He is now two years into his professional AFL career and it is time to once again assess Karmichael Hunt and whether he deserves $1.5 million for what he does, whatever that is.
Last year I questioned whether Hunt was the worst player in the league after several dismal performances where he conceded a ridiculous number of goals playing as a defender within the Suns already barraged back-line.
Calls were made by AFL fans to send Hunt back to the NRL due to his inability to impact the game, taking up a spot in the team, and wasting a whole lot of money which the AFL spent on luring the ex-NRL superstar.
Time was always going to be the telling factor in assessing Hunt’s success in the AFL from both the on field level and the marketability level. It was naive to call Hunt a flop from the outset and even today, we cannot categorically say whether he is a success of failure.
We are now past the halfway mark of Hunt’s assessment because he should be given three full years of development, just like every other draftee regardless of position.
Favourite to win the NAB Rising Star, Daniel Talia is in his third season with Adelaide and has taken a considerable time to prove himself as an elite defender. Last year’s runner up, West Coast midfielder Luke Shuey was also a third year player when he was nominated for the award, so Hunt deserves the same leeway.
In 2011, Hunt played 16 games averaging 8.3 disposals, 0.6 clearances and 1.7 tackles per game.
The highlight of his 2011 campaign was probably kicking a 55-metre goal on the run against Geelong up at Metricon Stadium.
In 2012, Karmichael Hunt received a glowing endorsement from coach Guy McKenna after being moved out of defence and into the midfield alongside Gary Ablett.
Hunt’s large frame and lateral vision proved handy within the packs where he often used his quick hands to feed the ball to outside runners and make crunching tackles to tie up the ball.
Not only has Hunt shown drastic improvement, but he is now far from the worst player in the league and actually resembles a professional AFL player. As the young Gold Coast team has developed, so too has Hunt.
This year, Hunt has averaged 14.7 disposals, 2.7 clearances and 3.5 tackles per game. In the space of a year, Hunt has doubled all those key performance indicators and cemented his position in the Gold Coast line-up.
This season Jimmy Bartel has averaged 20.7 disposals, 2.6 clearances and 5.9 tackles per game and Adam Cooney has averaged 19.7 disposals, 2.9 clearances and 2.3 tackles per game. Both are Brownlow medal winners, albeit on the back end of their careers.
It sounds absurd to compare Hunt to someone who has won a Brownlow medal, but Hunt’s 2012 stats are not overly disenchanting.
At the Suns, Hunt ranks ninth in disposals, third in clearances, second in tackles, fifth in contested possession and effectively disposes of the ball 74 percent of the time. Ablett disposes of the ball efficiently 70 percent of the time.
By no means am I declaring Hunt a future Brownlow medalist, but those key statistics show Hunt is a cog in the Gold Coast machine and can match it with the big boys.
His improvements have flown under the radar in a season where most negative AFL attention has been targeted at Israel Folau and Greater Western Sydney.
Hunt’s work ethic has been enormous which has been appreciated by his teammates and was highlighted by the way they got around him after his goal after the siren defeated Richmond in Round 16.
Hunt has come a long way from his days of shanking the ball out on the full and cramping up in the third quarter.
If he can continue the improvement he showed between his first and second years, few can argue he is not a code switching success story.
ankles
Guest
Mate to go from a sport were its pure strenth front on tackles to a sport wich is so diverse its a bout speed accurecy and agility is a hard thing to do i think people love a failure and tove pointing mistakes out hunt is doing a great job its his second year this muzza has no idea just another idiot who likes to put down its obvuiously a self concious thing
Toa
Guest
When just running out on to the park is viewed as success and for promotional purposes he is guaranteed of running out onto the park I think you are sitting the bar a bit low.....I got no compaints about that personlly i would'nt even get close to the boundary line let alone run on the grass...I'm not bitter about it are you?
Toa
Guest
" Well it’s esay to do something people say you can’t when no one is worrying about whether he actually can" That reply typifies your personally ungrateful & dierespectful.
Macca
Guest
Toa - "Nobody’s suggesting he’s going to make it." That's just not true, there have been numerous articles suggesting this very thing, your mate Ian Whitchurch thought he would be more benefit to Carlton than Carrazzo. "What everyones acknowledging is his self belief we are witnessing what millions of other young Australians can inspire to do when someone says you cant." Well it's esay to do something people say you can't when no one is worrying about whether he actually can. When just running out on to the park is viewed as success and for promotional purposes he is guaranteed of running out onto the park I think you are sitting the bar a bit low.
Toa
Guest
Macca, Nobodies especially me is claiming he's a gun. Nobody's suggesting he's going to make it. What everyones acknowledging is his self belief we are witnessing what millions of other young Australians can inspire to do when someone says you cant. The interest here is watching him how he handles adversity,pressure above all coming out the other side. Does he make it ? or by your accounts succumb to the pressure of a list clogger? As I mention Patience....he's not done yet.
