RUMOUR: Eels interested in Hunt

[Mitchell_Broncos]

Lets throw some cash at Cronk haha

 

[Fernando]

cant believe the guy wont just spend a fucking off season on the paddock kicking.. FMD

Yeah, that'd be the best scenario but we've been waiting for a few years now...

 

[Mister Wright]

Let's realistically rank the halfbacks of the compeition at the start of the season:

Thurston (Cowboys)
Cronk (Storm)
Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles)
Reynolds (Rabbitohs)
Foran(Eels)
Hunt (Broncos)
Pearce (Roosters)
Johnson (Warriors)
Mbye (Bulldogs)
Hodkinson (Knights)
Sezer (Raiders)
Wallace (Panthers)
Marshall (Dragons)
Townsend (Sharks)
Brooks (Tigers)
Taylor (Titans)

Now you might want to argue on some of the positions, but there is no way Taylor moves from bottom as he was an unproven player at NRL level only playing 15 odd minutes of first grade due to injury on debut. Henry even admitted if Elgey had of been fit Taylor would have started the season in Q-Cup. After Hunt's excellent 2015 he was pushing the top 5 of halfbacks in the competition. Weather you want to drop him to 7th or 8th, he's at least in the top half of halfbacks in the competition at the start of the season.

Hunt has had an ok year at halfback, it definitely wasn't as good as his 2015, nor was it absolutely abysmal as some would make out on this forum. Let's now rank the halfbacks on their 2016 year:

Cronk (Storm)
Thurston (Cowboys)
Taylor (Titans)/Cleary (Panthers)
Sezer (Raiders)
Hunt (Broncos)/ Townsend (Sharks)
Pearce (Roosters)
Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles)
Reynolds (Rabbitohs)
Mbye (Bulldogs)
Johnson (Warriors)
Marshall (Dragons)
Hodkinson (Knights)
Brooks (Tigers)
Robson (Eels)

Some players get extra credit because their teams made finals like Hunt & Townsend, others probably lose points for not making finals like Reynolds & Cherry-Evans and others just hover like Mbye & Johnson because they had flashes, but their teams didn't exactly help them. Again, even if you want to argue Hunt should be lower on that list he still had a better season than more than half the halfbacks in the compeition - let's keep in mind only 4 had longer seasons (Cronk, Townsend. Thurston & Sezer).

I agree there are some areas of his game that he needs to work on, but given he has a year left on his contract and he's looking for big money we should give him the challenge to do it. I've said it before that I think it's far too early to dispense with the Milford/Hunt combination given the likely change in the premiership landscape that will occur over then next 2-3 years with top class players retiring. But, even I'll admit Hunt needs to make some dramatic improvements in his game management come 2017.

It would seem a very strange move to replace Hunt for Radradra considering Nikorima would likely be the Broncos half.

 

[Foordy]

I don't think that Hunt's kicking game is as bad as people make out.

He is a capable kicker... his issue is kick selection. And i think the reason for this is the pressure put on him by the opposition.

I think if both Milford and Macca take more responsibility with the kicking, then we won't make it easy on the opposition to know who to put the pressure on (as Hunt won't be taking 90% of our kicks)

This will give Hunt a little more time to make his selection and improve his overall kicking.

 

[Mitchell_Broncos]

I don't think that Hunt's kicking game is as bad as people make out.

He is a capable kicker... his issue is kick selection. And i think the reason for this is the pressure put on him by the opposition.

I think if both Milford and Macca take more responsibility with the kicking, then we won't make it easy on the opposition to know who to put the pressure on (as Hunt won't be taking 90% of our kicks)

This will give Hunt a little more time to make his selection and improve his overall kicking.

Him as a half really shocked me when he had to do a line drop out and he kicked it out on the full that time. He mostly just bombs it up half the time, when Macca kicks it he kicks long which is good.

