theshed
Just a Game
- Aug 28, 2010
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This looks to be a bit of a nothing story but I for one would cream myself at the thought of a Macca, Hunt (or even better DCE), Hunt, Barba spine.
Would you want him back?
Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian
Would you want him back?
Cookies must be enabled. | The Australian
BRISBANE has been urged to sound out Karmichael Hunt over a fairytale return to the NRL club next season.The Broncos, lurching towards the worst season in the club's proud history, are in desperate need of star power and Hunt -- the first sportsperson in Australia to reach the elite professional level in three different football codes -- would fit the bill.
While his switch to the AFL with the Gold Coast Suns has been an unquestioned success, Hunt has been forced to endure a stint in reserve grade in recent weeks after struggling with a hamstring injury and the improving quality of the fledgling club's list.
That could prompt the Broncos to make a move for a player who made his debut for the club as a teenager and spent six years in Brisbane colours before switching codes, first to rugby union and then the AFL.
"A lot of the old timers would say don't bother, he made his decision to leave the code, but the one thing the Broncos need at the moment is to show some vision," former Broncos captain and Immortal Wally Lewis said.
"They showed that when they tried to sign Greg Inglis a few years ago but unfortunately that deal never came off. Vision was always something they displayed so well throughout their premiership years.
"Now that times are a little tough they need to show it again. I think it's something every coach that gets into first grade realises -- it doesn't matter what your usual rules and plans are, sometimes you have to look outside the box."
Hunt would be just that. Before leaving the club, enticed by mega-bucks from the AFL and the opportunity to be the face of the Suns in their formative years, he was being groomed to eventually take over the five-eighth spot and captaincy from Darren Lockyer.
If the Broncos could convince him to return, it would most likely be in the halves. Although Hunt played most of his NRL career at fullback -- he appeared in a handful of games for the Broncos at five-eighth and one game for Queensland in the No 6 jersey -- Canterbury custodian Ben Barba has been widely tipped to join the Broncos next season.
Hunt would augment Barba's expected arrival and transform the Broncos' roster.
But there would be hurdles to overcome. Hunt has another year remaining on his lucrative deal with the Suns and has thus far shown no inclination to return to the game that made him famous.
But at 26, time is running out for a return to rugby league. On the flip side, the Broncos need to take some risks. The club has won only six games this season and Friday night's trip to Townsville shapes as a must-win clash for both the Broncos and North Queensland.
Should Brisbane lose, its season will be over. So would its hopes of avoiding the worst season in the club's history. On two occasions the Broncos have won only 11 games -- in 2007 and 2010. They need to win five of their final six games just to match that record. Given the club's form this season, that appears unlikely.
Hunt would lift the spirits of a club that is languishing in foreign territory. His arrival on the Gold Coast gave the fledgling club the sort of exposure it craved. He earned his keep too.
While Folau never picked up the nuances of the AFL, Hunt had played the game before and proved he could master the code. He wasn't a star but he was more than serviceable. Now he finds himself being swamped by the young guns coming through the Suns system.