Macca
Guest
Toa - I assume english is your second language because I find it very hard to discern what you are saying. My modus operandi is not to strangle people with stats but simply demonstrate the facts rather than the more romantic view people have that he is a gun simple because they like the story. He is supposed to be an inside midfielder but gets only about 6 contested possessions a game, just a couple of clearances and only 3.5 tackles, these are terrible figures for an inside midfielder. Add in that he ranks 14th on the suns list for 1 percenters (a stat specifically designed to pick up the shepherds and smothers that add more than just total disposals) and you get a very clear picture that he is not performing the role people make out. On top of that he isn't spreading well as he only get's less than 15 possessions a game and he isn't damaging on the scoreboard. He will be 26 shortly after the end of this season and has a dozen younger and better footballers vying for his spot so he doesn't have the luxury of time as any other 26 year old putting in the performances he is would be quickly shown the door. He is the very definition of a list clogger. So while there are things that stats can't measure to make it in the AFL you can't only excel in these things, you have to actually also contribute in the areas stats can measure, Hunt isn't.
Toa
Guest
Now insinuating the difference of age aligning to your campaigning views clearly misses my point. Your modus operandi is to strangle opponents with statistics as I’ve unashamedly mention where stats fall short it’s require to be prop by the truth. You provided the age I corrected you “simple” no attachment or other gripes to inflate my case where as your insinuations were defensive & selective in order for you to manipulate & turn it around so you wouldn’t admit I was correct. To ensure youre not selecting angles I'll answer your final paragraph after i read your reply to this post.
Macca
Guest
Toa - If pointing out that Hunt is 25 now as opposed to 26 in just a couple of month and well before the next season is the best you have then you are in trouble. Hunt is a list clogger, he doesn't have the luxury of improving gradually over the next 3 years becasue of his age and the quality of players around him.
Macca
Guest
Ian - Hunt at 26 performing the way he does in a side that isn't going to be playing finals in the next couple of years with the number of younger better players around him is too old. Judd, Carrazzo & Waite with their quality performances in a side that will be playing finals in the next few year are just fine. COnversely the Likes of Russell and Bower are too old with their performances and have become list cloggers, just like Hunt.
Ian Whitchurch
Guest
Remember, according to Macca, at 26 Hunt is getting too old, but Carlton are Just Fine with 28-29 year olds.
Toa
Guest
Macca Please ,you consume the whole post the fact that you selected to ignore the 2nd & final paragraph tells me you fail to pursue the evidence/reply I'm requiring. Your following replies -"I’ll treat the majority of your rant with the respect it deserves and ignore it BUT I WILL POINT TO THIS COMMENT" .....Toa I didn’t bother reading all you rant BUT I WILL SAY THIS , Patience is a young.....the fact that this beanstalks growing is because you wholeheartedly read edit & select angles from my post to justify your cause. “I can prove any statistics except the truth”...your claiming Hunts 26 I believe he's 25 check your stats see if the line rings true?
Macca
Guest
Toa I didn't bother reading all you rant but I will say this, Patience is a young mans game and at 26 Hunt is moving past his prime quickly and has youngsters improving rapidly. Second, they aren't dreamteam stats, they are game stats, evidence of his performance and if you can use Statistics to prove anything why can't they prove he is a decent player?
Toa
Guest
Its only a rant when your names in it !!!! & ignoring means its true .Like I said we can go back & forth. This claim of respecting my post needs to be forwarded to the athletes & organisations other than myself. I've done nothing compare to their achievements. Are you being rational? Seriously does anything you mention weld rationally? You’ve enter this debate wanting to wrestle in game time stats which you so cunningly threw in your 2nd response towards the original post attacking Hunt’s 25m spray & rejecting his game winner the week earlier. Now 18 replies’ later my point is a staunch as first one which gravitates towards one word Patience. Again your arguments has always been about dream team stats which I’ve repeatedly repel stating “I see no relevance in predicting the future by debating game time stats as it falls short on factoring team confidence, chemistry, objectives & mental fatigue. My views subscribe to the results at the coal face which are to collectively go forward as team base of on & off the field efforts”. You've accuse me of dismissing your facts which you so eagerly wait on proven evidence, go back and source every debate between Toa & Macca & displayed where I've introduced/disputed your game time stats? While your there i'm still waiting on the "apparently" claim to show up. Your flogging a dead horse my angle has been always been in favour of athletes,expansion teams & organisations wanting to compete. I'm interested in the whole package regarding team development growth & chemistry going forward.
Macca
Guest
Toa - I'll treat the majority of your rant with the respect it deserves and ignore it but I will point to this comment "mention reserve grader O’mera’s name" O'meara was picked as a 17 year old meaning he was too young to play senior football this year, if he had of been in this years draft he woould of gone No. 1. He will play consistent senior football next year as a midfielder. Also I asked you to be rational and provide evidence as to why I am wrong, you failed on both counts.
