Broncos selection news: Karmichael Hunt on brink of NRL return
Twelve years after his last game for the Broncos, dual international Karmichael Hunt is ready to answer Kevin Walters’ SOS.
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Cross-code superstar Karmichael Hunt is ready to return to the NRL as Brisbane coach Kevin Walters contemplates making changes to the misfiring Broncos.
Hunt has come into selection calculations for the first time since returning to Red Hill in April, 12 years after his last NRL game for the Broncos.
The dual international made his return from a minor knee injury for Souths-Logan in the Intrust Super Cup on Saturday and declared he is ready to answer an SOS from Walters if required.
Five-eighth Anthony Milford did not play in the Magpies’ win against Ipswich, with the club citing knee problems for his withdrawal.
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After a stunning upset win against the Roosters in Round 11, the Broncos have been poor over the past fortnight, suffering heavy defeats to the Storm and Dragons.
Fullback Jamayne Isaako was hooked during last Thursday’s 52-24 loss to St George Illawarra after making a series of shocking errors.
Walters has proven he is not scared to wield the selection axe and if Isaako or any other Broncos backline players find themselves on the outer this week, Hunt will come into the frame to face the Raiders in Canberra on Saturday.
Hunt, 34, played the last of his 125 NRL games for the Broncos in 2009, but said he was ready for a call-up after overcoming a medial ligament injury.
“I’m pretty confident in the condition I’m in and with my footy,” he said.
“If Kevvie needs me, wherever he needs me, I’ll do a job for him.
“I did my MCL in the PNG game (May 16). It was a grade two, but it’s healed really nicely. It’s all good.
“I’ve been on light duties for a bit, but trained two sessions with the boys at Red Hill last week and was good to go.”
While he has not featured in the NRL for more than decade, Hunt’s experience could help get Brisbane’s season back on track against the similarly struggling Raiders.
The shock 34-16 win against Sydney was followed by a disappointing 40-12 defeat to Melbourne and Brisbane’s performance against the mediocre Dragons was unacceptable.
Isaako was dragged from the field with 15 minutes to go and replaced by centre Herbie Farnworth.
Hunt could fill a number of positions in Brisbane’s backline, with centre being a good fit if Farnworth is given the No. 1 jersey against Canberra.
Hunt said the Broncos’ inconsistency was a result of inexperience within the squad.
“There is a lot of inexperience at the club and when there is inexperience there is inconsistency,” he said.
“Everyone there is trying their butts off to get better each week. No stone is being left unturned.
“The coaches are working hard with the young guys. Unfortunately sometimes it’s a good week, sometimes it’s a bad week.
“Having a few older players around like myself and Albert (Kelly), hopefully we can start having an effect on the group.
“It wasn’t the result we wanted on Thursday night but there is another opportunity this week against Canberra. I’m looking forward to helping out with the prep there.”
X-factor: Cross-code star helps Coates regain spark
Maroons flyer Xavier Coates has turned to cross-code star Karmichael Hunt to rescue his season and is adamant he will not let Queensland down in the State of Origin arena.
Coates will make his third appearance for the Maroons in Wednesday night’s Origin series-opener at Queensland Country Bank Stadium in Townsville.
The Broncos winger was selected by new Queensland coach Paul Green despite being in patchy form for Brisbane recently.
After scoring six tries in Brisbane’s first four games of the season, Coates’ form dipped as he weighed up his future, eventually choosing to join Melbourne for the next two years.
At 20, the spotlight and speculation weighed heavily on Coates and he sought the advice of Hunt, who has played in the NRL, AFL and Super Rugby.
Hunt joined the Broncos in April and Coates said the former Origin and Test star’s mentoring was helping him rebound from a tough run where he has only scored twice in eight games.
“As an NRL player I take pride in playing consistent football and I felt like I was struggling to play consistent football,” Coates said.
“I took a fair bit of advice from a fellow teammate at Brisbane in Karmichael Hunt. He told me a few tips he used during his playing career in rugby league as well as union and AFL about how to play consistent football.
“It’s unreal, he is one of the greats. What he’s done in the Origin arena has been unreal.
“To take advice from him and seeing what he’s done, and knowing he’s helping me out as a youngster who’s finding it a bit tough with certain categories within my career, knowing he has taken that on board is good.
“I’m obviously still learning. I’m still a youngster. I have help within the club. There is no shortage of players willing to give advice and I seek it.
“Karmichael is a really big help for me. Also having (former Queensland and Kangaroos winger) Jharal Yow Yeh ... I still keep in touch with him and he helps me out a fair bit.
“I’m just happy to be in this camp and looking forward to Game One. It was a really good feeling knowing ‘Greeny’ has faith in me to pull on this Maroon jersey again.”
Hunt, 34, debuted for the Broncos as a 17-year-old in 2004 and has seen it all in a remarkable 18-year professional career.
He believes Coates is one of the most impressive young talents he has seen and it will only be a matter of time before he gets back to his best.
