Queensland Reds coach Richard Graham must decide between James O’Connor and Karmichael Hunt for flyhalf role

CHOOSING between James O’Connor and Karmichael Hunt to run the Reds from flyhalf has forced the biggest selection call of the season on coach Richard Graham.

Karmichael Hunt with Reds Coach Richard Graham, and Will Genia (back) at Qld Reds training Ballymore. Pic Jono Searle.

CHOOSING between James O’Connor and Karmichael Hunt to run the Reds from flyhalf has forced the biggest selection call of the season on coach Richard Graham before Super Rugby’s lift-off on Friday night.

It was easy to be mesmerised by the Hunt experiment agaisnt the Crusaders at Ballymore on Friday night.

The Reds scored four tries while Hunt was on the field on the way to a confidence-building 35-12 trial win over a Crusaders side which is definitely heading to the finals.

What Hunt did not do was almost as impressive as what he did.

He did not try to dominate or feel he had to run two or three times to prove himself. He was understated which is one of the signs of a composed No.10.

As he said: “I didn’t want to overcook things, just manage it and steer traffic in the right direction.’’

Hunt played behind a switched-on pack dealing him great ball on the front foot, which is akin to a rookie speedster imagining he has the fast bowling caper wired because he has bowled well on a helpful Gabba pitch.

Playing the ACT Brumbies and their abrasive defence in Canberra on Friday night will be a much fuller test of flyhalf skills.

HUNT STEPS UP AS REDS CANE CRUSADERS

Does Hunt have them or does he need them when former Wallabies regular Will Genia has produced two sparkling trials with big doses of playmaking to take the heat off the flyhalf Graham does decide to go with?

O’Connor is forever an enigma. He has played flyhalf for the Wallabies, Melbourne Rebels and Toulon but not always well. He still knows the role and knows how to deal with being on the backfoot or when in a jam, which Hunt does not.

James O'Connor hasn’t played for seven weeks.

The tricky issue is that O’Connor has not played since December 20 in France because of a knee niggle picked up a week later when he was holding a tackle shield in a pre-game warm-up in Paris.

Can Graham pick a player who has not played for seven weeks?

Graham’s big phrase this week has been “the world changes pretty quickly’’.

Hunt was always going to be his fullback and O’Connor was always a winger until Quade Cooper’s injury threw a huge problem into the camp.

A fit O’Connor at No.10 gives all the Reds around him the best shot at winning in Canberra because they also get Hunt’s input as a rock-solid fullback with demon tackling.

Graham must get this call right because he needs a first-up win to sell his new-era program and he must have his big marquee signings playing and performing.

Graham is keeping his call close to his chest: “You score four tries against a very good Crusaders side (with Hunt on the field) and something is going right.

“Now, you have to go away and assess what’s good, what needs changing or can be improved.”

The big upside for the Reds is the rip-in mentality being shown by James Slipper’s pack and the vastly upgraded defence, under assistant coach Peter Wilkins, which has plugged the shaky shield that conceded at embarrassing 52 tries in 16 games last season.

Jamie-Jerry Taulagi was a stage-struck rookie last year who seemed heavy and to have lost the dazzling footwork he had been picked for out of club football in 2013. He had a cracking first 40 minutes against the Crusaders on Friday night and left Dan Carter groping when he put on his step.

Rod McCall was yesterday re-elected chairman at the Queensland Rugby Union annual meeting where Michael Arnett was not re-elected to the board. A surplus of $935,518, before depreciation, was another strong performance.

Originally published as Queensland Reds coach Richard Graham must decide between James O’Connor and Karmichael Hunt for flyhalf role