Five things we learned from the Reds’ thrilling win over the Kings

KARMICHAEL Hunt is finally fulfilling his potential as a world-class rugby player and the ‘new Izzy’ has Queensland buzzing. Here’s what we learned from the Reds defeat of the Kings.

Karmichael Hunt crosses for a try.

KARMICHAEL Hunt is finally fulfilling his potential as a world-class rugby player, while the ‘new Izzy’ has Queensland buzzing. Here’s five things we learned from the Reds’ win over the Kings.

1. HUNTING A WALLABIES JERSEY

Fullback Karmichael Hunt is finally a rugby player, and one worth of the Wallabies. His intensity as a front-on defender in the centres is of huge value and he’s now bobbing up in all the right places, including out wide to dish off passes to send wingers to the tryline.

Karmichael Hunt crosses for a try.

2. QUADE IS BACK

It may have been against one of the competition’s poorest defences but Quade Cooper just adds so much polish, variety and vision to the Reds attack. The set play Izaia Perese try was top-drawer with a pass feint inside, dropping back and setting halfback James Tuttle free to throw his try-making ball. Cooper’s best moments of the season.

MATCH: Vintage Smith helps end Reds’ losing streak

3. THE NEW IZZY

There is so much fizz and life in the way winger Izaia Perese plays. Teammates feed off it too because seven of them jumped on him to celebrate when he scored his first try for the Reds. Only 19 and plenty ahead.

Players swamp Perese.

4. WHERE WAS THE CROWD?

There were nearly four times as many empty seats as those with loyal fans because the 11,336 turnout was the smallest crowd since 12,500 attended the Reds-Cheetahs game in 2007.

The Kings are a non-drawing team. It was always going to be low but plenty of fans have switched off. The test will be drawing 20,000-plus to Queensland-NSW on April 29.

5. RELIEVED COACH

Reds coach Nick Stiles can head into the bye weekend with a smile: “I’m just stoked the boys have a win because you’ve got to understand we’ve been going for eight weeks straight, flown to Perth and back, from Africa to Argentina and we are fanging for a bye after the hard work put in.”

Originally published as Five things we learned from the Reds’ thrilling win over the Kings