Storm recruit Jamayne Isaako concedes he would have preferred to have remained at the Dolphins but says he’s excited to begin the next chapter of his life in Melbourne.
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The pointscoring machine signed a two-year deal with the Storm earlier in the season, with the Dolphins facing a salary cap squeeze with several star outside backs set to become free agents on November 1.
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Isaako didn’t miss a game in his four seasons at the Dolphins and amassed a staggering 1055 points on the right wing.
“Ideally, we wanted to stay in Brisbane,” he told the NewsWire.
“I was enjoying my time at the Dolphins, and at the time, they couldn’t come to the table with anything.
“I was wanting to get a deal done so that I wouldn’t have to worry about footy and I could play the season out without having to have that stress.
“I left it all to my manager. He basically kept coming back to me and saying that the Dolphins didn’t have anything ready, hence why I made the decision to go to Melbourne who were keen to sign me straight away.
“It was a tough decision, one that my partner and I didn’t take lightly because we’ve got two young kids as well. But we’re looking forward to this next chapter.
“I’m officially a Melbourne Storm player now and I’m looking forward to rubbing shoulders with the likes of Jahrome Hughes, Cameron Munster and Harry Grant.”
The outstanding goalkicker is in camp with New Zealand for the World Cup but is looking forward to working with AFL players and coaches in Melbourne to work on his aerial skills.
He was outleapt twice by Kangaroos winger Jack Bostock in the World Cup opener and has big boots to fill at the Storm given how dominant Will Warbrick was in the air.
The Storm had a cheat code off kicks in 2025, with Xavier Coates and Eli Katoa incredible under the high ball, but both men missed all of this year.
“Everyone knows that Melbourne is AFL central down there, and you’ve got the elite of the game that play in that code,” Isaako said.
“If I can go down there and learn to get a bit more air action and jump a bit higher or whatnot, that’s obviously something that I’m looking forward to taking on board and hopefully adding to the arsenal.”
The Storm already has an Isaako on the books, with Victory Isaako starring for them in the lower grades.
“I’ve been asked if he’s a relative or brother of mine, but I don’t think there’s any sort of relation there or anything like that,” Jamayne said.
“I heard he’s from Christchurch too, funnily enough. Maybe there is some sort of relation there or not, but I honestly don’t even know.”
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