NRL 2021: Wayne Bennett adamant Karmichael Hunt should never have left Brisbane Broncos
Wayne Bennett believes Karmichael Hunt’s return to the NRL for the Broncos is an appropriate final chapter for a freakish talent who should have been a one-club legend.
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Wayne Bennett, the man who gave Karmichael Hunt his NRL debut, says the code-hopping superstar should never have been lost to the Broncos as ‘Special K’ prepares for his stunning return to the Broncos.
Hunt will face the Raiders at Canberra’s GIO Stadium on Saturday night for his first NRL game in 4277 days — and some 17 years after he was blooded by then Broncos super coach Bennett as a 17-year-old in 2004.
Now 34, Hunt has enjoyed and endured one of the most diverse careers in Australian sport, involving stints in three codes, NRL, AFL and rugby union, not to mention the trauma of drugs scandals that tested his resolve.
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But if Bennett had his way, Hunt would never have sensationally quit the Broncos at the end of 2009 for a dalliance with AFL’s Gold Coast Suns, punctuated by a brief sojourn in French rugby.
Even Hunt cannot believe he will be wearing Broncos colours on Saturday night but for Bennett, it represents an appropriate final chapter for a freakish talent he believes should have been a one-club NRL legend.
“I’m so pleased Karmichael is back,” Bennett said on the eve of Hunt’s first NRL game in 12 years. “The truth is he should never have been lost to the Broncos.
“Karmichael should have been their next captain and a Bronco for life, absolutely.
“If I never left the Broncos (at the end of 2008 to join the Dragons), Karmichael never would have left.
“I remember going into a contract meeting with Karmichael and the Broncos and he said to his manager, I don’t care what the Broncos offer me, I want to stay here with Wayne and I’ll take the offer. “The manager nearly fell off his chair.
“Then I left the Broncos and he left 12 months later because they didn’t value him.
“They had a bit of a blue over money when his next contract came up and I don’t think they appreciated what he brought and who he was. Unfortunately, he won’t be at his best now because he’s at the wrong end of his career — but he should never have left the Broncos.”
Bennett rolled the dice by selecting Hunt as a 17-year-old for his debut against the Warriors in 2004. He finished as the NRL rookie-of-the-year and within two seasons, he had a premiership ring before his 20th birthday after starring in Brisbane’s 2006 grand-final upset of the Storm.
Hunt has plans to become an NRL coach and Bennett believes he can succeed with the clipboard.
“NRL coaching might be his next stop and it wouldn’t surprise me at all,” Bennett said.
“Karmichael is one of the greatest talents I ever worked with.
“Darren Lockyer, Darius Boyd and Karmichael made their debuts as teenagers and they were the only three to survive that, bringing them in so young.
“We won the premiership in 2006 and he was only 19. He was just outstanding in all facets. Not only tough, but a great trainer, had a great attitude, he was great to other teammates in the club.
“Karmichael has always been a worldly sort of guy. He could be an NRL coach. I have no doubt he would succeed as a coach, he could achieve anything he sets his mind to.”
Hunt revealed he consulted Bennett on the prospect of coaching before launching his comeback with Broncos feeder-club Souths Logan this season.
“I’ve been chatting to Wayne over the last couple of years about seriously coaching,” he said.
“He said I didn’t have to get back into the game to play, but for me I wanted to get back in.
“I still feel like I can play the game, but absolutely, that (NRL coaching) is the goal.
“I’ve played the game since I was four years old,
“This is home for me. I know I chose to experience different games and see what I could do professionally, but I always wanted to get back to league and give back.
“The best way I can do that is as a coach.”
Broncos injury crisis deepens as halfback breaks down
By Peter Badel
Brisbane’s scrumbase woes have hit crisis point with the Broncos forced to seek NRL dispensation after halfback Albert Kelly broke down at training on the eve of Saturday night’s clash against the Raiders in Canberra.
The Broncos are set to roll out their seventh halves combination in 14 games with Tyson Gamble on standby to answer an SOS to join Karmichael Hunt at the scrumbase for the Canberra showdown at GIO Stadium.
Hunt will play his first NRL game in 12 years, but the 34-year-old’s stunning return at five-eighth wasn’t helped on Friday when his halfback partner Kelly strained his hamstring at Brisbane’s captain’s run.
Kelly’s late collapse sent Broncos coach Kevin Walters into a selection frenzy, with Brisbane officials making an urgent request to the NRL for approval to select Gamble from outside their listed 21-man squad.
