Having almost single-handedly denied the Sydney Roosters one premiership, former Penrith grand final hero Scott Sattler believes the Panthers are set to do it all again when the unlikely NRL rivals battle at the Sydney Football Stadium on Saturday night.

Sattler, whose career is best remembered for that memorable try-saver on Roosters winger Todd Byrne in the Panthers' 2003 grand final win, said the men from the foot of the mountains had an uncanny knack of rising from adversity against the tri colours.

Like they did in 2003, the Panthers go into Saturday night's clash given little chance of winning - injuries, home ground, Todd Carney and the emotion of the Roosters' opening finals win seen as too much of a mountain to climb.

But Sattler claims the Roosters bring out the best in the Panthers, thanks to a cross-Sydney rivalry sparked by coaching guru Phil Gould's shift to the eastern suburbs and his subsequent recruitment of the best player to ever to come out of the Penrith area - Brad Fittler.

"There's always been history with the Roosters ever since Gus left in 1994 and then he took Freddy and Matt Sing," Sattler told AAP.

"There was never talk of 'we're playing the Roosters, we hate them,' it's just something that's been instilled within the tradition.

"People that have been supporters of the club over so many years and staff at the club and even the gear stewards and the guys that work on the doors of the dressing rooms, they're the ones that even though they loved Gus Gould - he'd done great things with the club - with Gus leaving it created that rivalry.

"Once again they come up against each other in probably the most important game in Panthers' history since 2003."

Much has been made of Penrith being without dynamic backrowers Trent Waterhouse and Frank Pritchard but, like the workhorse he was, Sattler said this would not be a try for try points-fest.

He expects a gritty affair, provided the likes of Nathan Smith and Gavin Cooper - who come in for Pritchard and Waterhouse - can contain Roosters pivot Carney.

"This win has got to be built on passion ... they've got to win it through relentless defence," Sattler said of the Panthers.

"The good thing about teams that like to work for each other is you can really frustrate those players out of the game ... those sorts of approaches have brought down some of the greatest players in our game in big games and there's no reason why it can't happen again on Saturday night."

Roosters fullback Anthony Minichiello, one of two survivors from the 2003 decider along with Panthers backrower Luke Lewis - who back then was just a skinny winger - said it was important his side didn't look too much to Carney to do it all.

"It's definitely a team effort," Minichiello said.

"I think we could start a little bit better, the last few weeks we've had a slow start and tried to come home and we've got out of trouble. We certainly got out of trouble last week so we don't want to be doing that again."

The Panthers don't have too much finals experience outside of Lewis and skipper Petero Civoniceva, with Minichiello admitting that could play into the Roosters hands in what will be a hostile environment.

"When you break it down it's just another game," Minichiello said of learning to deal with finals pressure.

"That's what us experienced guys try and portray to the young kids, it's just another game."

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