September 27, 2025 • 10 mins
Jahrome Hughes has completed a remarkable injury recovery to lead the Storm into another NRL Grand Final.
The Kiwis halfback has scored a try and been instrumental in Melbourne's 22-14 win over the Sharks in their preliminary final - three weeks after breaking his arm.
NRL writer Brad Walter joined Piney to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks EDB to.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Their tenth NRL Grand Final tonight. U toy Kamad who's
splashing off the defense there and here's goes through Jeers
in the cliff, Hews goes for it. Tive years makes sense.
I could rest it all drive Jews. There's such a
good try store. Yeah, that was Friday night, the Storm
(00:32):
beating the Sharks twenty two to fourteen in their preliminary
final in Melbourne. Kiwis, Will Warbrick and Jerome Hughes. As
you heard, they're crossing for first half tries for the Storm.
They'll face the winner of tonight's second preliminary final between
the Broncos and Panthers at sun Corp Stadium and Brisbane,
a repeat of the twenty twenty three Grand Final. The
Panthers just eighty minutes away from a sixth consecutive Grand
(00:54):
Final appearance and a chance at a remarkable five peat.
The Broncos, though, have won nine of their past ten
finals matches at sun Corp and have scored one hundred
and twenty eight points in their last three home games.
Vastly experienced NURL journalist Brad Walter is whether u's bread
Let's look at Friday first. Did it always feel like
the Storm were in control of that game?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Look?
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Yeah, Jesson, it felt like the Storm were. It felt
like they were in control and they were on top.
But but they but they weren't. Sort of they didn't
have it within their grasp, if you know what I mean.
It was the Sharks were like they were. They always
kept with it, you know, kept close enough to to
make you think, oh, you know, this game could turn.
And I have to say that probably about midway through
(01:38):
the second half, I started to think that the Sharks
had the momentum that they that they they were getting
on top and that and that had happened to the
Storm when they played the Broncos a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Oh, we seem to have just lost you there, Mauly shread.
Let's see if we can get Brad back on online. There. Andy,
we don't want to, I don't want to cut the
short after just the one question, and so we can
get Brad back on the line. Fourteen to five Counties
lead Munawoard two. I can tell you after twenty five
minutes of their game and poker Koe ten nil to
(02:15):
Bay of Plenty over wait cuttle at podong a domain
in their game. Just hoping to get Brad Walter back
up here to give us some more insight into this
NRL preliminary final. I wonder whether we can get Brad back,
and he's just trying furiously. It looks like we've got
(02:36):
him back. You were talking about the Sharks. I think
when we lost you their Brad and how you thought
it at one stage in the second half they might
be might be good for the win.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yeah, and I just thought the Storm might be underdone.
They had I think they had five players who hadn't
played a lot of football for a long time, including Hughes.
But he was magnificent, wasn't he, Jerome Hus It's incredible
to think that he broke his wrist three weeks, three
weeks ago, and here he was coming back. And I
saw the Roosters doctor on social media saying, you know,
basically what Jerome Hughs has done is going to make
(03:05):
every coach now. I think that three weeks as the
standard for returning from a broken arm. So he was incredible.
The storm that, I mean, what can you say about them,
to be honest, they you know, their record is phenomenal.
They know how to win, win the big games.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
You know.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Craig Bellamy is a coach, is just like it's it's
just amazing. You know, they're absolute phenomenon. But like Penrith
have actually got the better record or the more recent
record as well. So we're witnessing a couple of clubs
that are, you know, probably as good as has.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Ever been in the history of rugby league.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
And you know we're eighty minutes away from finding out
whether we've got another Panthers storm Grand Final.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Well let's talk about that eighty minutes because the second
preliminary final isn't a few hours time, Brisbane against the Panthers.