Brisbane’s playmaking stocks have been decimated in the past month with Brodie Croft injuring his knee, while Anthony Milford underwent knee surgery on Tuesday.
The NRL is expected to give Gamble the green light and his alliance with Hunt will represent Brisbane’s seventh scrumbase union in the most emphatic evidence of the instability at Red Hill that has plunged the 15th-placed Broncos into another wooden-spoon battle.
Walters lamented the injury blow to Kelly, who has been Brisbane’s best player over the past three weeks and was hoping to engineer a crucial road defeat of the 13th-placed Raiders.
“If he’s out, we’ll look at what options we have available,” Walters said of Kelly’s setback.
“We will look at our options, we will look to bring someone in from outside the squad, we are looking into our options if Albert is out, which is likely.
“Tyson will come back in if we can bring him into the squad which we feel we can.
“It’s the NRL, that’s what happens. You get to the final training session and a player goes down, we have to be strong enough mentally to get over that.”
The absence of Kelly will amplify pressure on Hunt, whose return at five-eighth caps one of the most remarkable comeback stories in NRL history.
Hunt was just 17 when he made his Broncos debut in 2004 and his Red Hill resurrection means he is the sole survivor of Brisbane’s most recent premiership win 15 years ago.
The Raiders are certain to target Hunt but Walters is backing his multi-code experience, which included stints in rugby union and AFL, to handle a leadership role in Brisbane’s halves.
“That was part of the plan (to bring him back) ... his experience across all codes in Australia, from the NRL to rugby union to AFL,” Walters said. “Karmichael has great experience.
“Someone said the other day it’s 17 years since he made his debut which is scary, but he is bouncing around training and I’m looking for some leadership in those key positions and he brings plenty of that.”
Walters confirmed NSW prop Payne Haas and Queensland winger Xavier Coates will play for the Broncos after their Origin I commitments on Wednesday night.
“It’s good to see Payne with a smile on his face, albeit at Queensland’s expense,” he said.
“He is bouncing around training and Xavier is looking to get himself back into some winning form, so they are ready to go and keen to get down to Canberra.”
Why Broncos position isn’t as hopeless as table makes out
Chris Honnery
Former premiership winner Karmichael Hunt believes the Broncos have the talent to return to finals contenders and has taken on a mentoring role for his younger teammates to achieve that.
The 34-year-old was a member of Brisbane’s last premiership win in 2006 and will look to spark a return to form for the bumbling Broncos when he makes his return to the NRL on Saturday night at GIO Stadium.
Hunt will pair up with fellow veteran Albert Kelly in the halves in a move which is hoped to end Brisbane’s recent poor form and follows their 10th loss of the season last week.
The code-hopping star – who has also played six Tests for the Wallabies and 10 State of Origin clashes for Queensland – believed his current teammates had the talent to turn things around.
“There’s definitely a light at the end of the tunnel,” Hunt said.
“This is a super talented group.
“Obviously it’s an inexperienced group and there’s no secret about that but everyone turns up here every day wanting to get better.
“The boys are putting the effort in and in due time the rewards are going to come, I have every bit of confidence in that.”
Hunt’s inclusion into the team will add some much-needed experienced to a relatively young Brisbane group.
Three of the club’s youngsters – Jesse Arthars, Selwyn Cobbo and TC Robati – weren’t even at school the year Hunt made his NRL debut in 2004.
Now, the trio will get the chance to play alongside one of their childhood heroes and described it as a “massive” boost for the club.
“Personally, playing outside him, it’s going to be massive for me,” Arthars said.
“K was massive for this club back in the day and I’m sure he’s really looking forward to it.
“For myself and all the boys in the team, everyone’s looking forward to him playing.
“Growing up, I watched a lot of K.
“He was one of those players I idolised as an outside back so to put on the jumper with him this week is going to be massive.”
Hunt said he wanted to impart some of his rugby league knowledge to the younger teammates who looked up to him.
“To hear that makes you feel like you’ve got a huge responsibility playing alongside these guys,” Hunt said.
“For me to run out there at the age I am and the stage they are in their career, it’s a huge privilege.
“It’s something I’ve cherished the opportunity to come back and give my knowledge to these guys.”
Why a crosscode star is delighted to be back where it all began
At 34-years-old, Karmichael Hunt has already lived a life like no other.
Growing up, Hunt idolised basketball great Michael Jordan and spent countless hours on the court emulating his moves and game-winning shots.
But it wasn’t the Spalding basketball that saw Hunt become a household sporting identity in Australia, it was the rugby league Steeden.
