'Special' Hughes performance headlines Cowboys thumping

The Advertiser

a day ago

Melbourne's Jahrome Hughes has stolen the spotlight from his North Queensland opposite Tom Dearden with the Storm halfback orchestrating a commanding 38-14 victory at AAMI Park.
All eyes were on Dearden, who is favoured to usurp Daly Cherry-Evans as Queensland's State of Origin No.7 when teams for game two in Perth are announced.
But reigning Dally M Medallist Hughes was the stand-out from both teams, scoring two tries and setting up two more as well as nine tackle-busts in one of his best performances of the season.
Hughes embraced his running game to keep the Cowboys defence guessing, with Cameron Munster also up to the challenge as the superstar pair marked their 100th NRL game in the Storm halves.
Hughes also pulled off a critical strip on Jeremiah Nanai close to the tryline to help his team win consecutive matches for the first time since round six.
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy, who this week signed to stay on in 2027, said Hughes had been battling a number of injuries including a broken hand and neck issues.
"He has been playing pretty well, but that was a pretty special effort tonight, it was definitely his best performance this year," Bellamy said.
"He's done remarkably well to have played as many games as he's played, with some of the injuries, they're just sort of worn him down a little bit mentally too, not being able to do the things that he's used to doing or is capable of doing.
"So he's been really brave for us ... but it looked like he shook off a few of those injuries tonight."
Melbourne started with a bang with tries to Eli Katoa and Hughes setting up a 12-0 after 18 minutes.
A pin-point cut-out pass from Dearden to winger Jaxson Paulo put the visitors on the scoreboard two minutes later.
Melbourne went off the boil and only desperate defence goal-line kept them ahead, with North Queensland dominating territory 68 per cent to 32.
Despite that statistic, the Storm made them pay when they got a chance in the 39th minute when a Hughes bomb was dropped cold by fullback Scott Drinkwater.
Hughes then collected the spoils in the next set, linking with the rest of the star Melbourne spine for an 18-4 halftime lead.
Despite a massive spray by Cowboys coach Todd Payten, Nick Meaney crossed two minutes into the second half after the Melbourne centre ran onto a Hughes grubber.
The talented Cowboys attack finally kicked into gear and after Drinkwater saved a third Hughes try he scored one of his own after a Reece Robson dart from dummy-half.
Robert Derby was in two minutes later to close the margin to 10 points but Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona stalled the Cowboys' momentum when he dragged four defenders over the line.
Payten said his team beat themselves.
"It's just pure disappointment, we didn't make a good team earn anything," he said.
"When you crack so easily on your tryline, and then just give them leg up after leg up with tackle four or five penalties, play one, two errors, so it probably should have been more, to be fair.
"It's frustrating and burning inside ... I hate when we beat ourselves, and I felt like tonight we did exactly that."
Melbourne's Jahrome Hughes has stolen the spotlight from his North Queensland opposite Tom Dearden with the Storm halfback orchestrating a commanding 38-14 victory at AAMI Park.
All eyes were on Dearden, who is favoured to usurp Daly Cherry-Evans as Queensland's State of Origin No.7 when teams for game two in Perth are announced.
But reigning Dally M Medallist Hughes was the stand-out from both teams, scoring two tries and setting up two more as well as nine tackle-busts in one of his best performances of the season.
Hughes embraced his running game to keep the Cowboys defence guessing, with Cameron Munster also up to the challenge as the superstar pair marked their 100th NRL game in the Storm halves.
Hughes also pulled off a critical strip on Jeremiah Nanai close to the tryline to help his team win consecutive matches for the first time since round six.
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy, who this week signed to stay on in 2027, said Hughes had been battling a number of injuries including a broken hand and neck issues.
"He has been playing pretty well, but that was a pretty special effort tonight, it was definitely his best performance this year," Bellamy said.
"He's done remarkably well to have played as many games as he's played, with some of the injuries, they're just sort of worn him down a little bit mentally too, not being able to do the things that he's used to doing or is capable of doing.
"So he's been really brave for us ... but it looked like he shook off a few of those injuries tonight."
