MELBOURNE Storm first threw Cheyse Blair and Ryan Morgan into the centres due to sheer lack of numbers.
Now, according to Storm coach Craig Bellamy, the unlikely pairing will be hard to take out of a rampaging Melbourne side that has won seven games in a row.
In another remarkable Bellamy success story, the recycled Blair and Morgan the latter of which joined the club just last month have proved pivotal in Storms surge to the top of the NRL ladder.
While Storms proximity away from rugby leagues heartland means it will never receive the accolades it deserves, the clubs 11-2 start to the season is remarkable given the circumstances.
The clubs lofty ladder position belies an early season outside backs crisis the likes of which it had never experienced before.
Along the way, Storm also lost Young Tonumaipea the clubs best outside back early on while winger Marika Koroibete also missed a few weeks.
Although that allowed the club to discover Fijian rookie Suliasi Vunivalu.
Rookie centre Curtis Scott broke a leg early on and fellow back Jeremy Hawkins suffered a bad hamstring tear.
Tonumaipea and Scott are now available but are battling to force their way back in.
(Cheyse) came down at the end of last year and financially it wasnt a great deal, but he didnt have a whole heap of other places to go I dont think, Bellamy said.
To be honest, Cheyses form in the Queensland Cup probably didnt warrant him a first-grade spot, but we just ran out of troops in our outside backs.
But since then, it seems the higher level of game the more he adapts to it and hes been really good in his four or five games with us.
While he keeps playing this way, hes going to be hard to move.
Morgan, meanwhile, joined Storm from Parramatta just last month and was almost immediately thrown in.
Morgs arrived here and played one game with our feeder team up at Tweed Heads, Bellamy said.
I probably didnt think of using him for probably two or three weeks at least, but we got some injuries.
And he hadnt played for a number of weeks for the Eels as well or even their feeder team.
In terms of match fitness he was under done but he was the only centre we had left, so we put him in and hes done a great job as well.
Bellamy paid tribute to the pair for taking their opportunity and not letting go.
Sometimes you dont know when it is going to come, but they accepted it with both hands, he said.
Theyre doing a tremendous job for us at the moment so hopefully they keep it up.
You love seeing guys go through a bit of adversity and come out the other side.
