Stefano Utoikamanu has declared his favourite grand-final moment will come on Sunday when Melbourne win, as he aims to create history of his own against Brisbane.
The lightning rod of this week after labelling Broncos players "stuck up" on Monday, Utoikamanu will be one of seven NRL grand-final rookies across either team come Sunday.
The front-rower looms as something of a missing piece of the puzzle for the Storm, who desperately missed Nelson Asofa-Solomona for his size in last year's decider.
Out of title contention well before September in each of his previous seasons at Wests Tigers, Utoikamanu has been Melbourne's best forward in both finals wins this year.
Asked after last week's preliminary-final win over Cronulla if he had a favourite grand-final moment to think about in the lead up to Sunday, Utoikamanu was bullish.
"My favourite grand-final moment is going to be next week when we win it," Utoikamanu said.
Victory on Sunday would make Utoikamanu only the fifth player of the NRL era to go from the wooden spoon to premiership ring.
And none have lifted a premiership trophy immediately after copping three straight wooden spoons.
"It's been a pretty crazy journey so far," Utoikamanu said.
"This time last year I was sitting at home watching the finals.
"That was a big motivation for me having to watch from the sidelines and seeing all these good players play in these big games.
"I saw people talk bad about me last year as well when I was criticised for coming to this club.
"But the big reason why I came here was to play in these games, and I feel like the only opinion that matters is from my teammates and coaches."
For all the talk, Utoikamanu has delivered for Melbourne over the past two months, bringing a bench-like impact into his starting role.
Craig Bellamy lauded him as the form front-rower of the competition last week, with the 25-year-old adapting to playing less minutes at the Storm than the Tigers.
He has been a different player since his NSW State of Origin recall and threw the offload for Tyran Wishart's try against Canterbury in week one of the finals.
Utoikamanu was also crucial in last week's win over Cronulla with a big run and quick play-the-ball ahead of Melbourne's first try, before offloading to Jahrome Hughes for the Storm's second.
"That Origin period was a big stepping stone," Utoikamanu said.
"I was coming off the bench and just wanted to bring a bit of energy for our team, and I think I brought that back for the Storm.
"I didn't come off the bench for the Storm, but to start the game I feel like you need to bring a bit of energy so I carried the ball well which is one of my strengths."
