Jahrome Hughes set to go into battle with Nathan Cleary as a better player and leader than 2020 grand final

Jahrome Hughes could go into the grand final as the Dally M medallist and revealed the change he made that had helped him and Melbourne Storm succeed in 2024.

Jahrome Hughes didn’t feel like he had to be a leader the last time he played in an NRL grand final.

In 2020, the rookie halfback knew he had a key role in the decider, but with legendary captain Cameron Smith running the show, Hughes, in his first full season as Storm’s No.7, said he “didn’t really need to do too much back then”.

Four years later and Hughes, now 29, returns to the grand final as not only one of the best players in the game, potentially as a Dally M medallist pending Wednesday night’s vote count, and as the leader he now knows he has to be.

While Hughes lauded Melbourne captain Harry Grant for the work he’d done to ensure Storm was “the tightest we’ve been in a long time”, he identified his own failings in leadership during the off-season, and having established himself as a superstar No.7 in his own right, set about making that another strength.

Jahrome Hughes scored three tries in the preliminary final win over the Roosters. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Having fallen short of making the grand final last season, beaten by Penrith in a preliminary final, the leadership work could prove crucial in delivering him, and his teammates, a second premiership.

“I think in the pre-season, we sort of come together as a leadership group, and probably spoke about what we wanted to do as a leadership group and how we wanted to lead,” he said.

“We probably felt like we didn’t do a very good job last year as a leadership group, so that’s something we want to pick up this year.

“And to his credit, Harry’s been awesome for us this year as captain, and he’s really bringing the team together, and he’s led really well.

“I feel like the group that we have is the tightest we’ve been in a long time. And, you know, I feel like that makes a successful team.

“You can’t be a team on the field if you’re not a true team off the field, so we’ve been doing a lot of events together, and it’s a lot of banter around the club, which is really good, and I feel like that’s really helped go towards our on-field performances.”

Hughes with the premiership trophy in 2020. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

So has Hughes’s outstanding own form in 2024, so much so he’s favourite to be crowned the NRL’s best player, for this season at least, on Wednesday night, not that he’s thinking about it, even if such an award would address Grant’s assertion that his teammate goes “unnoticed” despite his quality.
“I don’t really worry about that sort of stuff like noticed or unnoticed outside of these walls, it doesn’t really bother me too much,” Hughes said.

“But I think inside these four walls are opinions that I most care about. And if he’s saying that, that’s pretty good, I guess. And if the coach is happy with me, although he’s not very happy much, I guess they’re the opinions I care about.”

It could be argued that while Hughes is the player of 2024, his opposite number, Penrith gun Nathan Clary, remains the game’s best player, which is how the Storm star sees it too.

Hughes is a better leader in 2024. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Having the two best halfbacks in the NRL going around on grand final day means talk of their battle deciding the game will be ever present, but for Hughes, while all too aware of his opponent’s capacity, the game is more than just two players.

“I think just the influence he has on that team and just his play, he’s so skilful, and he can do pretty much everything, so he’s the full package,” Hughes said of Cleary.

“If he’s not the best in the game, he’s definitely top two.

“But I don’t see it as a battle between me and him. It’s a battle of two great teams going head-to-head and hopefully putting on a great game.

“It’s pretty surreal what they’ve been able to do, a fifth grand final in a row, and they’re well deserved because they’re obviously such a great, great team and a great club.
“Without trying to point it as a player versus player thing, I think it’s gonna be a good game for team versus team.”