Hunt continues to shine in AFL at Sun

Cattery, he might be listed as a defender but he isn't playing as a defender.

Ian any intelligent player where a mouth guard these days so it might of been a while. And I don't think I ever said he couldn't play at the top level, I siad the moeny being paid to him for his ability is ridiculous, the opportunities given to him regarding game time when compared to his talent where inequitable (which has been supported by Mckenna's comments) and his reent "great games" have been over blown when you look at the Stats. Look at Norths midfield and their stats in the last game, they have a lot of 3rd year players in the midfield and Hunt must of been opposed to one of them and all of their stats are better than Hunts. Take Cunnington 23 possessions, 7 marks, 4 tackles and a goal compared with Hunts 16 possesions, 3 marks & 4 tackles. Where is the fanfare for Cunnington? Also GCS could of picked up Duigan or Magner or any of the other mature age recruits and got a hard physical body for much less than $1m if it was all about what he can do on the field. A player who will change the way the game is played, come on Ian now who is showing their emotional investment, if Hunt is still playing by 2015 I will be very surprised let alone had any impact on the game style.

ROdney do even the slightest bit of research and you will see Hunts stats don't match any number of top 20 draft picks of the last few years.

TOa - It's not me who is being blind, I am viewing Hunt objctively unlike those who constantly paint qa rosy picture of everything GCS & GWS. Yes he is a hard worker but that is not what has got him the bulk of his 25 games, he is a marketing tool. I will also ask again in 2 years when all the other top draft picks mature will Hunt in the SUns top 22, especially considering he isn't in their top 22 according to their coach this year.

Macca, Hunt's ability to not play bruise free football, and by example drive the new club full of boys to not be a weak, pathetic, leaderless rabble like Melbourne 2008-2011, is worth at least a million bucks to the club. Simply, he has helped define the new club's culture to include toughness and a hard edge, and Im not even including the example he has shown on the training track, by literally running his arse off. When, after all, was the last time a Melbourne player told a trainer to look for his teeth when he charged back into the fray ? Im guessing around the mid-1950s, myself. But you are emotionally invested in Hunt being incapable of playing top-level Australian Rules football. There have been too many whines, too many carping posts for you to back down now. And so you carp and you whine, and refuse to acknowledge the emergence of a player who will change the way the game is played.

It is odd that it is such an inward looking city. Our own game of football, Australia football has been around FAR longer than rugby league but they have this misguided notion that because it is homegrown it is inferior to English public school games. Odd.

What would Billy Slater cost? He would be a handy midfield type. It appears the NRL maybe prime for recruiting territory for AFL.

So you didn't see Hunt's game but are commenting trotting out the same tripe. Carlton lost 10 days ago by the way :)

This is the thing that was clear from the get got - he works so hard, so committed, focused, this dude has incredible mental toughness - he's already half way there just with his make up. A huge part of the game comprises aggression, competitiveness, willingness to contest, courage and mental toughness - he has it in spades. And Toa is right - when the news first came out, we laughed at how they checked him out, sounded like a lunch time kick around, but it looks like they really did check him out, not just physically, but his head space as well.

Macca, That maybe your problem you "can't see" your blinded by being bitter towards the unconventional opportunity karmichael was given. It was the vision of Mark Browing, Scott Clayton, Jason Stevens & Nathan Buckley who endorse that Hunt's physical & mental makeup was worth pursuing. Put Hunt against your top 50 drafts including his young team mates & mention to him there's no room. Without any weak squealing he'll roll up his sleeves work his behind and make sure his name is announce in your starting line up....either you have or you don't.

In fairness, there would be stacks of first year players achieving those sorts of stats, far, far too many to mention - but I agree that they come with a good grounding in the game.

Out of curiosity, I decided to check his supercoach figures. After five games he is averaging 55.4 pts, which is a bit better than I expected, considering that he had one disastrous game where he didn't touch it. He has increased in value by $50k. It's interesting to see who he has around him, noting that he is still listed as a defender: Tom Lonergan is averaging 54 pts after 5 games Easton Wood is averaging 54 pts after 5 games Brandon Ellis is averaging 55.4 pts after 5 games Brandon Ellis I think is a relatively new player and he has almost doubled his value (should have got on to him). Easton Wood is interesting, he's been in the system for a few years now, and I would regard him as a fairly tough player who runs straight at the ball, but for a half-back flanker, he doesn't seem to get a lot of the ball - I know - I got my fingers burnt with him last season! And Adam Selwood sits only a few spots above Hunt, so he's in pretty decent company. I was just checking Hunt's stats, amongst his disposals were 4 tackles and 3 marks, which is ok. But who is this new kid called Horsley?? He had 8 tackles, the highest of any player from either side on the day. Looks like Brennan finally stepped up in the absence of Ablett and Rischitelli and had a good game. That's the other thing, there were some big outs for the Suns, and they did very, very well to lead at half time.

I think Hunt has come a long way. He seems to be settling in at AFL level and this is only his 25th game or so in the AFL. He's playing pretty well for a guy in his second season at the top and with only two or three years experience with a Sherrin at any level. He gathered 21 possesions in the Q-Clash and 16 a couple days back. To the doubters, I dare you to find even the highest of draft picks over the last couple of years to top Hunt's statistics. Maybe only Dave Swallow and a handful of others. And let's not forget, most of those guys have had a footy in their hands since they were four or five years old. Think about it.

I couldn't see him playing before Cunnington, Bastinac, Swallow or Ziebell let alone Harvey or Wells. How many disposals does that video actually show him getting, 2 maybe 3. He is a strong bloke who is finally startng to use that strength that is about it.

Yeah I had a look at the video and he is hard at it (which again is odd given Demetriou seems to be determined to remove body contact from the sport) but the Suns aren't going to play finals for a few years, they aren't going to in many games this year or next so why not put the time into the player who is going to give you the biggest beenfit when the team is up and about. If he was playing a key position maybe but as a midfielder surely they have better.

Ask Brad Scott he might be able to tell you.

Yes, all good points.

GWS?? :)

I agree that Hunt is getting far more attention than Touhy who really is the true success story (but younger and coming from a more relevant background, in a way). Yes, there is an argument to be had that Hunt is getting more chances to develop - the normal route would have been two years in the reserves - but with 22 players per week - is it a huge cost that the Suns are wearing? (denying a development opportunity for a skinny 19 yo) Check out the video below - the truth is that there are only a handful of players on the Suns list right now that can do what he's doing in and under, taking punishment along the way - so it can be argued both ways.

Blueys other comment was he doesn't blink which leads me to think most of the credit is directed towards his fearless nature of extracting & disposing quick ball. Both Essendon & Norths game displayed his ability to rattle the opposition midfielders through hard & fair play & at the time was creating that belief amongst his team mates. AFL coaches sense this hence why Brad scott found it necessary to pay credit to him. For fantasy football he's definitely not your man in saying that i reckon Gary Abeltt would trade his multiple 40 plus possessions for 16 disposals if it meant a couple of wins.