“He is a terrific young man,” Hunt said of Coates. “I can understand why ‘Bellyache’ (Craig Bellamy) and the Storm wanted him to go down there.
“He trains really well and I see him approaching me to get some advice on his consistency as someone that really cares about their footy.
“When he’s not in the position he wants to be in he wants to do something about it. If that means talking to an older head, or doing some extras at training, he is doing it.
“He is a really talented and quality player. He is going to keep moving forward with an attitude like that.”
Coates’ future became one of the NRL’s biggest talking points as he weighed up bids from the Storm and Gold Coast Titans to leave Brisbane. He ultimately chose Melbourne, breaking the news to his Broncos teammates after their one-point loss to North Queensland in Round 9.
“There’s no doubt (it affected him),” Hunt said. “I’ve been through similar situations where you’re moving on but still at a current club. It’s a tough situation.
“He has spent a lot of his junior development years at one club then made a decision to go somewhere else. Not everyone agrees with the decisions you make but it’s a learning experience for him to go through.
“You get affected by the external stuff as a young kid. He’s got to learn to deal with it and at the end of the day when it’s time to play footy you have to turn up and go about your business.”
Coates made his Origin debut last year and shone on league’s biggest stage, scoring two tries in the first two matches before missing the decider through injury.
Despite his recent form struggles, Coates is confident he can deliver for Queensland on Wednesday night and wants to finish his final season with Brisbane on a high.
“Yeah, I’m confident (of performing),” he said. “Whatever I do in training will transfer to the field. I need to train really well and that will follow into my game.
“It definitely came unexpected last year. It was a goal of mine to play Origin football within my career, but I didn’t realise it was going to come that early on.
“To pull on that jersey last year was an unreal feeling. To get the call from ‘Greeny’ this year felt like my debut again.
“What I wanted to do was make my decision as early on as possible so I could get on with playing football. I feel happy that the decision’s been made. I’m looking to move on from that now.
“I’m very determined (to finish the year well). I feel like I’ve been working very hard and I want to keep that going. I want that to transfer on to the football field.”
THE ONE BLUE MUNSTER WANTS TO GET INTO
By Peter Badel
The Maroons have received a huge boost with champion five-eighth Cameron Munster declaring he is a certain starter to face the Blues in Origin I this Wednesday night.
It was only a week ago that Munster claimed the Maroons would be taking a “massive risk” by picking him for the series opener, with the Storm sensation having been sidelined since May 6 with a foot injury.
But two solid sessions in the past week, including his first training run with the Maroons on Thursday, has convinced Munster he can play through the pain barrier in Origin’s debut at Townsville’s Queensland Country Bank Stadium.
While Kalyn Ponga (groin) is a loss, Munster’s availability is a major shot in the arm for the Maroons and Queensland’s most important player vowed to turn up the heat on his five-eighth rival, NSW debutant Jarome Luai.
“The injury is going well, I had my first run with the lads and pulled up OK,” he said.
“I got through the whole session, so fingers crossed I can do something similar (on Friday) and get some more kilometres in the legs.
“I woke up pretty sore, not so much with my foot but my legs in general. It’s been a while since I’ve had to run at high intensity, but the body is feeling OK and I can’t wait for Wednesday night.
“The plan is to play.
“At this stage I haven’t been tapped on the shoulder by ‘Greeny’ (Queensland coach Paul Green) saying I’m not playing, so it’s all systems go for myself.
“I’m really excited and really happy to be back in the side.”
While Munster has great respect for Luai’s outstanding form at the Panthers, the Maroons pivot’s 10 games of experience for Queensland tells him there is fresh pressure to step up in the Origin arena.
Munster could argue he has a psychological edge over Luai after his Storm side beat the Panthers in last year’s NRL grand final.
Luai and NSW halves partner Nathan Cleary have the benefit of a red-hot club combination this season, but Munster insists the Maroons will be applying the blowtorch to the Blues five-eighth greenhorn.
“Jarome is a good player,” he said.
“He is playing some outstanding footy. Kudos to him and the Panthers, they are playing some decent footy and congratulations to him for making his debut.
“I’m sure he will go in with a lot of confidence and play the game he knows he can play.
“We have to nullify his time and space. That’s all you can do sometimes. You can go out there and say everything you want to do, but actions speak louder than words and we need to make sure we go out there and make him realise how hard the Origin arena is.”
Munster said last week there is a risk he could suffer a season-ending breakdown if he aggravated his Lisfranc injury in the Origin opener.
But the reigning Wally Lewis Medallist says that won’t stop him trying to bring down the Blues for a second consecutive campaign.
“There is always going to be more damage around injuries,” he said.
“There’s no sugar-coating it, everyone who is injured knows there is a risk if they play on.
“I could get through Origin unscathed and be fine and then four days later someone could step on my foot.
“I wouldn’t put myself out there if I wasn’t able to go out and do my job for Queensland.
“I won’t be needling it. I will make sure it’s around 80 per cent before I go out there.
“I’m fine. I’m fully prepared so there’s no excuses.”
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