Superstar Storm halfback Jahrome Hughes was convinced his season was over when he fractured his forearm while making a tackle against the Broncos earlier this month, but he\u2019s now just one win away from another title after he made a spectacular return in his side\u2019s preliminary final victory over the Sharks.<\/p>\n
And if Hughes plays like he did on Friday night in next week\u2019s decider then the Storm will likely beat whoever they play, with the reigning Dally M Medal winner showing no signs of the pain he experienced when trying to pass a ball just over three weeks ago.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a stunning comeback by Hughes who dislocated his shoulder in round 21 and then broke his arm in his first game back, with the playmaker determined to clear up misinformation about the injuries and potential changes he made to his defence. <\/p>\n
\u201cI thought so (that my season was over) after the Broncos game. I thought I was no chance to play again but I got surgery the day after,\u201d he said after the win over the Sharks where he wore a protective guard around his arm. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe surgeon and the medical staff said I was a chance to play again, and once I heard that, I did everything I could (to get back).<\/p>\n
\u201cHeaps of people were saying wrist, but I don\u2019t know where they got that information from.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Andrew Oppy is the man responsible for getting him back on the park after he rushed away from a round of golf to operate on the injured star.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a great dude. It was pretty crazy how he took time out of his personal life to do my surgery, and he did a great job,\u201d Hughes said, revealing he would have sorted out tickets if Oppy had asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust getting confidence from him that he\u2019d done a good job (was huge for me). When he said I was a chance to play in three or four weeks, I was up for it. If he\u2019s saying that then it gives me a lot of confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hughes only had a couple of days off before he returned to training in a bid to strengthen the arm, with the fracture helping his other injury in the process. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think that was the blessing in disguise because I got a couple of weeks to rest my shoulder,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be fair though, I felt really confident in my shoulder. <\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like a lot of people said I was rushed back (and that the injuries were linked) but it was just bad luck which was frustrating (to hear people say) they rushed me back and that\u2019s what I get for coming back early and getting injured.\u201d<\/p>\n
The halfback resumed contact work last Thursday because he wanted a full week of hard training to convince himself and the team that he could play. <\/p>\n
Whatever he did worked because he was outstanding on Friday with Hughes fending away from two defenders with his dodgy arm to score a slashing solo try.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know it sounds heroic and that I\u2019m tough for playing, but I actually felt really good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wasn\u2019t sore out there and I was able to get confidence from the week. If I wasn\u2019t able to get that confidence then I wouldn\u2019t have played.<\/p>\n
\u201cI went out there not thinking about it, and I feel that helped me play my game.\u201d <\/p>\n
There were suggestions that Hughes had changed his tackling technique for the Broncos game but he shut that down immediately, with the halfback an obvious target for the Sharks.<\/p>\n
They went after him a few times, with five-eighth Braydon Trindall rushing out of the line and spectacularly colliding heads which resulted in a penalty but didn\u2019t earn him a charge from the match review committee. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a lot of talk (about them coming after me) and whatever in the media, but I can\u2019t control that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like if they were trying to come after me, they were probably off their own game. I don\u2019t know if they had a game plan (to go after me) but my team did a wonderful job to protect me. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think they said that because it was head on head that it wasn\u2019t that bad, but you can\u2019t go out there and be reckless and headbutt people, can you?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looked like it was head on head. I think when you\u2019re coming out of the line not in control, I think it\u2019s a bit dangerous when you\u2019re leading with your head\u2026because you can do a bit of damage. It did a bit of damage to my mouth but it\u2019s all good.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hughes and the Storm now have nine days between games, with their next assignment a shot at redemption after they went down in last year\u2019s grand final. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of self-belief in this group,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like the loss last year is going to help us a little bit, not just with motivation but with learning off what we did right and wrong in the game and in the prep because there\u2019s a lot that goes into the training week.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully we can handle that a bit better this year.\u201d<\/p>\n