Jahrome Hughes is one of the biggest names in the NRL, a Dally M Medal winner, premiership winner with the Melbourne Storm and proud New Zealand Kiwi. His rise to becoming one of the best halfbacks in the game is an incredible story of resilience, hard work and making the most of opportunities.
In this episode of What a Lad, Jahrome takes us through his journey from growing up in Wellington to reaching the very top of rugby league. It's a career that has had some incredible highs but also plenty of setbacks, tough lessons and moments where things could have gone very differently. What makes Jahrome's story so good is how open he is about the mistakes he made, the people who helped him along the way and the mindset that changed everything.
Some parts that stood out for me in this episode were…
- Growing up dreaming of becoming an All Black before finding his way into rugby league.
- Making his NRL debut at just 18 and getting too comfortable too early.
- Losing his Titans contract and going from full-time NRL player back to Queensland Cup and pouring pints.
- Going through back surgery and the challenges that came with that.
- Almost giving the game away before getting another opportunity with the Cowboys.
- Why he initially didn't want to join the Melbourne Storm and how he ended up there.
- The brutal Craig Bellamy spray after returning to preseason overweight.
- Being told he wasn't good enough to play halfback for the Storm.
- Winning the Dally M Medal and the emotional haka that followed.
- Having his childhood idol Benji Marshall present him with his Kiwis jersey.
- Revealing just how close he came to signing with the Warriors!
It's always an honour having one of my favourite players can on the podcast and this episod is just that. Jahrome is such a humble, genuine lad and it's awesome to see someone who has achieved so much still be so grounded. There are plenty of laughs, some incredible stories and some great lessons in this one. Let me know what you thought of it in the comments
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