In his four seasons with Melbourne, Tyran Wishart has gained plenty of experience as ‘Mr Fix-it’ for Craig Bellamy.
It’s a role that will continue at AAMI Park on Friday night with Wishart—for now at least—getting the selection nod over Jonah Pezet to wear the Storm number seven as the 2025 NRL finals kick off against the Bulldogs.
Just as he did in 2024, the versatile Wishart has featured in every Storm game this season with 15 of his 24 appearances coming off the interchange bench.
More recently, the 25-year-old has found himself deputising in the halves for the injured Jahrome Hughes and, having returned the bench for the Dally M medalist’s short-lived return in Round 27, Wishart is back for week one of the finals.
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Commenting before official team lists were released on Tuesday, an upbeat Wishart spoke of his keenness to step up once again if selected to replace Hughes.
“If the opportunity comes for me to start I’d love it, but that’s up to the coaches,” he said.
‘At the Storm we have lot of good people who are biding their time’
While his finals promotion has been forced through unfortunate circumstances, Wishart pointed to a key upside from Hughes’ ongoing injury struggles over the past two months—namely, that both he and the Storm side has had plenty of practise playing without the kiwi international.
“That helps for sure,” Wishart admitted.
“Obviously a bit of experience and exposure to the position (halfback) always helps, and in the last six weeks there’s been a fair bit of exposure.
“Here at the Storm we have lot of good people who are biding their time. Whatever the coaches come up with, hopefully it’s me, but we have a lot of depth so I think they’ll make the right call regardless.”
‘Hopefully there’s a switch we can flick’
Despite losing their final two regular season matches, Wishart said the Storm squad was ready to turn things around in the final series, beginning with the Bulldogs who boast the best defence in the NRL.
“The past couple of weeks has been a shame, it’s not the footy we want to play,” he said.
“But finals is like a new season, the desire is there, we just have to show it on Friday night against the Bulldogs.
“Hopefully there’s a switch we can flick, we’ve trained well and we’re feeling good.”