The window of opportunity against Melbourne doesn't present itself very often. When it does, it's only open for a limited period.
For Parramatta a fortnight ago, it opened when the Storm lost Cameron Munster to the sin bin. It closed the very first error they made when he returned. Game over.
For Brisbane, it opened late in the first half following repeated uncharacteristic Melbourne mistakes at AAMI Park on Friday night.
Big games. Big moments. Usually the team that recognise when those moments present themselves go on to win. Usually, that team is Melbourne.
On Friday night, on the stroke of half-time - with Brisbane deep on the attack - Tautau Moga was caught in possession on the last tackle.
No grubber. No bomb. No pressure. A moment that should have tested the resolve of the minor premiers instead provided them with one last chance to extend a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
A Curtis Scott offload and a runaway Josh Addo-Carr try later, and Melbourne went into the sheds leading 8-0 after a half of football they would have liked over again. Game over.
The Broncos rolled the dice before kick-off, hoping an 80 per cent fit Darius Boyd would be better than no Boyd. Fifty-three minutes later, the most talked-about hamstring in Queensland succumbed to the sidelines.
Six minutes after, Queensland had one team left to support. It was fitting that Billy Slater, for all he has endured through the injury the past few years, would dive over to send Melbourne into another grand final with the first of three second-half tries in the 30-0 victory.
Cooper Cronk was playing his last game at AAMI Park, and Brisbane made sure he farewelled every blade of glass with a barrage of heavy off-the-ball hits that repeatedly floored the Melbourne No.7.
In what was a deliberate ploy to try and unsettle the usually unflappable halfback, Adam Blair, Josh McGuire and Sam Thaiday took turns throwing their bodies into the sternum of Cronk. But it didn't deter him from challenging the line.
The Broncos did their homework on the big three, forcing some uncharacteristic errors. Cameron Smith's first two kicks gave Brisbane seven tackle sets, while Slater was uncomfortable under the high ball.
It wasn't the methodical and clinical start to the game many expected. It was frenetic. It was end to end football which presented both sides with opportunities which they in turn squandered.
Addo-Carr was beaten by the bounce of the ball chasing a Munster grubber. His wing partner Suliasu Vunivalu was beaten by his own hads, coughing up the pill with the try line wide open.
Not that Brisbane weren't suffering from their own dose of preliminary final jitters. Both Corey Oates and Tautau Moga should have scored tries in the opening half only for their hands to let them down. Game over.
They've been waiting 12 months to right the wrongs of last year's grand final heartache. Good luck to whoever stands in their way next Sunday night.