I mean, you just feel as though the Panthers are
going to win this one, don't you. But the Broncos,
I mean they are a good team, aren't they. Brad
They're getting there, Adam Reynolds back, Reese Walsh, they could
win the game. Good made the Broncos for sure, they
can win the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Like they are.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
They've got incredible momentum at the moment they're going to
be playing before absolutely packed Sun Corps stadium that it
will be, you know, chock full of Broncos fans who
will be churing them. It's caught up there. It's about
thirty degrees at the moment so in Brisbane, so you
know it's still going to be really quite up there
at kickoff time. They've got I said, they've got momentum.
(04:33):
Reee Walsh is in like unbelievable for me.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Can you know the.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Game's never done? I mean what were they down sixteen
points against the Raiders and they came back? You know,
Reechbalks after being sin bid, came back and instigated that
incredible comeback. Adam Reynolds, their captain and spiritual leader and
like one of the best kickers in the game is
in returning after a long layoff with it with a
hamstring injury. Ezra Man, who you know also was injured
(05:00):
before the finals series.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
He's back and he's going to be on the bench.
Will hit. There's no doubt he'll come on and make
some impact.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
If you remember the twenty twenty three Grand Final between
these two teams, that looked like Ezra Men was basically
give him the Clive Churchill Medal. He'd won the Grand
Final for the Broncos before Nathan Cleary's you know, absolute
master class in the last twenty minutes. So yeah, there's
there's a lot of reasons why the Broncos can win
and they're they're up against and they've had a week's
break as well, they're freshing up. The only thing I
(05:28):
think going against him is that Pat Carrigan's out suspended,
but like paid halfs best best front rower in the game.
You know, there's Michael mcguy will have them absolutely primed.
There's there's so many reasons why why the Broncos will win.
But they're up against the panther side that they that
was running last in round twelve, like halfway through the competition,
they were last, and they've and they managed to get
(05:50):
their way into seventh spot. And like nobody wants to
play them, you would there's no way you'd want to
play them. You wouldn't back against them winning a fisconsecutive premiership.
You know, they've had a turnover of players, It's been
really well documented Jerome Lewy, James Fisher Harris in particular.
But mate, they're there again. They're there again, in about
(06:11):
eighty minutes away from another Grand Final. Nathan Cleary, there's
some incredible stats. You know, Nathan Cleary hasn't lost a
game in daytime football. I think it's twenty six games
in a row since twenty ninety. You know, Reece Walsh
has never won a game against the Panthers, so he's
none from seven, you know. So I don't know if
those stats will mean anything after today, but yeah, Doc, yeah,
(06:34):
there's going to be a hell of a game. I
suppose that's what we know. It's going to be a
cracking game. We've seen some great games of rugby league
this year and during the finals that Broncos Raiders game
was as good as it gets. And yeah, here we
are this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
I don't know who wins bored. I do know is
it's going to be a great Grand Final. That's the
other thing. Broncos v Storm or Panthers v Storm. It's
going to be an absolute cracking Grand Final.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
But if Penrith were to go on and win today
and then win the Grand Final from seventh, where would
that sit among their recent champion.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
That would be their greatest achievement. I've got no doubt
about that.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
The players that they've lost and I mean the players
they've lost over you know, over over recent years. You know,
each year they lose players and they replenish them. But
they lost like two absolute leaders in Fisher Harris and
Lui this year, like the guys that you can't really
replace and I'm not saying they have replaced, but replace them.
But other guys have stepped up and like Casey McLain
(07:30):
for example. You know, young kiwe Center, he's been outstanding
this year, Like he wasn't even a regular first grader,
but he's got his chance. Based Halongi, who they recruited
from Paramatta, I think everyone knew he was going to
be a good footballer, but but at the beginning of
the year it was sort of there was a lot
of a lot of question marks about whether he was
the guy and obviously big shoes to feel and he's
done the job. And Moses Leota, I think he's probably
(07:52):
really you know, gone to another level this year in
the absence of Fisher Harris because he's had to so.