Melbourne started with a bang with tries to Eli Katoa and Hughes setting up a 12-0 after 18 minutes.
A pin-point cut-out pass from Dearden to winger Jaxson Paulo put the visitors on the scoreboard two minutes later.
Melbourne went off the boil and only desperate defence goal-line kept them ahead, with North Queensland dominating territory 68 per cent to 32.
Despite that statistic, the Storm made them pay when they got a chance in the 39th minute when a Hughes bomb was dropped cold by fullback Scott Drinkwater.
Hughes then collected the spoils in the next set, linking with the rest of the star Melbourne spine for an 18-4 halftime lead.
Despite a massive spray by Cowboys coach Todd Payten, Nick Meaney crossed two minutes into the second half after the Melbourne centre ran onto a Hughes grubber.
The talented Cowboys attack finally kicked into gear and after Drinkwater saved a third Hughes try he scored one of his own after a Reece Robson dart from dummy-half.
Robert Derby was in two minutes later to close the margin to 10 points but Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona stalled the Cowboys' momentum when he dragged four defenders over the line.
Payten said his team beat themselves.
"It's just pure disappointment, we didn't make a good team earn anything," he said.
"When you crack so easily on your tryline, and then just give them leg up after leg up with tackle four or five penalties, play one, two errors, so it probably should have been more, to be fair.
"It's frustrating and burning inside ... I hate when we beat ourselves, and I felt like tonight we did exactly that."
Melbourne's Jahrome Hughes has stolen the spotlight from his North Queensland opposite Tom Dearden with the Storm halfback orchestrating a commanding 38-14 victory at AAMI Park.
All eyes were on Dearden, who is favoured to usurp Daly Cherry-Evans as Queensland's State of Origin No.7 when teams for game two in Perth are announced.
But reigning Dally M Medallist Hughes was the stand-out from both teams, scoring two tries and setting up two more as well as nine tackle-busts in one of his best performances of the season.
Hughes embraced his running game to keep the Cowboys defence guessing, with Cameron Munster also up to the challenge as the superstar pair marked their 100th NRL game in the Storm halves.
Hughes also pulled off a critical strip on Jeremiah Nanai close to the tryline to help his team win consecutive matches for the first time since round six.
Melbourne coach Craig Bellamy, who this week signed to stay on in 2027, said Hughes had been battling a number of injuries including a broken hand and neck issues.
"He has been playing pretty well, but that was a pretty special effort tonight, it was definitely his best performance this year," Bellamy said.
"He's done remarkably well to have played as many games as he's played, with some of the injuries, they're just sort of worn him down a little bit mentally too, not being able to do the things that he's used to doing or is capable of doing.
"So he's been really brave for us ... but it looked like he shook off a few of those injuries tonight."
Melbourne started with a bang with tries to Eli Katoa and Hughes setting up a 12-0 after 18 minutes.
A pin-point cut-out pass from Dearden to winger Jaxson Paulo put the visitors on the scoreboard two minutes later.
Melbourne went off the boil and only desperate defence goal-line kept them ahead, with North Queensland dominating territory 68 per cent to 32.
Despite that statistic, the Storm made them pay when they got a chance in the 39th minute when a Hughes bomb was dropped cold by fullback Scott Drinkwater.
Hughes then collected the spoils in the next set, linking with the rest of the star Melbourne spine for an 18-4 halftime lead.
Despite a massive spray by Cowboys coach Todd Payten, Nick Meaney crossed two minutes into the second half after the Melbourne centre ran onto a Hughes grubber.
The talented Cowboys attack finally kicked into gear and after Drinkwater saved a third Hughes try he scored one of his own after a Reece Robson dart from dummy-half.
Robert Derby was in two minutes later to close the margin to 10 points but Storm prop Nelson Asofa-Solomona stalled the Cowboys' momentum when he dragged four defenders over the line.
Payten said his team beat themselves.
"It's just pure disappointment, we didn't make a good team earn anything," he said.
"When you crack so easily on your tryline, and then just give them leg up after leg up with tackle four or five penalties, play one, two errors, so it probably should have been more, to be fair.
"It's frustrating and burning inside ... I hate when we beat ourselves, and I felt like tonight we did exactly that."