 

[Cult]

Let's realistically rank the halfbacks of the compeition at the start of the season:

Thurston (Cowboys)
Cronk (Storm)
Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles)
Reynolds (Rabbitohs)
Foran(Eels)
Hunt (Broncos)
Pearce (Roosters)
Johnson (Warriors)
Mbye (Bulldogs)
Hodkinson (Knights)
Sezer (Raiders)
Wallace (Panthers)
Marshall (Dragons)
Townsend (Sharks)
Brooks (Tigers)
Taylor (Titans)

Now you might want to argue on some of the positions, but there is no way Taylor moves from bottom as he was an unproven player at NRL level only playing 15 odd minutes of first grade due to injury on debut. Henry even admitted if Elgey had of been fit Taylor would have started the season in Q-Cup. After Hunt's excellent 2015 he was pushing the top 5 of halfbacks in the competition. Weather you want to drop him to 7th or 8th, he's at least in the top half of halfbacks in the competition at the start of the season.

Hunt has had an ok year at halfback, it definitely wasn't as good as his 2015, nor was it absolutely abysmal as some would make out on this forum. Let's now rank the halfbacks on their 2016 year:

Cronk (Storm)
Thurston (Cowboys)
Taylor (Titans)/Cleary (Panthers)
Sezer (Raiders)
Hunt (Broncos)/ Townsend (Sharks)
Pearce (Roosters)
Cherry-Evans (Sea Eagles)
Reynolds (Rabbitohs)
Mbye (Bulldogs)
Johnson (Warriors)
Marshall (Dragons)
Hodkinson (Knights)
Brooks (Tigers)
Robson (Eels)

Some players get extra credit because their teams made finals like Hunt & Townsend, others probably lose points for not making finals like Reynolds & Cherry-Evans and others just hover like Mbye & Johnson because they had flashes, but their teams didn't exactly help them. Again, even if you want to argue Hunt should be lower on that list he still had a better season than more than half the halfbacks in the compeition - let's keep in mind only 4 had longer seasons (Cronk, Townsend. Thurston & Sezer).

I agree there are some areas of his game that he needs to work on, but given he has a year left on his contract and he's looking for big money we should give him the challenge to do it. I've said it before that I think it's far too early to dispense with the Milford/Hunt combination given the likely change in the premiership landscape that will occur over then next 2-3 years with top class players retiring. But, even I'll admit Hunt needs to make some dramatic improvements in his game management come 2017.

It would seem a very strange move to replace Hunt for Radradra considering Nikorima would likely be the Broncos half.

There is no way Taylor is the third best half based on his 2016 season. That is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[BroncsFan]

I agree that Hunt's kicking issue is kick selection, although the midfield bomb seems to be a staple of our game since the griffin days.

As has been mentioned previously I really think we need to focus on early kicking and turning the opposition around. We seem to be going to the 5th every set and hunt ends up copping huge pressure.

Also it seemed at the start of the year milf was the man to kick inside the 20 often forcing drop outs, but then he just faded away and hunt was doing all the kicking or they just ran it on the last.

I also think the running on the last is a tactic that Bennett has instilled in the team so as to not concede the 7 tackle set... it all results in a lot of negative football, which is bizarre considering how potent the attack should be

 

[Browny]

We should run it on the last as a deliberate tactic to keep the winger up. Do that a couple of times then kick in behind

 

[Porthoz]

I don't think that Hunt's kicking game is as bad as people make out.

He is a capable kicker... his issue is kick selection. And i think the reason for this is the pressure put on him by the opposition.

I think if both Milford and Macca take more responsibility with the kicking, then we won't make it easy on the opposition to know who to put the pressure on (as Hunt won't be taking 90% of our kicks)

This will give Hunt a little more time to make his selection and improve his overall kicking.

I've lost count of the amount of times the opposition's pressure has been used to excuse Hunt's dismal kicking. Many halfbacks in the comp, like Cronk, Thurston, A. Reynolds, Johnson, etc... also carry the brunt of their team's kicking, and are continuously under pressure. They still go about their job without butchering most of their kicks.

