The Wests Tigers and Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs both head into the off-season in the middle of a long-term rebuild.
For the Bulldogs though, a 38-0 win on Sunday in Redcliffe is just another sign they are heading in the right direction when paired with an aggressive spending spree in the opening market.
It was the perfect farewell for a host of Bulldogs players who will be moving on as part of the Belmore shake-up.
The Tigers, on the other hand, are in a downward spiral and even more pressure is building on coach Michael Maguire and halfback Luke Brooks.
While the pair alone were not solely to blame for Sunday's defeat, the two have already been heavily scrutinised and will only further come under the blowtorch.
As a whole though the Tigers simply did not aim up in defence.
Maguire spoke during the week about his long-term vision for the club and confidence its young core was heading in the right direction.
A horror first half though saw the Tigers fall to a 16-0 deficit.
Nick Meaney scored two tries, with both coming far too easily against a passive Tigers team.
The other try came courtesy of Brandon Wakeham's boot with Zac Cini fumbling a bomb and Brandon Wakeham trailing in support to pick up the scraps.
The Bulldogs quickly extended the lead as David Nofoaluma and Cini clashed at the back, ending with Jack Hetherington racing away under the posts.
From there though errors invited the Tigers back into the contest but they failed to threaten in attack, with Trent Barrett's men pushing further ahead instead.
This time quick hands from Will Hopoate saw Jayden Okunbor score.
The Tigers' woes deepened as Luciano Leilua was sent to the bin and a Brandon Wakeham pass put Corey Allan soaring over in the corner.
Shawn Blore then joined Leilua in the sheds for a late, forceful hit on Sione Katoa.
The Bulldogs took full advantage once more, with Averillo then forcing his way over to score their seventh try of the game.
If the result was not enough, the Tigers also lost Tommy Talau (torn ACL) and Jake Simpkin (shoulder).