Eighteen months ago, the name 'Josh Addo-Carr' was a foreign one to the regular NRL fan.
A young winger born and bred in Blacktown, the Wests Tigers pinched the then 20-year-old star from Cronulla's Holden Cup side to add depth to the side. But after an injury to David Nofoaluma, Addo-Carr earned his NRL debut at Leichhardt Oval in Round 7 last year, coincidentally the same game his now teammate Suliasi Vunivalu would begin his NRL career.
From the moment Addo-Carr scored from one of his first touches of the ball, it was clear he was a special talent. As quick as anyone in the competition, the winger scored six tries in nine games before Melbourne snapped him up to replace departing Fijian winger Marika Koroibete, a big ask.
But from the day he stepped foot in Melbourne, the rise of 'The Fox' began. One of the first things coach Craig Bellamy said to Addo-Carr when he arrived was to scrap his try-scoring celebration. The Storm doesn't have a gloating culture thanks to Bellamy. You run out onto that field, each seventeen players do their job, and they celebrate once the full-time siren rings. It's one of the many things that make Melbourne the premier sides of the NRL.
Since running out in purple for the first time in Round 1, Addo-Carr has featured in every game for the Storm in 2017, scoring 21 tries in his 26 appearances, earning a maiden rep jumper for the City Origin team along the way.
Now, eighteen months after being a rugby league unknown, Addo-Carr will feature in his first NRL grand final just 35 games into his career. Compare that to Shaun Fensom of the Cowboys side, debuting for the Raiders way back in 2009, who will also play his first decider this weekend.
The task isn't an easy one for The Fox either, marking up against one of the comp's finest finishers in the form of Kyle Feldt. It'll be a matter of size versus speed when they come up against each other, with both having an uncanny knack for finding the tryline.
In three of the last four NRL Grand Finals, the first try has been scored by a team's left winger, and Addo-Carr will be hoping that trend continues this Sunday as he earns his first shot at the Holy Grail, the NRL Premiership.
