Karmichael Hunt weighing up retirement after Rugby exit, exploring NRL return

Cross code football star Karmichael Hunt is considering a move back to the NRL, as he looks to avoid early retirement after finishing up in Super Rugby.

“I’ve got a counter,” Karmichael Hunt says.

He pulls out his phone.

“Two years, one month, one week, four days.”

That’s how long it’s been since the triple-code star has had a sip of alcohol.

“This is a friendly reminder of just how far I’ve come along the track. I mean, alcohol for me wasn’t a daily use. But my personality trait is quite extreme, I’m pretty carefree.

“So one drink was all it took for me to just want to keep drinking.

“So I literally haven’t drunk alcohol in over two years. I think that has translated to what I’ve done on the field

“That was the only thing that was holding me back, not allowing me to fulfil my potential in all facets of my life, not only as an athlete, but as a dad, as a student, as a husband, as a man, as a human.”

But there is another counter in Hunt’s life, a timer that is ticking down.

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Karmichael Hunt’s career is at a crossroads, after not being offered a new contract by the Waratahs. Picture: Peter Wallis.

After a 17-year-old professional career across the NRL, AFL and rugby, Hunt is facing the unwanted prospect of retirement, despite a deep desire to continue playing.

He was not offered a Super Rugby contract renewal by NSW Waratahs, and while he is exploring potential offers from overseas and a return to the NRL, nothing worthwhile has materialised in months.

So Hunt, 34, has moved back to Brisbane with wife Emma and their three daughters - while a fourth child is due in early January - as he deals with his predicament of sporting purgatory.

One ambition that has clearly emerged in Hunt’s vast think-time is to become an NRL coach.

Hunt will finish his psychology degree next year, and wants to specialise in sports psychology, a qualification he plans to use to help athletes from all sports.

“I’ve been diligently chipping away at my undergrad, my psych undergrad with USQ (University of South Queensland) over the last four and a half, five years, I'll graduate after semester one next year,” Hunt said.

“You’ve got to do the honours and then you’ve got to specialise in a particular field and I’d love to head down the track of sports psych.

“My grades are good enough, they’re quite competitive at this point in time. Hopefully I can sort of push into that a little bit more seriously.

“And the other avenue for me is, I want to give back as a coach and I want to go and do that rugby league.

“So if it turns out I can’t play professionally, or no worthwhile offer comes to play professionally, I’m going to have to seriously start thinking about pushing into the next phase of my life, and that’s coaching and my studies.”

Karmichael Hunt struggled with injury during his stint in Union, after making the switch from AFL with a leaner build. Picture: Getty Images.

Hunt and Israel Folau are the only two men in history to have played professionally in NRL, AFL and rugby.

Amid the switch from the AFL to Super Rugby, Hunt became embroiled in legal drama after being arrested for drug possession, and having transformed his body from league to a much leaner athlete playing for Gold Coast Suns, persistent injury made his switch to union difficult.

“Obviously having been hamstrung by the legal issues that I got when I switched from AFL to rugby union, and then the battle of injury, AFL took a toll on my body,” Hunt said.

“There was surgery after surgery, soft tissue damage, it halted my transition into rugby.”

But league is where Hunt’s grounding will always remain.

“I played league since I was four years old, it gave me a lot, gave me probably everything that I could’ve asked for,” said Hunt, who stormed into the NRL in 2004 as a 17-year-old straight out of high school to play fullback for Brisbane Broncos, allowing legend Darren Lockyer to make his move to five-eighth.

Karmichael Hunt is open to a rugby league return, having played it since he was four-years-old.

“Part of me just wants to give back to the game and pass on all the IP and all the experiences that I’ve learned to the young generation coming through.
“Not to say that I’m ungrateful for the AFL experience and rugby experience, I feel the crossover help me out here and there. But, to be a head coach, I’d love to do that, and I’d love to do that in rugby league.

“And to be a head coach, you don’t have to be a registered psychologist. But one of the best head coaches for the best is Wayne Bennett, and he could probably be a psychologist if he wanted to.

“You could talk to him about anything and he could get the best out of his whole playing group, irrespective of the background, irrespective of what school you went to or what‘s going on behind the scenes.

“He’s able to touch on and relate on that human level, which I feel is probably the most important aspect when it comes to coaching.

“So if anything, my life, my psychology qualifications, hopefully in four years’ time, will just give me the frameworks that I’ll be able to implement if young athletes coming through need to deal with issues, whether it’s dealing with pressure, managing expectations or the whole array of difficulties that come along with being a young professional athlete.

“Hopefully I can garner the right learnings and the frameworks to help them achieve their goals.”

Karmichael Hunt is one of just two people to play NRL, AFL and Rugby Union at the highest level. Picture: Adam Head.

Hunt plans to start his coaching tenure in the Queensland Cup and work his way up.

But the six-Test Wallaby, former Kangaroo and Queensland State of Origin star, and convert who kicked a matchwinning goal in the AFL against Richmond Tigers to end a 12-month losing streak for the Suns, is not ready to hang up the boots yet.

And this is the often unspoken story of sport; the athlete who wants to keep going but won’t get an opportunity.

“It’s kind of a period of limbo, to be honest, having finished up with the Waratahs officially, a couple of months ago now, uncertain with what’s going to happen next year,” Hunt said.

“I understand that my manager is obviously still doing his job, looking for some openings at clubs overseas, trying to field some offers at the clubs in Australia, not just rugby circles, but back in rugby league as well.

“So it’s limbo, it’s uncertainty. It’s a whole lot of unknown.

“It’s quite a vulnerable position compared to what I’m normally used to. And that’s certainly having a contract and playing football, and when pre-season is starting and I know when I have to be there.

“I don’t have any of that right now. So it’s all up in the air.

“We’ve got our fourth child due in the middle of January, so obviously family always plays a part in the decision.

“If anything over the last two years it’s been the best type of football that I’ve played in rugby, and some people on social media or on the street say ‘We’re big fans from the Broncos days’, and they ask, ‘What are you doing with yourself now?’ I’ve literally been playing rugby for the last four to five years.

“And they’re like, ‘Oh, really?’ They think I must have retired. It’s funny because when you’re out of the bubble, league people probably think that you don’t exist anymore.”

Karmichael Hunt has been spending some of his spare time playing basketball with troubled young people. Picture: Peter Wallis.

Hunt hasn’t been sitting still while awaiting a career lifeline.

He’s begun to mentor troubled youths in Brisbane, connecting through games of basketball that are now part of his routine to stay fit.

“I visited a juvenile detention centre a couple of weeks ago, just with a group of young kids here that weren’t all juvie kids or in the system, some of them are community kids who are just off track a little bit and need help with their schooling,” Hunt said.

“I just sat down and we got to know each other and I talked to them about my experience as a professional athlete, my troubles with substance misuse, how I got out of that..

“It was a really good discussion, back and forth, different kids. It’s something that I enjoy and I think giving back is important.”

Throughout his remarkable sporting achievements, his risky code-hopping, his well-documented indiscretions, successes and failures on the field, academic pursuits and fatherly duties, Hunt has learned one key lesson.

Every day counts.