He will be in the opposition dressing room at CUA Stadium on Saturday, but Adrian Purtell and the Raiders' recent September heartache need no introduction.
Having played 64 matches for Canberra before shifting to Penrith this season, the outside back felt the anguish of finals defeat twice during his time in the national capital.
The Raiders' 36-10 qualifying final capitulation to Cronulla in 2008 still hurts the 25-year-old.
Likewise, the 30-12 defeat to the Bulldogs in the corresponding fixture in 2006.
After that Sharks loss, Canberra needed other results to go its way to proceed to the second week of the finals.
But when the eighth-placed Warriors upset minor premier Melbourne with a last-gasp Michael Witt try, the Raiders' season was over.
It hurt Purtell back then, and little has changed.
''That was a weird feeling after that [Storm-Warriors] game,'' Purtell said.
''Myself and Bronx [Goodwin, former Raiders player and Purtell's then flatmate] were watching that game and it felt like our season ended a lot earlier than it should have.
''Just like the Raiders this year, we had strung a few wins together coming into that finals campaign and we didn't expect to get knocked out.''
Canberra has not won a finals match since 2000 and while Purtell spent four seasons trying valiantly to help end that drought, he would love nothing more than to extend another year this weekend.
''I remember in '06 when we played that Bulldogs final, it was my debut year in first grade and it bucketed down with rain in Sydney that night like I'd never seen before,'' Purtell reflected.
''But you can't take these finals games for granted, because they don't come around every year.
''I've been happy with the move to Penrith.
''I've played some consistent footy this year and the team is going well.''
While some of the flashier players in the Panthers' backline like Michael Jennings, Michael Gordon and Lachlan Coote attract most of the plaudits, Purtell is one of those solid players that does little wrong.
He has played in all 24 of Penrith's regular season matches this year, crossing for seven tries in the process.
One of those four-pointers will be remembered for all the wrong reasons by Raiders fans.
During Canberra's 34-16 loss to Penrith in round one, Purtell effectively extinguished Canberra's second half comeback by intercepting a Terry Campese pass and running 90 metres to score.
However, currently riding a five-match winning streak, Canberra is a vastly different proposition to the one that fronted at CUA Stadium in March, and Purtell knows it.
''I think their form over the back half of the season just proves how hard this game is going to be,'' Purtell said.
''It sort of came out of the blue and they've done well to make the finals. But we're very confident.
Purtell is unsure whether he will visit the Raiders' dressing room to reminisce on past battles after the match, that will depend on who walks off the field victorious.
''I talked to 'Campo' [Terry Campese] during the week when we knew we were playing each other,'' Purtell said.
''We're good mates, but we're both competitive blokes so that will depend on how the result goes.''
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