But yeah, like I would say, it'd be their greatest
achievement to come from last midway through the competition, to
have lost those players. And you know there are a
lot of question marks. Basically everyone was saying they couldn't
do it, and here they are, you know, and they
(08:13):
have but just unbelievable confidence and self belief. Ivan Cleary,
You've got to say he's one of the greatest coaches
of all time. What he's done to turn to to
you know, turn this Panthers team into well, you know,
the greatest team of my lifetime, greatest achievement of my lifetime,
(08:33):
to win four in a row, playing five Grand Finals
and possibly you know, possibly that runs not over.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
And he's done it.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
And they've done it mainly with like if you go
back to the beginning of their run six years ago,
a lot of those players weren't they weren't superstars there,
and they were they were mainly kids that had come
out of the Panthers area or players like Fisher Harris
had been been spotted at a young age and brought
over and put in the Penrift system. And now they're
(09:01):
just a well, a machine. And as I said, they
lose superstars like Stephen Crichton and Philly Army Kickour and
Uppy corros Our every year and and they and they
just keep replacing and replacing them with usually with with
local talent, just someone else filling the filling, the jumping
in and filling, filling the spot and becoming a star
(09:22):
player themselves. So they're an incredible, incredible, incredible club, incredible team.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Yeah, just a triumph of regeneration and development as well.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Well.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
As you say, Brad, we're going to get a cracking
game today and regardless who wins it, we're going to
get a cracking Grand final as well. So thanks for
joining us across New Zealanders always. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
And look, I Worries are in the New South Welest
Cup Grand Final as well today. If they win that,
they'll be playing the Burly Bears next Sunday before the
in r L W and inn RL Grand finals. So
and so there's a a Cleary connection there too with
Jack Cleary in the in the Warrior's side, so you'll
see what happens there. I think there are a very
good chance of winning, so it could be some Warriors
representation on Grand Final day.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Fantastic Always good chatting Brad. Thanks indeed, Brad Walter there,
longtime NRAL journalist and a familiar voice on weekend sport
as well. Broncos against the Panthers seven o five tonight
New Zealand Time and the winner to go through to
the Grand Final against the Melbourne Storm next Sunday evening.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk set B weekends from midday or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Weekend Sport podcast with Jason Vine
from Newstalks EDB to.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Their tenth NRL Grand Final tonight. U toy Kamad who's
splashing off the defense there and here's goes through Jeers
in the cliff, Hews goes for it. Tive years makes sense.
I could rest it all drive Jews. There's such a
good try store. Yeah, that was Friday night, the Storm
(00:32):
beating the Sharks twenty two to fourteen in their preliminary
final in Melbourne. Kiwis, Will Warbrick and Jerome Hughes. As
you heard, they're crossing for first half tries for the Storm.
They'll face the winner of tonight's second preliminary final between
the Broncos and Panthers at sun Corp Stadium and Brisbane,
a repeat of the twenty twenty three Grand Final. The
Panthers just eighty minutes away from a sixth consecutive Grand
(00:54):
Final appearance and a chance at a remarkable five peat.
The Broncos, though, have won nine of their past ten
finals matches at sun Corp and have scored one hundred
and twenty eight points in their last three home games.
Vastly experienced NURL journalist Brad Walter is whether u's bread
Let's look at Friday first. Did it always feel like
the Storm were in control of that game?
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Look?
Speaker 4 (01:17):
Yeah, Jesson, it felt like the Storm were. It felt
like they were in control and they were on top.
But but they but they weren't. Sort of they didn't
have it within their grasp, if you know what I mean.
It was the Sharks were like they were. They always
kept with it, you know, kept close enough to to
make you think, oh, you know, this game could turn.
And I have to say that probably about midway through
(01:38):
the second half, I started to think that the Sharks
had the momentum that they that they they were getting
on top and that and that had happened to the
Storm when they played the Broncos a couple of weeks ago.
Speaker 2 (01:54):
Oh, we seem to have just lost you there, Mauly shread.
