After their years in the doghouse, Melbourne now get the chance to return to the NRL penthouse.
Stripped of two premierships for cheating the salary cap, made to play a season without points, then falling at the penultimate hurdle last year, the Storm are back in a grand final.
And the chance for redemption was offered up by their greatest recent nemesis Manly, whose error-riddled performance helped the Storm to a 40-12 preliminary final win at AAMI Park on Friday night.
By now, Melbourne should have had a dynasty of premierships.
But their infamous second set of books expunged the record books.
And a shock loss to the Warriors in last year’s preliminary final after they won the minor premiership tipped a bit more sand through the hourglass of a richly talented group of players.
Manly – a team beaten by the Storm in one of their erased grand final wins – started with butterflies in stomachs and butter on fingers.
Yet despite the Storm dominating the first half and Manly turning in a poor 40 minutes, they were no sure things as Cameron Smith’s wayward kicking and a late Jamie Lyon converted try made Melbourne’s lead just 12-6 at the break.
But Manly couldn’t hold on to the ball nor the Storm’s players, who were continually set alight by halfback Cooper Cronk.
Fullback Billy Slater’s double punch after an 80-metre run for his second try to seal the game was emphatic.
Proof how much it meant to someone who was there for the grand final wins that never counted.
Smith was given a deserved early mark.
Cronk, also among those Storm players who lived through the salary cap breach era, was sensational in a two-try performance.
Next weekend, they will play the winners of the Canterbury-South Sydney preliminary final.
After the darkness, there is the chance for new light in the NRL powerhouse.