Hunt is NOT a capable kicker. He can kick long and/or relatively high, that's pretty much where it ends... especially in the last 20 meters.

There is no way Taylor is the third best half based on his 2016 season. That is absolutely ridiculous.

Whom in that list was better, other than Thurston or Cronk in your opinion?

We should run it on the last as a deliberate tactic to keep the winger up. Do that a couple of times then kick in behind

Nek minnit, opposition with a 7 tackle set or more likely, the ball bounces into the legs of an opposition player...

 

[winslow_wong]

This talk of hunt being swapped for semi radrararara is ridiculous. How is that a fair swap? Hunt is more likely to deliver us a premiership than semi is in my opinion. Who's going to set up semi for tries if he comes?

 

[tommy]

This talk of hunt being swapped for semi radrararara is ridiculous. How is that a fair swap? Hunt is more likely to deliver us a premiership than semi is in my opinion. Who's going to set up semi for tries if he comes?

The Hunt/Radradra swap sounds exactly like classic media bullshit who have no idea. It is fantastical.

 

[Mitchell_Broncos]

How much experience has Radradra had at halfback?

 

[Cult]

Whom in that list was better, other than Thurston or Cronk in your opinion?

Hunt- Still did more for the Broncos than Taylor did for the Titans
Pearce- Despite everything, is pretty fucking good at his club
Cherry-Evans- Can do many things Taylor can't, tackle for example
Reynolds- Better kicking game than Taylor and has shown it more than 10 times at club level
Johnson- His 7 good minutes at the end of every game is still more than every good thing Taylor has done this one season
Hodkinson- Had to play with the shittest team to ever play rugby league but is still a pretty good half-back

 

[Cult]

How much experience has Radradra had at halfback?

He actually played a season at halfback for our American affiliate club the Brooklyn Kings before being signed by the Eels in 2013 where he spent the pre-season in the 7 jersey before being taken over by Chris Sandow and dramatically shifted to the wing by Ricky Stuart, masterstroke in my opinion. Fun fact, he actually brought the projector into the room for Sticky to sack all of those players.

 

[Mitchell_Broncos]

Hunt- Still did more for the Broncos than Taylor did for the Titans
Pearce- Despite everything, is pretty ****ing good at his club
Cherry-Evans- Can do many things Taylor can't, tackle for example
Reynolds- Better kicking game than Taylor and has shown it more than 10 times at club level
Johnson- His 7 good minutes at the end of every game is still more than every good thing Taylor has done this one season
Hodkinson- Had to play with the shittest team to ever play rugby league but is still a pretty good half-back

So all up all your trying to say is that Taylor is shit?

Because I reckon he is really good and has done a lot for titans

 

[Cult]

So all up all your trying to say is that Taylor is shit?

Because I reckon he is really good and has done a lot for titans

No I am saying he's probably the 9th best halfback of the 2016 season. 10th if Cleary played more games. Actually let's put them ahead of Hodkinson because I based that on his career and shouldn't have.

 

[Mitchell_Broncos]

He actually played a season at halfback for our American affiliate club the Brooklyn Kings before being signed by the Eels in 2013 where he spent the pre-season in the 7 jersey before being taken over by Chris Sandow and dramatically shifted to the wing by Ricky Stuart, masterstroke in my opinion. Fun fact, he actually brought the projector into the room for Sticky to sack all of those players.

Ok so he has had a pretty good experience there, cool.

He is good then if he can play a few positions then. His speed and toughness is what I like about him.

What position do u believe suits him best?

 

[Cult]

Ok so he has had a pretty good experience there, cool.

He is good then if he can play a few positions then. His speed and toughness is what I like about him.

What position do u believe suits him best?

I'm worried that he has been out of the halves too long. It will be good having Alfie Langer at the club as he can teach him how to transition from the wing to the halves as he did that when he was signed to the Broncos from the Western Reds in 1988