NRL 2025: Storm could loan Jonah Pezet to rival club
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.
Jonah Pezet's Storm future could be decided in the coming weeks. Picture:'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.'
Harry Grant spent a year at the Wests Tigers in 2020 and Paul Momirovski was sent to the Storm in a historic swap deal. Picture: Michael Carayannis
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 could benefit from a loan deal to another club before potentially returning to the Storm in 2027. Picture: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.
Pezet has been able to work with some talented halfbacks. Picture: NRL Photos
'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.'
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I'm learning how to prepare better for each series now, because it's not six months of playing cricket, it's pretty much (getting) ready for three months a year here. 'Then (it is) go again, have a bit of a break, reset, get my body good, and then go again. So even though I'm in the twilight of my career, I'm still learning about what's helping me and what's getting me to be able to perform every time.' A hero at the MCG on debut in the Boxing Day Test in 2021, he said the recent hattrick against the West Indies rated alongside that moment when it came to career highlights. While Boland would love to play every Test for the summer, he is mindful that is unlikely. But he believes the surplus of fast bowling talent will enable the Australian attack to continue to shine throughout the summer and beyond despite being in their 30s. 'I think it is going to help in the long run. We've spoken about it before, that we can ... sort of help each other's career (go for) a bit longer,' he said. 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