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Karmichael Hunt won’t be allowed to return to training with the Queensland Reds until after his next day in court despite claims his cocaine charge will be dropped.
Hunt has voluntarily stood down from all Reds training until February 19, his second court date stemming from his arrest in Fortitude Valley late last year.
The 30-year-old was initially charged with two counts of possessing dangerous drugs – for cocaine and prescription drug Xanax – and one count of contravening a police direction, after failing to report to a police station on time for fingerprinting.
Hunt’s lawyer, Adam Magill, says he has a “written undertaking” from Queensland police that the cocaine charge will be dropped because of a lack of evidence.
However, the charge cannot be formally withdrawn until court revisits the matter.
In any case, Hunt’s future remains up in the air with the strong possibility his contract could still be torn up by Rugby Australia for breaching their code of conduct by bringing the sport into disrepute.
The Reds seem to be planning for life after Hunt, with the club close to officially announcing the signing of Brumbies fullback Aidan Toua.
Ben Lucas, Filipo Daugunu and Lachlan Maranta are also able to fill in at No.15, giving new coach Brad Thorn plenty of options.
Reds star Samu Kerevi said he didn’t know when Hunt would be permitted to return to training but stressed he was still in his teammate’s corner.
“At the end of the day he’s a brother of mine,” Kerevi said.
“I’ve had a lot of questions about him. His privacy’s the most important thing right now.
“He’s got a beautiful family that’s backing him and I hope nothing but the best for him.
“Personally, my door will always be open for him if he needs anything … it’s something I feel like should be dealt with behind closed doors.”
Queensland start their Super Rugby campaign away to the Melbourne Rebels on February 23.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.