Let's see if we can get Brad back on online. There. Andy,
we don't want to, I don't want to cut the
short after just the one question, and so we can
get Brad back on the line. Fourteen to five Counties
lead Munawoard two. I can tell you after twenty five
minutes of their game and poker Koe ten nil to
(02:15):
Bay of Plenty over wait cuttle at podong a domain
in their game. Just hoping to get Brad Walter back
up here to give us some more insight into this
NRL preliminary final. I wonder whether we can get Brad back,
and he's just trying furiously. It looks like we've got
(02:36):
him back. You were talking about the Sharks. I think
when we lost you their Brad and how you thought
it at one stage in the second half they might
be might be good for the win.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
Yeah, and I just thought the Storm might be underdone.
They had I think they had five players who hadn't
played a lot of football for a long time, including Hughes.
But he was magnificent, wasn't he, Jerome Hus It's incredible
to think that he broke his wrist three weeks, three
weeks ago, and here he was coming back. And I
saw the Roosters doctor on social media saying, you know,
basically what Jerome Hughs has done is going to make
(03:05):
every coach now. I think that three weeks as the
standard for returning from a broken arm. So he was incredible.
The storm that, I mean, what can you say about them,
to be honest, they you know, their record is phenomenal.
They know how to win, win the big games.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
You know.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Craig Bellamy is a coach, is just like it's it's
just amazing. You know, they're absolute phenomenon. But like Penrith
have actually got the better record or the more recent
record as well. So we're witnessing a couple of clubs
that are, you know, probably as good as has.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
Ever been in the history of rugby league.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
And you know we're eighty minutes away from finding out
whether we've got another Panthers storm Grand Final.
Speaker 2 (03:49):
Well let's talk about that eighty minutes because the second
preliminary final isn't a few hours time, Brisbane against the Panthers.
I mean, you just feel as though the Panthers are
going to win this one, don't you. But the Broncos,
I mean they are a good team, aren't they. Brad
They're getting there, Adam Reynolds back, Reese Walsh, they could
win the game. Good made the Broncos for sure, they
can win the whole thing.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Like they are.
Speaker 4 (04:12):
They've got incredible momentum at the moment they're going to
be playing before absolutely packed Sun Corps stadium that it
will be, you know, chock full of Broncos fans who
will be churing them. It's caught up there. It's about
thirty degrees at the moment so in Brisbane, so you
know it's still going to be really quite up there
at kickoff time. They've got I said, they've got momentum.
(04:33):
Reee Walsh is in like unbelievable for me.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Can you know the.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
Game's never done? I mean what were they down sixteen
points against the Raiders and they came back? You know,
Reechbalks after being sin bid, came back and instigated that
incredible comeback. Adam Reynolds, their captain and spiritual leader and
like one of the best kickers in the game is
in returning after a long layoff with it with a
hamstring injury. Ezra Man, who you know also was injured
(05:00):
before the finals series.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
He's back and he's going to be on the bench.
Will hit. There's no doubt he'll come on and make
some impact.
Speaker 4 (05:05):
If you remember the twenty twenty three Grand Final between
these two teams, that looked like Ezra Men was basically
give him the Clive Churchill Medal. He'd won the Grand
Final for the Broncos before Nathan Cleary's you know, absolute
master class in the last twenty minutes. So yeah, there's
there's a lot of reasons why the Broncos can win
and they're they're up against and they've had a week's
break as well, they're freshing up. The only thing I
(05:28):
think going against him is that Pat Carrigan's out suspended,
but like paid halfs best best front rower in the game.
You know, there's Michael mcguy will have them absolutely primed.
There's there's so many reasons why why the Broncos will win.
But they're up against the panther side that they that
was running last in round twelve, like halfway through the competition,
they were last, and they've and they managed to get
(05:50):
their way into seventh spot. And like nobody wants to
play them, you would there's no way you'd want to
play them. You wouldn't back against them winning a fisconsecutive premiership.
You know, they've had a turnover of players, It's been
really well documented Jerome Lewy, James Fisher Harris in particular.
