Royce Hunt has inked a three-year deal with the Wests Tigers – now he hopes to be joined by one-time nemesis, and the man he famously labelled a “weak-gutted dog”, Corey Horsburgh.
The Tigers announced on Tuesday they had signed Hunt until the end of 2027 after Cronulla agreed to cut the Samoan international loose from the remaining 12 months of his deal.
Hunt will add some experience and grunt to the pack – and if things go to plan, fiery Raiders forward Horsburgh will be joining him at the joint venture next year.
The pair memorably clashed during a game in 2023, with Hunt saying at the time, “I’ve never seen a front-rower hide behind his halfback”. Horsburgh later posted a meme of him holding a baby, with Hunt’s face superimposed, and the caption: “Really happy for my little boy watching Daddy score two tries”.
The doctored photo of Royce Hunt posted on Instagram by Corey Horsburgh.Credit: Instagram
Horsburgh was suspended for the return bout late last season, but Hunt told this masthead at the time: “I still have a debt to settle with him. Hopefully he doesn’t cry this time. If he wants a challenge, we’ll lock horns and see who comes out on top. I’m a bit heavier than him. He’s got that ‘dad bod’.”
Hunt was delighted to have sorted his future, and said he would love the chance to strike up an on-field combination with ‘Big Red’.
“I spoke to their recruitment guy and [the Tigers] are keen on Big Red. He’s a good guy and would be a great buy,” Hunt told this masthead. “I was actually at Canberra with him for a while. We’re two guys who won’t back down. If they get him, we can go there and ramp up their forward pack.
“I’m sure we’ll get into the wrestling room and throw down a few times. I haven’t seen him since that game in Canberra.”
The 29-year-old met with Tigers coach Benji Marshall at a local cafe in Padstow, and liked his vision. Jarome Luai, a fellow Samoan, is also bound for Concord next year and Dragons utility Jack Bird was spotted taking a tour of the Tigers’ facilities on Tuesday.
“I met Benji on Monday last week, and it moved really fast. It was pretty much done Tuesday. He was pretty cool. He said to me there were a lot of kids, and he wanted someone with experience to get to that next level.
Tiger Shark: Royce HuntCredit: Getty Images
“I told him, ‘I can help you with that’, and how at the Sharks we had built a good culture where the young boys weren’t afraid to ask for help, and they know ‘steel sharpens steel’. If they come for our spots every week, it makes the older boys better, the younger boys better, and it raises the overall standards at the club.
“He also spoke about me wanting to play more minutes, and I told him I’d earn every minute you give me.”
Hunt was given permission to test the market in June because of the abundance of middle forwards at Cronulla.
After the Sharks added Addin Fonua-Blake to a pack that already featured Braden Hamlin-Uele, Tom Hazelton, Oregon Kaufusi, Toby Rudolf, Jack Williams and Jesse Colquhoun, Hunt was resigned to continuing his career elsewhere.
South Sydney showed brief interest, but the Tigers moved quickly following the departures of middle men Stefano Utoikamanu and Isaiah Papali’i, who play their last games on Friday at a packed Campbelltown Sports Stadium before linking with Melbourne and Penrith respectively.