Jonah Pezet has been warned about the challenges ahead after the young gun playmaker signed one of the most unique deals in NRL history.
Pezet will spend 2026 at the Eels before he joins the Broncos long term.
The deal has major benefits for both sides after Pezet made the big call to leave the Melbourne Storm for more opportunities, with the youngster stuck behind established stars Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster.
The Broncos get a star on the rise to replace the retiring Adam Reynolds in a key position, while the Eels get a quality playmaker with something to prove to partner rep star Mitch Moses in the halves.
Parramatta is still searching for their long-term five-eighth following Dylan Brown’s departure on a record-breaking deal to join the Knights, but Pezet is a dream replacement albeit for just one year.
“He’s a very confident kid and he’s very loud which is something we needed,” Moses said.
“He loves his footy and I love my footy, so we haven’t had any dramas connecting on the field.
“He’s very smart and he’s very mature for his age. He hasn’t played too much first grade, but he’s got a strong footy mind.
“He’s coming from one of the best clubs of the past 20 years and he would have learnt a lot off Jahrome and Munster who are two of the best halves in the game.
“He’s been really good for us, but everyone thinks they can win the premiership in the pre-season, so we just need to transition what we’re doing well now out onto the field.”
Pezet will have big boots to fill when he arrives in Brisbane following Monday’s announcement that Reynolds would retire at the end of the season.
The 35-year-old captain of the Broncos helped them win a drought-breaking premiership and will go down as one of the best halfbacks of the modern era.
“He’s done a lot for the whole NRL. He’s been so good for us at the Broncos and he was so good at the Bunnies when he was there,” Broncos utility Billy Walters told the NewsWire.
“He’s probably been one of the top three halfbacks of the past 15 years, and we definitely wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are without ‘Reyno’.
“It probably wasn’t too much of a surprise because he was getting to the point where it was either going to be this year or next year, and I think he just wanted to make sure that it wasn’t about him and wanted to get it done so we could focus on this year.”
What happens next year is exciting, but Walters doesn’t want to heap any unnecessary pressure on Pezet, with Brisbane players more focused on winning another title before Reynolds and Payne Haas (Rabbitohs) leave.
“We get Jonah next year, and he’s an exciting young prospect,” Walters said after joining Brisbane in 2022 following stints with the Storm and the Wests Tigers.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him because I know that it can be pretty tough coming to the Broncos as a young halfback to take the reins.
“But he’s got a year at Parramatta where he can ply his trade, and hopefully they’re priming him so he’s ready to go when he comes to us.
“We’ll worry about that next year. Rugby league is a funny game, so you never know what’s going to happen in 12 months’ time. Who knows where we’ll be at and who’ll be in our team?
“We just have to enjoy this last year with Payne and Reyno and make sure we go back to back.”
Originally published as ‘Pretty tough coming to the Broncos’: Pezet’s warning as young playmaker prepares for career-defining move