Pezet to take loan path over giving up Melbourne dream permanently

Jonah Pezet is looking for an NRL club to play for on loan in 2026, with the young Gosford star now seeing that as the best way forward to make sure he still gets a real chance to play for the Melbourne Storm.

The 22-year-old is signed with the Storm through to 2029, but has a key clause in his contract: Should Jarome Hughes re-sign with the club beyond 2026, he can then leave to find a starting role elsewhere.

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With Hughes just re-signing, Melbourne had resigned itself to losing Pezet after next year. But in a relatively unsurprising move considering how much Pezet has loved being in the Storm squad, it looks like the youngster is doing everything in his power to stay on in the Victorian capital through to 2029 – even if that means leaving the club for a season.

The Sporting Base has heard Pezet is speaking to other NRL clubs about a 2026 deal.

It would be just a one-year loan stint, however, with Pezet eager to return to the Storm from 2027.

It all hinges on the Perth Bears, though. This plan Pezet and his team have cooked up relies on Cameron Munster taking up the Bears’ offer for ’27, freeing up a place in the Storm halves. In this scenario, Pezet would get NRL game time through 2026 before then partnering Hughes in the number six jersey and replacing Munster as the long-term Storm five-eighth.

Pezet’s agent, Braith Anasta, will be speaking to Melbourne about the plan in the next week.

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This Base writer understands that the Storm knows about the plan and likes the idea, should Munster leave.

Other NRL clubs have been paying close attention as the whispers grow, too, with clubs like Newcastle, St George Illawarra, and South Sydney all willing to put their hands up to take the youngster for 2026 as they look for a more permanent signing. The shortest-odd leaders, though, are the Gold Coast Titans, who would slot Pezet in alongside Jayden Campbell.

The move echoes what Harry Grant did when he was stuck behind Cameron Smith in the waning years of the future Immortals’ career; the Storms’ now-number nine spent a year playing for the Wests Tigers before returning.

The fact that helped his development has made Melbourne even more eager to ‘okay’ the plan.