Sunia Turuva is hellbent on winning the grand final with Penrith before he joins Wests Tigers. (Mark Evans/AAP PHOTOS)

Sunia Turuva didn’t play in Penrith’s last grand final meeting with Melbourne but that didn’t stop the winger feeling the pain of a defeat to the Storm.

Turuva was an eager observer of the 2020 decider when Melbourne bullied the Panthers because he knew soon afterwards he would be training alongside – and against – Penrith’s top squad for the first time, as a member of the club’s NSW Cup outfit.

The summer slog of pre-season is rarely fun and even less so in the searing heat of Sydney’s west.

But Turuva remembers being used as a punching bag as the Panthers turned to a physical form of therapy.

“I knew that I was heading into that pre-season after they had just lost and I knew how hungry they would be,” Turuva told AAP.

“I was in that NSW Cup team and in the pre-season they were just ripping us apart. You were able to see how angry they were about the whole thing.

“I was feeling their pain and they were taking it out on me.

“As the coach has said before, you’ve got to win one to lose one, and the way the boys have showed up since that defeat, they have all gone to a new level.”

Penrith players have spoken openly about how that 2020 loss to the Storm was the springboard to their dominance over the past three years.

It’s why Ivan Cleary’s men have a low tolerance to slipping standards, something Turuva discovered midway through this season when his poor defensive work led to him being dropped to reserve grade.

“It’s been a really up and down season for me, having to go down to Cup and have a tough couple of chats with Ivan,” Turuva said.

“We pride ourselves on our defence and mine was lacking; it wasn’t up to scratch.

“I’m happy with my last month but I knew at that time I couldn’t keep kicking stones.”

Sunday’s grand final will represent Turuva’s last for the Panthers before he takes up a three-year deal with Wests Tigers and he wants to do so with an extra possession.

“I’ve touched on it before and the only way I want to leave Penrith is with a ring on my finger because this club has done so much for me,” he said.