Joey's pick to be the next BIG THING! Immortal Behaviour
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News.com.au
17 hours ago
- News.com.au
Jahrome Hughes could make early return from injury, Craig Bellamy pleads for Cam Munster to stay
Melbourne Storm could get a pre-finals boost with star halfback Jahrome Hughes ahead of schedule in his rehab from a shoulder injury as coach Craig Bellamy made a plea to Cameron Munster amid renewed talk of a bid to lure him to the NRL's new Perth team. Hughes dislocated his shoulder so badly in Storm's round 21 clash against the Roosters that he had to be taken to hospital to get it back in place. But days later he put on a movement display for media as he confirmed a contract extension and there's now renewed hope that he could be back sooner than later to aid his team's tough run to the finals. Storm plays fellow top-four aspirants the Brisbane Broncos on Thursday night in Melbourne, then again in Brisbane in the final round, with clashes against top-eight teams the Panthers and Bulldogs in between. Bellamy was reluctant to put a return date on Hughes but said he was 'coming on pretty well' and hoped for a comeback before the finals. 'We're not quite sure of when he'll get back, but he seems to have come on,' Bellamy said. 'His movements around, just around the club, he looks like he's coming on pretty well. We don't want to put a week on him (for a comeback). 'We'd like him to play before the finals if he can, but at the end of the day we're not going to take any risks either. We'll just see how that goes and as the finals get closer we'll see what he can do what he can't do and then go from there.' Bellamy is looking for an improved showing from his side in captain Harry Grant's 100th game for the club after the Storm lost its most recent home game to Manly. The man Grant replaced in the No.9 jersey, club and NRL legend Cameron Smith, 'coughed his way through' a video message showed to the playing group, unable to get to the ground due to illness. Grant earnt the ultimate praise from Bellamy as a 'special player'. 'The big thing for me is how much he cares about the team and what we're about and how much he cares for his teammates,' he said. 'That's the biggest wrap I can give him. He's got genuine care for what this club stands for and he's got genuine care about his teammates.' As speculation mounts that the new Perth franchise could make a mammoth offer, close to $2m a season, for Munster who is off-contract at the end of 2027, Bellamy said all Storm could do was remind the star playmaker of how much they valued him. 'Cameron's got to do what's right for him and at the end of the day if that's gone to Perth, it's the best thing for him and his family. What he's done for our club, we're not going to be dirty on that,' he said. 'But we'd love to keep him at our club and we'll do everything we can to keep him.'
SBS Australia
17 hours ago
- SBS Australia
NITV Radio - News 6/8/2025
Organisers are raising the alarm on the rising rate of homelessness for First Nations families with children. Indigneous group launches legal action to prevent construction of stadium that would be used for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane. And in sport, Melbourne Storm formally apologise to First Nations communities over cancellation of Welcome to Country ceremony on ANZAC Day.
News.com.au
21 hours ago
- News.com.au
‘I'd be lying': Storm young gun Jonah Pezet opens up on potential loan move
Storm young gun Jonah Pezet says it's only natural for him to want to play NRL every week as speculation mounts that the halfback could be loaned to a rival club for 2026 after Jahrome Hughes signed a long-term extension with Melbourne. Pezet, 22, inked a new deal last year to remain in Melbourne until the end of the 2029 season but has a get-out clause if Hughes extended his stay. That could now come into play, with his agent Braith Anasta referencing potential talks with the club while speaking on NRL 360 last week. Pezet has played three games off the bench this season after returning from a devastating knee injury last year but would be a starting halfback at plenty of other clubs. His preference is to stay at the Storm long term, but there is a chance he spends next year at another team, with speculation he would start in 2027 if Cameron Munster is granted permission to deal with the Perth Bears. 'I think I'll leave that up to Braith and everyone at the club, whether it be Trippy (Storm chairman Matt Tripp), or Bunny (Storm recruitment manager Paul Bunn) and the people in charge, Frank (Storm director of football Frank Ponissi) and stuff, they'll sort it all out,' Pezet said. 'I'm just focused on putting my best foot forward every week and that's when Belza (Storm coach Craig Bellamy) picks the team, so I'll do what I can to make sure he puts me in the 17 every week and then all the other stuff will roll off the back of that. 'Obviously, the best footy I play, the more NRL I'm going to get, so that's what I'm focused on. 'I think I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to play NRL every week. As a kid you grow up and that's what you want to do, so of course I want to chase those opportunities. 'Obviously with 'Hughesy' going down there's an opportunity there at the moment, and I'll keep putting my best foot forward so that when the time comes, I'm ready for that wherever it might be.' The Storm is no stranger to allowing young stars to develop at other clubs, with Harry Grant joining the Wests Tigers in 2020 on a swap deal that brought Paul Momirovski to Melbourne. Grant was stuck behind Cameron Smith and Brandon Smith who led the Storm to grand final glory that year, but the move allowed Grant to gain valuable experience that ended up with him being named Dally M Rookie of the Year. 'That was the best thing that I could have done at the time, and I'm so grateful for everyone that allowed that to happen,' said Grant, who returned to Melbourne in 2021 and is now the best hooker in the world. 'I had the conversation with Jesse Arthars a few years ago after he asked me about it. He was at the Broncos and went on loan to the Warriors and then went back to the Broncos. 'He asked me and I said '100 per cent do it. If you've got the opportunity to go, then go and do it because the more you play in the NRL, the better'. 'The Broncos were better for it and Jesse was better for it, and at the time, the Warriors were better for it. If it benefits all three parties, then it's such a good thing that can keep bringing talent to light.' Pezet started three games in the halves last year before his injury but will come off the bench again on Thursday against the Broncos after Bellamy revealed he didn't actually have a plan for him in last week's win over the Eels. It's a role he's happy to do for now, with Pezet soaking up as much as he can from Hughes as well as other star spine members Grant, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Munster. 'I'm definitely confident in my own ability to go out there and play 80 minutes of footy in the halfback position, but that's not what's best for the team at the moment and I'll just go out there and do my role when I have to,' he said. Pezet has worked with Immortal Andrew Johns in the past and wants to learn as much as he can from a number of halfbacks, including Hughes, who relies on other parts of his game to succeed. 'He's been really good for me,' he said. 'Obviously, we're a bit different, he's a bit more of a runner and he's based his game off that where I kind of base my game off other things. 'So whether it's off Hughesy, Mun, Harry, all the people in our spine, I try and learn off them, but as a halfback and as a student of the game, you want to watch everyone. 'You want to watch the Nathans (Nathan Cleary), you want to watch Mitch Moses, you want to learn off Joey Johns, you want to learn off everyone you can. 'I don't think I'm definitely locked in on just learning off Jahrome, but obviously the things he's done in the game are really special.'
