Karmichael Hunt plays in the reserves for the Suns against the Southport Sharks at Metricon Stadium on the Gold Coast. Picture: Adam Head Source: Adam Head / News Corp Australia
THE perfect time for Karmichael Hunt to leave the AFL is approaching. His work is done. Magnificently so!
Hunt must look at Israel Folau dominating the rugby world and wonder about his future in the AFL.
So much so that I'm tipping he will return to rugby league when his contract with the Gold Coast Suns expires at the end of this year.
If he goes, you can't blame him. You have to give him full marks for everything he has brought to the Suns and the AFL.
While things didn't work out for Folau with the GWS Giants, Hunt, his brother in arms, has been a real win for the AFL.
His marketing value for the AFL's push into the Gold Coast has been an unquestioned success.
Hunt's worth to the Suns goes far beyond that.
Everyone at the Suns speaks lavishly about the professionalism the former league international has brought to the club.
ROUND 1 SUPERCOACH STUDS N DUDS
His approach to training and preparation has been an inspiration to the mass of teenagers who watched his every step in the early days.
It was the same in his dealings with the media and the full raft of duties thrust on the players. He was a walking, talking role model, even though virtually every day he was learning something new.
On the field, too, he has been a huge asset as something of a father figure. I'm sure a lot of young players walked a little taller knowing "K'' was there to look after them.
Not so well known was the critical role he played with boom Suns youngster Harley Bennell, who was dreadfully homesick in the early days.
Hunt and his partner Emma, now his wife, took the indigenous West Australian into their home and helped him settle into life in what was a foreign and intimidating environment.
Karmichael Hunt at a Gold Coast Suns recovery session. Picture Mike Batterham Source: News Corp Australia
And it was not only Bennell. A lot of others have leaned on Hunt for advice and direction.
While he doesn't chase the limelight, he has been a tower of strength behind the scenes at Metricon Stadium, and has shared some special moments with the Suns.
He will never forget his goal after the siren to clinch a win over Richmond in Cairns in Round 16, 2012. That's every boy's dream and will rank with a host of career highlights in all codes.
Also he will remember fondly the Suns' first win over Port Adelaide at AAMI Stadium in Round 5, 2011; their first win over Brisbane at the Gabba a fortnight later; and his booming first goal against Geelong in Round 10 that year.
His first 20-possession game against Brisbane at the Gabba in Round 4, 2012, and the Suns' club record 83-point win over GWS at Metricon in the last game of last year were other highlights.
McKENNA SIGNS ON WITH SUNS
To play 34 games in his first two years in the AFL was an extraordinary achievement for a player who had to change his body type entirely to meet the aerobic demands of his new game.
Injuries have savagely disrupted his football over the past 12 months, and last weekend as the Suns opened this year's campaign with a superb home win over Richmond he found himself playing with the reserves in the curtain-raiser to a virtually empty stadium.
Insiders at the Suns shy away from anyone who writes off Hunt. They say he's at his best when he's trying to prove people wrong.
He's already proven many people wrong.
His form in the reserves since resuming from injury has been excellent, but whether he can permanently displace any of the boom youngsters in the Suns midfield to become a regular senior selection again is questionable.
Despite having conquered three professional sporting codes, Hunt is still only 27. He would not be human if he didn't look with some envy at Folau's standing as the pin-up boy of the Wallabies and Waratahs.
It could so easily be him on a similar pedestal next year if, lured by the prospect of monster crowds and the Queensland State of Origin side, he goes back to rugby league and the Broncos.
While the Suns would be sorry to see him go, there is not a person who would not endorse his efforts and wish him well.
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