Toa
Guest
"stop taking this issue so personally an look at it rationally"….Man that has to be the worse reply I've ever seen from you. If thoughts of retracing that claim becomes meaningless then officially your a scrub in fact a hypocritical arrogant scrub!!!! First of all let me remind you Hate brought you to this designated forum your here campaigning not rationalising. 2nd of all you're a keyboard arsonist that burns all positive Hunt & expansion teams claims by using statical accelerants only to hide in the back dates undetected if that isn't personal what is? 3rdly when is it ever irrational to be patience? the fact arrogants has allow you to predict ones athletic future makes you anything but rational. Its concerning the fact you can't rationalise my views on paying attenion to the important values of collective team/club work rather than hoping i would lower my standards and trade stats by gauging the future. What's really confusing you speak of every suns player the expansion team you berate and to mention reserve grader O'mera's name one can only think you have interest in the Su…..hoooold oonn naaaahhh no way!!!! Hellll noooo!!! I'VE BEEN PUNK'ND God dammm!!!! aw mannnn you got me man!!!, you got me hahaha, here's me thinking this breastfed quadruple face motherf… er has some serious metal health issues…man I had a feeling when you wrote the last sentence…I pause said to myself what kind fool goes out like that!!!!….aww man good onya Macca hahaha…. I swear to god you play the arrogance part well….good one mate….peace.
Macca
Guest
Toa - You want me to supply evidence to support my opinion, I do and it isn't just one stat it is a combination of many stats that clearly debunk the myth that Hunt is getting the hard ball for his smaller teammates and you just dismiss it. If I am so wrong where is the evidence of your opinion? And Hunt will have a lot of competition for his spot next year as his team mates get their third preseason under thier belt and the likes of Omeara come into the team, gradual improvement may not be enough. Stop taking this issue so personally and look at it rationally.
Toa
Guest
Not only did you prove my point that 1. You lack patience.....severely lack patience in fact you don't have any patience. 2 You still cant understand respect is cascaded to all that endures the pathway of a being professional athlete. 3. By reading the Monday morning stats empowers you to past judgement to coach from the comfort of your couch. 4.Your self centre personally refuses to acknowledge professionals teams base their results on & off the field. 5. Your limited to understanding what is achieve base on team chemistry. Where we differ is I expect gradual results through hard work & patience which is only achieve through positive thinking. As for you its about negativity base on what you cant do & wont do due to projected 12mths stats & lack of AFL experience & patience.
Macca
Guest
Toa - You can respect him all you want that doesn't mean he can play football. You accuse me of not having facts to back my statement as Ian does and then when I produce them you dismiss them without providing any to the contrary. And getting bugger all possessions in a team that wins only 3 games a year isn't an achievement in my book, maybe that is where we differ, you think the act of running out on the park is an achievement in itself, I expect him to perform while he is out there.
Toa
Guest
Macca, The shear weight of arrogance has afforded you the inability to differentiate between what’s born out of romanticism & respect. Again you fail to respond to any of my claims profiling your attitude towards athletes who control their own densities. I must be 100% correct that you lack the mentality & skills to compete in a pressurise environment hence the tripe attitude of failing to recognise what’s required to achieve what you obviously can’t. You spew out stats that Tom waterhouse would be proud of although the only difference between Tom & yourself is Mr Waterhouse publicly admits he hasn’t the faintest of what it takes to accomplish what’s needed at an elite sporting level. I’m only happy to go back & forth with you on this post but I assure you I will continue to respect any individuals, coaching staff, organisation & expansion teams who believe they can compete. The fact your hiding in the back dates & grasping straws leads me to believe you have a weakness in fronting up to more recent post regarding how an expansion team you berate beat your beloved Blues. The above only reinforces you are competently versed in processing statistics but incapable of being patience to that a constructing house without waiting on a permit. Someone once said “I can prove any statistics except the truth” I see no relevance in predicting the future by debating game time stats as it falls short on factoring team confidence, chemistry, objectives & mental fatigue. My views subscribe to the results at the coal face which are to collectively go forward as team base of on & off the field efforts. You care to “Apparently” displayed claims of administering exchangers of what I’ve suppose to have cited in regards to seeking demotion over prejudiced?
Macca
Guest
Toa - Again you ignore the facts about his performance and go on about the more romantic side. I also find it amazing that apparently you can call for any coach or player to be saked or dropped on this site except Hunt and Folou. Dou yourself a favour and think about the role Hunt is supposed to be playing, an inside midfielder, and then look at the Stats other inside midfilders put up (Brock McLean for example) and compare them to Hunt, then look at the sheer number and talent of Suns midfielders that will play next year (don't forget O'meara) and ask yourself if on Hunt's current numbers he would make that side.