Jahrome Hughes thought his season was over when he broke his arm. A surgeon changed his mind

Jahrome Hughes assumed his season was over when he broke his arm against the Broncos on September 4, but his miraculous return on Friday night was the inspiration behind yet another Melbourne grand final appearance.

The Storm’s star trio of Harry Grant, Ryan Papenhuyzen and Cameron Munster were all at their best in Friday night’s 22-14 preliminary final victory over Cronulla – but Hughes’ courage, in a performance that came just 22 days after he fractured his left forearm, was next level.

Having got through the game relatively unscathed, Hughes said the only thing causing him pain was a busted lip, the result of a “headbutt” from Cronulla playmaker Braydon Trindall in a second-half tackle.

Hughes knew he was in trouble when he came from the field against the Broncos in round 27 – his first game back from a dislocated shoulder – and when the fracture was confirmed, he was convinced it meant the end of his campaign.

But surgeon Andrew Oppy insisted Hughes could return this season, and his bold prediction – and steady hands on the operating table – have helped propel Melbourne into their seventh decider since 2012.

“I thought [the season was over] after the Broncos game – I thought I was no chance to play again,” Hughes said.

“I got surgery the day after. The surgeon and medical staff told me I was a chance to play again, and once I heard that, I did everything I could.

“When [Oppy] said I’m a chance to play in three to four weeks, I was up for it. I didn’t believe him at the time.

“[The time out] was a blessing in disguise. I got another couple of weeks to rest my shoulder. To be fair, I felt really confident with my shoulder. A lot of people said I was rushed back, but [the fractured forearm] was just bad luck. It was a totally different injury. It was frustrating to hear [people say] I was rushed back.”

Hughes assured Craig Bellamy he was fit to play, and the master coach backed him.

“It was a big call to leave Jonah [Pezet] out, but the thing with Hughesy, when he spoke to me about it, he was just so confident he was OK,” Bellamy said.

“He’s not an overconfident or cocky kid at all, so when he told me he was ready, I knew he’d be ready.”

Hughes tested out his arm last Thursday and was relieved to find there were no issues.

“I wanted to get a full week of [contact] and didn’t want to come in the week of the game, trying [to test it] at the captain’s run – that would have put the team under pressure,” Hughes said.

“I wanted to say I was right a week before. Once I did that, that gave me and all the boys confidence.”

Hughes praised back-rower Eli Katoa and his fellow right-edge defenders for protecting him from Cronulla’s attackers, who tested his arm on several occasions.

The 30-year-old reigning Dally M Medal winner was more upset about his fat lip, which happened in the second half when Trindall shot out of the defensive line. Trindall was penalised but not placed on report.

“I think [the officials] said because it was head-on-head [contact] it’s not as bad,” Hughes said of the incident, which left him bloodied.

“But you can’t go out there and be reckless and headbutt people, can you?

“It looked like that. I think when you’re coming out of the line, not in control, it’s a bit dangerous if you’re leading with your head and start getting head-on-head contact. You can do a lot of damage. It’s done a bit of damage to my mouth, but it’s all good.”

As for why Melbourne can turn around last year’s grand final defeat, Hughes said: “We have a lot of self-belief in this group. The loss of last year will help us a bit, not just with motivation, but learning about what we did right and what we did wrong – not just in the game but in the prep – there’s a lot that goes into the training week.

“Hopefully, we can handle that a bit better.”

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