New Zealand playmaker Jahrome Hughes is preparing to pull on a Melbourne Storm jersey again this week, but his international duties are already off the table.
The 2024 Dally M Medal winner has been ruled out of the 2025 Pacific Championships against Samoa and Tonga, with shoulder surgery required in the coming months.
Hughes has endured a frustrating run of injuries lately, with both a fractured forearm and a shoulder problem sidelining him for long stretches. While he is on track to feature against Cronulla on Friday night, the toll of those setbacks means the Kiwis will be without their influential half.
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Risk and reward in early return
The seriousness of Hughes’ injuries was laid bare by surgeon Andrew Oppy, who explained the aggressive approach taken to get him back on the park for Melbourne’s finals campaign.
“The treatment is pretty straightforward – it is to go in and fix that radius (bone), and do an operation to put it back together, like a carpenter fixing a broken bit of wood and putting it back straight and perfectly aligned,” Oppy told The Daily Telegraph.
The Storm star now plays with a plate and screws holding his forearm together, a method that speeds up recovery but carries risks. “The radius is going well, and it is going to be a discussion now – it is a risk/reward situation. And the risks are that he may re-break it, or the plate and screws may pull off,” Oppy added.
For now, the gamble is focused solely on the NRL finals. Once the season closes, Hughes will go under the knife again, making the Pacific Championships a step too far.