back on the field with 15-20 minutes to go, it lifts everybody," he said.

He also played a more substantial role in the try that put them out of the Raiders' reach: swooping on Canberra's short goal-line dropout, he offloaded for hooker Royce Simmons to score with only fullback Gary Belcher to beat.

Geyer said the Panthers went in with a lot of motivation to that grand final, seeking revenge for the Raiders' victory in '90 and it was Simmons' last game.

While the Panthers might have closer rivals in the Parramatta Eels just 30 kilometres down the road, Geyer felt those two grand finals made the one shared between Penrith and the Raiders bigger.

But not one of those bitter rivalries. Whoever you talk to, whether it's Geyer, Simmons, Belcher or current Raiders coach Ricky Stuart, they all agree it was a healthy one full of respect.

Geyer put it down to the Kangaroos tour at the end of 1990, when a lot of the players from each team were able to get to know each other.

He was hoping to make the trip to Canberra to experience the Viking clap first hand, but will be at a buck's night instead.

He'll be keenly watching the game though between two teams that are a "welcome relief" in the modern era.

"They're the two best teams to watch," Geyer said. "They play a brand of footy that's unique, they play a game that depends on offloads and that's a welcome relief from the structured footy we see in today's game.

"It's a mouth-watering contest and it's a toss of the coin."

Simmons said it was "great relief" to win the premiership in his last game as a player, but he never had any thoughts of playing on for another year as injuries had taken a toll during the 1991 season.

One of those injuries was to the ligaments in his ankle, similar to what Raiders hooker Josh Hodgson fought to overcome this week.

Simmons said it would be "very, very hard" for Hodgson to play with that kind of injury, but he was a "tremendous player" and a "very important part" for the Raiders.

He said the Panthers had to "play pretty close to a perfect game" 25 years ago to beat the champion Raiders side, who were going for their third straight premiership.

There are a few links remaining to those days in the early 90s: Stuart is now coaching the team he played for in both of those grand finals, Phil Gould coached the Panthers in both games and is now their general manager, while Panthers five-eighth Bryce Cartwright is the nephew of John Cartwright.

Simmons said both Stuart and Gould had been integral in both clubs back then and now.

"It was a great relief to me to finally win a grand final in my last game," he said. "There were a lot of better footballers than me who have gone around and never won a grand final," he said.

"[Stuart and Gould] have put a lot into the recruitment and the culture of the clubs. Both are obviously getting it right ... it seems like they're building for the future. Whichever club gets beaten still has a very bright future for four or five years."

Belcher said Simmons' try "wasn't his favourite memory" from his days as a Raiders legend.

That lost grand final remained "one of his big regrets" in a career that enjoyed not just premiership success, but also extended to State of Origin and the international arena for Australia.

While he was hoping his Raiders could reverse that result on Saturday night, he was concerned the injuries to Hodgson and five-eighth Blake Austin could give the edge to the Panthers.

"It was one of the big regrets for me [losing in '91] and I think my teammates would probably feel the same," Belcher said.

"We were in good shape for it. We had the dramas with the salary cap that year, but came back and fought our way back and thought we were in good nick for it, but just got beaten by a better team on the day."

NRL SEMI-FINAL

Saturday: Canberra Raiders v Penrith Panthers at Canberra Stadium, 7.45pm. Tickets available fromTicketek.

Raiders team: 1. Jack Wighton, 2. Edrick Lee, 3. Jarrod Croker, 4. Joey Leilua, 5. Jordan Rapana, 6. Blake Austin, 7. Aidan Sezer, 8. Junior Paulo, 9. Josh Hodgson, 10. Shannon Boyd, 11. Josh Papalii, 12. Elliott Whitehead, 13. Sia Soliola. Interchange: 14. Kurt Baptiste, 15. Luke Bateman, 17. Joe Tapine, on to be named.