They made their NRL debuts together on opposing sides of the field, but on Sunday night Suliasi Vunivalu and Josh Addo‑Carr will run out as teammates when Melbourne Storm look to avenge last year's grand final loss to the Sharks.
This week's opponents, North Queensland Cowboys will start as sentimental favourites, but the Storm who claimed their second consecutive minor premiership will have plenty of support from punters who sense they are due for their first title since 2012.
Melbourne's dominance has been built on the 'Big Three' of Billy Slater, Cooper Cronk and Cameron Smith, and most of the hype will focus on the talented trio.
Vunivalu took Melbourne and the rest of the NRL by storm last year with 23 tries in just 21 games and has matched that tally in 2017 to dispel any fears of the dreaded second‑year syndrome.
There are some players who have gone their entire careers without playing in a grand final, but for Vunivalu, it's becoming a habit he is happily getting used to.
Vunivalu says he is just trying to treat every week like a normal game day.
He says that he knows it's a final so he will just try to contribute to the team and play good on Sunday.
The NRL Grand Final between the Cowboys and Melbourne Storm will kick off at 8.15pm Sunday.
