LeagueNews.co | Cooper McEnroe
Agent Braith Anasta has opened up about Jonah Pezet's unexpected exit from the Melbourne Storm, revealing that Pezet was "blindsided" by the club's decision to re-sign Jahrome Hughes.
This week, Pezet reportedly reached an agreement to join the Parramatta Eels in 2026, before moving to the Brisbane Broncos in 2027. This transition was made possible by activating a clause in his previous contract that allowed for his departure from the Storm.
The clause was included in his re-signed contract with Melbourne, despite the presence of both Jahrome Hughes and Cameron Munster in the squad. Hughes' re-signing triggered Pezet's decision to invoke that clause, resulting in his impending exit.
During a discussion on the BFTU Sports 180 podcast, Anasta mentioned that the expectation was Hughes would return to Queensland, rather than stay with Melbourne. He said, "It has been a long ongoing deal in terms of negotiations with a lot of moving parts." Anasta added, "There was a clause with Jahrome Hughes. Essentially what we got told a year ago when we re-signed Jonah with Melbourne on an extension was that Jahrome was most likely not going to be there at the end of his deal, not because they don't love him. He is a great player, we all know that."