The Melbourne halfback has gone unnoticed in the past but his brilliance this season means all eyes will be on him in Sunday’s NRL grand final

He is the NRL season’s leading light, hidden in plain sight. Halfback Jahrome Hughes has propelled Melbourne to the NRL minor premiership and a grand final showdown with the era-defining Panthers. He might even take home the Dally M medal this week.

But those living in the city he represents largely wouldn’t know it. “If you pick up a paper here, you’re not reading about the Melbourne Storm or Jahrome Hughes,” says Storm captain Harry Grant, who believes Hughes’ brilliance has gone “unnoticed” and been “underrated”.