Storm five-eighth Brett Finch turned his NRL season around when he left Parramatta earlier this season, and so did the Eels.
Believing they'd seen the back of each other in April with Finch's departure, they will meet again as the two parties square off in next Sunday's NRL grand final following their preliminary final wins.
It will be Finch's third grand final, after two losses with the Sydney Roosters.
The Storm joined the Eels in the premiership showdown after blitzing Brisbane 40-10 at Etihad Stadium on Saturday night while resurgent Parramatta pushed aside the Bulldogs 22-12 on Friday night.
Before his departure Finch was struggling for form at the Eels and in his relationship with coach Daniel Anderson, and Parramatta were all too happy to grant him a release.
They thought he was bound for England, but Melbourne, battling to find some consistency in their backline, lured him south.
His arrival allowed Greg Inglis to play in his preferred centre position, and the Storm flourished.
The faltering Eels, too, started to build and won 10 of their last 11 games of the season, including the finals, to book their grand final berth, which is their first since 2001.
One of the Storm's best against the Broncos, Finch had a hand in several tries and tackled himself to a standstill as he finished third on Melbourne's tackle count with 28 - and that was despite leaving the field at the 60-minute-mark.
Finch didn't want to talk about the looming reunion with his old club after the match, preferring to concentrate on the Storm's achievement of four successive grand final appearances.
"It's a great thrill," he said after the match.
"After the week off we spoke about the need to come out with plenty of intensity and I think we did that."
Finch had a corked calf but isn't at risk of missing the grand final.
- AAP
NRL: Eels and Finch get final reunion
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