The problem with Ben Hunt — and how to fix it
DARREN LOCKYER, The Courier-MailMarch 3, 2017 7:00pm
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THE Broncos are off and running. It’s only one win, but in the early rounds of the premiership, coaches look for one key facet — resilience.
The Broncos showed against Cronulla they have a sufficient supply of it to be a force this season.
For me, there were two important narratives to emerge from Brisbane’s first-up victory. One relates to the Broncos’ young forwards, who made an impressive statement that the pack can cope without their retired workhorse Corey Parker.
The other concerns Ben Hunt, the criticism he is enduring and the steps he must take to regain the mojo that steered the Broncos to the grand final two years ago.
It would be too harsh to say Hunt was poor against the Sharks but external pressures are governing his actions. All the talk about his $6 million Dragons contract, his perceived commitment to the Broncos and whether he is worth the big bucks seems to be bearing down on him.
Hunt may not be reading every headline, but he isn’t living on Mars. He would be aware of the talk and the pressures that come with it.
Put simply, Ben needs to calm down. He is playing a bit edgy and, if anything, is guilty of trying too hard.
He is down a touch on confidence.
It seems counterintuitive, but as a player the best thing you can do when you are trying to get your peak form back is to stop looking for the money play.
Right now, Ben should not concern himself with line breaks and try assists.
Whenever your confidence is down, revert to the basics. Work hard at training. Practise core skills. Play the percentages in games.
If Hunt just focuses on steering the Broncos around the park and staying error-free, it will start to build his self-belief and the bigger plays will come.
I watched Hunt closely in the early minutes against the Sharks. He was rushing out of the defensive line and putting shots on blokes to try and lift his teammates.
His enthusiasm can’t be questioned.
Hunt’s eventual departure from the Broncos has been a talking point for weeks now and it won’t go away until he has a solid game. He almost needs a man-of-the-match performance to put himself at ease. But Ben can blow the storm away if he stays relaxed and works on his execution.
Overall, I was impressed with Brisbane’s performance. A lot has been made of the loss of Parker and Jarrod Wallace, who was crucial to their front-row rotation last season, but the Baby Broncos stepped up against the Sharks.
Playing the defending premiers at their home ground in Round 1 is not an easy assignment.
The emerging forwards look to be relishing the extra responsibility. The deployment of your interchange bench is so crucial in the modern game and I liked the up-tempo contributions from Herman Ese’ese, Tevita Pangai Jnr and Jai Arrow.
Wayne Bennett has been around too long to get carried away after one game. But experience and youthful hunger can take a team a long way in this premiership. The Broncos have both.
