Early career Hughes played for the
Sydney Roosters SG Ball Cup team before being signed by the Gold Coast Titans in 2012. He played for the Gold Coast
NYC team from 2012 to 2014.
2013–2014: Gold Coast Titans In Round 17 of the
2013 NRL season, Hughes made his NRL debut for the
Gold Coast Titans against
Penrith at
Darwin. In 2014, he spent the season in the NYC and was released by the
Gold Coast at the end of the year.
2015 Hughes joined the new
Queensland Cup side, the
Townsville Blackhawks. In September, he was named at fullback in the 2015 Queensland Cup Team of the Year. Hughes was named Blackhawks' Best Back and Players' Player. In October, Hughes signed a one-year contract with
North Queensland.
2016: North Queensland Cowboys On 8 May, Hughes represented the
Queensland Residents against the
New South Wales Residents, playing at fullback and scoring a try in the 16–30 win. In Round 12, Hughes made his
North Queensland debut in
Wollongong, scoring a try in the 10–14 loss to
St. George Illawarra. On 30 June, he signed a two-year contract with
Melbourne starting in 2017. On 3 September, Hughes was named in the
Queensland Cup Team of the Year at fullback for the second straight year.
2017–present: Melbourne Storm In round 16 of the
2017 season, Hughes made his
Melbourne Storm debut against the
Sydney Roosters at
Adelaide on 24 June, becoming Melbourne player 184. Hughes earned selection for the
New Zealand national rugby league team at the end of the 2018 season, but did not make the run-on team. After the retirement of
Billy Slater and injury to
Scott Drinkwater, Hughes began the
2019 season playing . Following consistent performances for the Storm, Hughes made his international debut for
New Zealand Kiwis against
Tonga. He scored a try on debut and played off the bench. In round 23, Hughes made the move to to accommodate
Ryan Papenhuyzen at at the expense of usual
Brodie Croft. Hughes would remain there for the remaining games of the 2019 season, scoring a try in the finals series however the Storm would lose in the preliminary finals to 2018 grand final opponent, the
Sydney Roosters in a tight game 14–6. Hughes would make the permanent move into the halves in 2020 usually partnering
Cameron Munster, but occasionally partnering with
Cameron Smith. This transition would prove successful with Hughes starting at halfback in Melbourne's 26–20
2020 NRL Grand Final over
Penrith. Hughes would cap a personally successful
2021 season by being awarded the Melbourne Storm Player of the Year award, also being crowned as the 2021 Kiwi Player of the Year. He would also fill in as Melbourne Storm captain for the first time in 2022, re-signing with the club until the end of the 2026 NRL season. In 2022, Hughes started at halfback for the first time in his fourth test match representing
New Zealand Kiwis. Hughes would score the opening try in the Kiwis 26–6 win against
Tonga. Hughes played 22 games for Melbourne in the
2023 NRL season as the club finished third on the table. Hughes played in Melbourne's preliminary final loss against Penrith.
2024 . Hughes played a total of 23 matches for Melbourne in the
2024 NRL season as the club were runaway minor premiers. Hughes, who had steered the team in the midst of a plethora of player injuries, was awarded the
Dally M Medal. Hughes played in Melbourne's
2024 NRL Grand Final loss against Penrith. Hughes would be selected for New Zealand for the
2024 Rugby League Pacific Championships, but had to withdraw from the squad due to injury.
2025 On 29 July, Melbourne announced that Hughes re-signed with the team until the end of 2030. Hughes played 20 games for Melbourne in the
2025 NRL season including their 26-22
2025 NRL Grand Final loss against Brisbane. ==Honours==