But mate, they're there again. They're there again, in about
(06:11):
eighty minutes away from another Grand Final. Nathan Cleary, there's
some incredible stats. You know, Nathan Cleary hasn't lost a
game in daytime football. I think it's twenty six games
in a row since twenty ninety. You know, Reece Walsh
has never won a game against the Panthers, so he's
none from seven, you know. So I don't know if
those stats will mean anything after today, but yeah, Doc, yeah,
(06:34):
there's going to be a hell of a game. I
suppose that's what we know. It's going to be a
cracking game. We've seen some great games of rugby league
this year and during the finals that Broncos Raiders game
was as good as it gets. And yeah, here we
are this afternoon.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (06:48):
I don't know who wins bored. I do know is
it's going to be a great Grand Final. That's the
other thing. Broncos v Storm or Panthers v Storm. It's
going to be an absolute cracking Grand Final.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
But if Penrith were to go on and win today
and then win the Grand Final from seventh, where would
that sit among their recent champion.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
That would be their greatest achievement. I've got no doubt
about that.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
The players that they've lost and I mean the players
they've lost over you know, over over recent years. You know,
each year they lose players and they replenish them. But
they lost like two absolute leaders in Fisher Harris and
Lui this year, like the guys that you can't really
replace and I'm not saying they have replaced, but replace them.
But other guys have stepped up and like Casey McLain
(07:30):
for example. You know, young kiwe Center, he's been outstanding
this year, Like he wasn't even a regular first grader,
but he's got his chance. Based Halongi, who they recruited
from Paramatta, I think everyone knew he was going to
be a good footballer, but but at the beginning of
the year it was sort of there was a lot
of a lot of question marks about whether he was
the guy and obviously big shoes to feel and he's
done the job. And Moses Leota, I think he's probably
(07:52):
really you know, gone to another level this year in
the absence of Fisher Harris because he's had to so.
But yeah, like I would say, it'd be their greatest
achievement to come from last midway through the competition, to
have lost those players. And you know there are a
lot of question marks. Basically everyone was saying they couldn't
do it, and here they are, you know, and they
(08:13):
have but just unbelievable confidence and self belief. Ivan Cleary,
You've got to say he's one of the greatest coaches
of all time. What he's done to turn to to
you know, turn this Panthers team into well, you know,
the greatest team of my lifetime, greatest achievement of my lifetime,
(08:33):
to win four in a row, playing five Grand Finals
and possibly you know, possibly that runs not over.
Speaker 3 (08:40):
And he's done it.
Speaker 4 (08:41):
And they've done it mainly with like if you go
back to the beginning of their run six years ago,
a lot of those players weren't they weren't superstars there,
and they were they were mainly kids that had come
out of the Panthers area or players like Fisher Harris
had been been spotted at a young age and brought
over and put in the Penrift system. And now they're
(09:01):
just a well, a machine. And as I said, they
lose superstars like Stephen Crichton and Philly Army Kickour and
Uppy corros Our every year and and they and they
just keep replacing and replacing them with usually with with
local talent, just someone else filling the filling, the jumping
in and filling, filling the spot and becoming a star
(09:22):
player themselves. So they're an incredible, incredible, incredible club, incredible team.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Yeah, just a triumph of regeneration and development as well.
Speaker 3 (09:30):
Well.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
As you say, Brad, we're going to get a cracking
game today and regardless who wins it, we're going to
get a cracking Grand final as well. So thanks for
joining us across New Zealanders always. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (09:39):
And look, I Worries are in the New South Welest
Cup Grand Final as well today. If they win that,
they'll be playing the Burly Bears next Sunday before the
in r L W and inn RL Grand finals. So
and so there's a a Cleary connection there too with
Jack Cleary in the in the Warrior's side, so you'll
see what happens there. I think there are a very
good chance of winning, so it could be some Warriors
representation on Grand Final day.
Speaker 2 (09:59):
Fantastic Always good chatting Brad. Thanks indeed, Brad Walter there,
longtime NRAL journalist and a familiar voice on weekend sport
as well. Broncos against the Panthers seven o five tonight
New Zealand Time and the winner to go through to
the Grand Final against the Melbourne Storm next Sunday evening.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
For more from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine, listen live
to News Talk set B weekends from midday or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio
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