But for all of his on-field heroics, he also had some spectacular lows away from the game as well.
After walking away from the game 4277 days ago, the crosscode star will make his much-anticipated return to the NRL on Saturday night and has full confidence he is up for the challenge.
THE NERVOUS DEBUT
From the get-go, Hunt had big shoes to fill in the Brisbane Broncos jersey.
In 2004, then-coach Wayne Bennett turned to Hunt – aged 17 at the time – to make his NRL debut in the No.1 jersey, replacing club great Darren Lockyer who had shifted to the five-eighth position.
And he didn’t disappoint.
Hunt went on to become the club’s top tryscorer that year (15) and take out the Dally M Rookie of the Year Award to earn himself the title as one of the premier fullbacks in the competition.
“It was a nervous time but an exciting time for me,” Hunt said of making his debut in 2004.
“I remember coming into the shed as a 17-year-old with the likes of Locky, Webby (Shane Webcke), Petero (Civoniceva), Gorden Tallis, who was captain then.
“I had looked up to all of them having grown up in Brisbane and watching them all play.
“I don’t actually remember too much of my first game, but it was a memorable year.
“For a kid to be in that shed with Wayne Bennett as a coach, it was definitely a nerve-racking experience but one that set me up for my career.”
HIGH CONTACT CRACKDOWN
It wasn’t just his flashy footwork which caught the eye, it was also the way Hunt charged headfirst into the defensive line on a kick return that won him many admirers.
But the tactic also saw Hunt on the receiving end of a high number of head high tackles, sparking the NRL and match officials to change the rules to better protect players’ heads.
Now with the crackdown on high shots again in the spotlight, Hunt said he fully supports the move to protect the players’ welfare.
“As a fan, the overpolicing of it in the first couple of rounds was probably hard to watch, but I understand why the NRL did it,” he said.
“They set up RBTs on Easter Weekend just to make sure people don’t drink and drive and it’s the same as the head contact ruling.
“They came out hard because they wanted everyone to take note.
“I haven’t watched every game but there’s been less sin bins and less high shots in recent weeks, so they’ve had the impact they wanted to have.
“The players are safer for it.
“I’m happy the rule is brought in because I have a son who might play footy one day and we only get one brain and one head so the more we look after it, the better.”
LIFE’S HIGHS AND LOWS
Hunt was a Bronco from 2004 to 2009, including an NRL premiership win in 2006, before switching codes to play AFL for the Gold Coast Suns and then both international and local rugby.
He’s played at the highest level for most of Australia’s sporting codes, from the Kangaroos to the Wallabies, but he’s also endured some low points during that time.
He was embroiled in multiple drug scandals, including an infamous cocaine probe in 2015. Two years later he pleaded guilty to being in possession of the prescription drug Xanax.
Hunt has not shied away from his past and admitted he is a “much more mature player now” than he was 12 years ago.
He even opened up on how dealing with several off-field issues has helped him become a greater advocate for mental health.
“It’s probably a social discussion now which is more prevalent, I probably understand my mental space a lot more,” he said.
“As I said, I was 17-years-old in a shed with grown men and there was no time to lick your wounds.
“It helped me in good stead for many parts of my career, but when it came to my personal choices and how I was feeling, it probably worked against me.
“The journey from going away from league and all of my off-field issues, I’ve got a greater appreciation for mental health and looking after my mental health.
“I’m a bit more understanding of it and I’m a bit more resilient because I know life has its ups and downs naturally.
“We’re all human. We all feel things.
“The understanding for me now is that it’s OK to ride the wave of emotions and be open about the way you’re feeling.
“If you need help, don’t be afraid to ask for help.”
BACK IN THE HUNT
Hunt made his return to rugby league this year, joining Intrust Super Cup side Souths-Logan Magpies in a bid to revive his NRL dream.
And after 11 years, eight months and 17 days since he last ran out in a Brisbane Broncos jersey, Hunt will again don the famous maroon and gold on Saturday night in Canberra – this time in Lockyer’s No.6 jersey.
“It’s been a long time since I pulled on this jersey,” he said.
“To be told by Kevvie over the weekend that I might be playing again, I was definitely excited.
“I tried to manifest it in my imagination earlier in the year, but I wasn’t so sure it would actually happen with the stage I was at in my career and been out of the game for so long.
“There’s always pressure when you put on a Broncos jersey and I’ve been in pressure situations before, but internally I’m just looking forward to helping contribute to the club that gave me a start as a 17-year-old.”
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