Jonah Pezet‘s manager Braith Anasta has revealed they were initially told by the Melbourne Storm that they expected Jahrome Hughes to move to Queensland with his wife rather than re-sign with the NRL club. Pezet is expected to join Parramatta in 2026 before a big-money move to the Brisbane Broncos in 2027.
The 22-year-old was under contract with the Storm until the end of 2029, but had a clause in his deal that he could leave if Hughes re-signed. Hughes extended his contract earlier this year, which triggered the clause in Pezet’s contract that he could break his deal and leave.
The Melbourne Storm reportedly thought Jahrome Hughes would move to Queensland with wife Molly. Image: Jahrome Hughes/Getty
Pezet looks a star in the making, but has been limited to just 18 games at NRL level due to Hughes and Cameron Munster being the halves combo in Melbourne. Speaking on Wednesday, Pezet’s manager Anasta provided stunning new details on the situation, including the revelation that the Storm didn’t actually think Hughes would stay.
Reports began to swirl last year that Hughes was considering a move to Queensland – where he and wife Molly both have family. Hughes was born in New Zealand but grew up in Queensland, and started his NRL career with stints at the Gold Coast Titans and North Queensland Cowboys.
Jonah Pezet (L) is leaving the Storm after Jahrome Hughes (R) re-signed. Image: Getty
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Braith Anasta spills the beans on Jonah Pezet situation
Anasta revealed that he was told by Storm officials that Hughes would likely depart Melbourne at the end of 2026, which would open the door for Pezet to become the Storm’s long-term halfback. But Hughes seemingly backflipped, and earlier this year signed a contract extension until the end of 2029.
“Essentially what we got told a year ago when we signed Jonah to an extension with Melbourne, was that Jahrome was most likely not going to be there at the end of his deal (which originally expired in 2026),” Anasta said on the BTFU Podcast. “Not because they don’t love him or think he’s a great player.
“I think he was looking to move back to Queensland and his missus was keen on that, and I think they were going to go with Jonah and Cameron in the halves. We got blind-sided by the signing of Jahrome, just because we didn’t expect it.”
Storm initially picked Tyran Wishart over Jonah Pezet
Despite Hughes re-signing, Anasta and Pezet still believed there might have been a future at the Storm. But Tyran Wishart was initially prioritised as halfback over Pezet when Hughes went down with injuries this year.
Pezet was handed the No.7 role in the semi-final against the Bulldogs, and performed brilliantly. But he was left out of the preliminary final and grand final when Hughes returned, with Wishart included on the bench because of his ability to cover multiple positions.
“As the year went on, Jonah didn’t really get the opportunity we expected him to get, especially when Jahrome went down,” Anasta added. “He played in the final against the Bulldogs and got man of the match. We realised we’ve been holding him back too long here.
“We kinda thought he could have had an impact in the grand final, I don’t know. They made that decision. We just thought we could end up staying and the same thing happening next year. He’s so ready now and you can’t hold him back.”
Rather than another season in reserve-grade at the Storm, Pezet with walk into Parramatta’s starting halves and play alongside Mitchell Moses. He’ll then succeed Adam Reynolds at the Broncos and form a superstar spine combo with Ezra Mam and Reece Walsh at the NRL premiers.