[Rumour] The Hunt for Karmichael's return to Broncos.

Any chance you could post what the article says? I'm not a subscriber.
 
THE final sorry tale of the Broncos’ disastrous handling of recruitment and retention under former head coach Anthony Griffin has emerged, with revelations a deal to bring Karmichael Hunt back to the club was scuppered due to the club’s tardy handling of negotiations. Speaking for the first time about the failed bid to get him back to the club at which he debuted as a 17-year-old, Hunt was philosophical, insisting the cards had fallen perfectly for him, given he had always planned to see out his professional career playing rugby union.
“I had made the decision a few years ago that I wanted to have a few years playing rugby here in Australia before I finished up,” Hunt told The Weekend Australian.
“But when the Broncos spoke to me late last year I was thinking I would play out one contract there and then look at trying to sort something out with Queensland Rugby.
“I was coming off a really disappointing season at the Suns. My body just wasn’t coping with the training loads. Four years of running like those boys do in that game and I was breaking down.
“The Broncos had just finished a tough year themselves and the talks were pretty advanced. I certainly thought that I’d be back there in 2014.
“But things just took longer than expected and by the time the club was able to formalise an offer I was already two weeks into pre-season training at the Suns.
“It didn’t sit well to think I was walking out a year early on my deal but the idea of just walking out on the team when we were already into our preparations ... I just couldn’t do that.”
The collapse of the discussions with Hunt left Griffin scratching to come up with four legitimate ball-playing options capable of forming the team’s “spine” — an issue which plagued Brisbane’s 2014 campaign from the start.
That it was the lack of input from fullback and five-eighth — Hunt’s two preferred positions — which caused Griffin the greatest headaches brings even further into question the approach Griffin and then football manager Andrew Gee appeared to adopt when negotiating with players.
It was an area Bennett moved immediately to address upon his return to the club he helped build. The seven-time premiership winning coach needed just six weeks to drastically overhaul the playing list. Internationals Darius Boyd, Adam Blair and Anthony Milford were added to a group which looks the equal of any in the competition.
For his part, Hunt is happy where he is, working studiously on his positional play and the technical nuances required in the 15-man game — which he last played during a short stint with French side Biarritz Olympique in 2009-10.
A more mature, hardened and committed professional than he was back in those days, Hunt is typically setting his sights in this final leg of his sporting journey at the highest level.
“I am a better athlete now to be honest, certainly than when I played in France. That was a holiday really with a little bit of footy thrown in,” he said.
“This is another challenge for me. It is new and exciting but I think at 28, and with everything I have learned since starting in the NRL and then through my time in AFL, I really believe I have something to offer in rugby.
“Certainly my kicking game is much better.”
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KHunt was so much better than Boyd it's not even funny.
 
Alec said:
KHunt was so much better than Boyd it's not even funny.
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Maybe in their Broncos days but I can't remember Hunt putting in the same week in week out performances of Boyd circa 2009-2011.
 
What was the point if he was going to come for one contract and then piss off to union anyway?
 
Anthony Griffin - the quintessential bag of dicks
 
Meh.. I still think Boyd was the better option, although I'm intrigued at how good Hunt could've got if he came back to the NRL, not sure he could've got even close to what he was at before he left.
 
I'm sure that was only one of the many **** ups by gee and griffin.
 
**** that hurts me more than it should. I remember in the midst of it all I was dropping off a job to Movie World, and all the Suns players were walking in through security. I'm in my Broncos-laden car, spot Hunt, and can't resist but yell out "Come back, we need you!!!". I can't remember what it was but a subtle expression from Hunt just made me think it was on the cards, I drove away feeling so excited.

This is Gee's **** up more than anyone else. He may have ended up the fall guy for some things that appear very shady, but I'm glad he's gone, albeit too late. It's why I cringe when people suggest we need Broncos legends back at the club whenever a position becomes available or is under pressure. Maybe as figureheads, like Lockyer, but you need business professionals doing the real work.
 
I wanted Hunt back at the time as I was always a big fan, but I'm glad the move didn't go through if he was just going to leave again in a year or two.
 
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Socnorb said:
This is only one side of the story though.
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Its the only side that needs to be told. We were short on quality halves / fullbacks and struggling to attract talent. We clearly had salary cap space and if Griffin and Gee had been competent enough to pull this off we'd have had two big signings to start our year and a spine that would have been far more solid regardless of where we played KHunt.

Barba could have been 5/8 for the whole season, Hoffman could have been left wing all year and dominated wth Khunt feeding him quality ball to score a mountain of tries.

But no. Their combined ineptitude kept us mediocre with a half-assed cobbled together backline that never really worked all year.

It paints in stark reality how despite all the platitudes to the contrary, how un-professional and half-arsed the Brisbane Broncos had allowed itself to become. An organisation that despite its words, was clearly comfortable with just going through the motions.
 
Jason Simmons said:
Its the only side that needs to be told. We were short on quality halves / fullbacks and struggling to attract talent. We clearly had salary cap space and if Griffin and Gee had been competent enough to pull this off we'd have had two big signings to start our year and a spine that would have been far more solid regardless of where we played KHunt.

Barba could have been 5/8 for the whole season, Hoffman could have been left wing all year and dominated wth Khunt feeding him quality ball to score a mountain of tries.

But no. Their combined ineptitude kept us mediocre with a half-assed cobbled together backline that never really worked all year.

It paints in stark reality how despite all the platitudes to the contrary, how un-professional and half-arsed the Brisbane Broncos had allowed itself to become. An organisation that despite its words, was clearly comfortable with just going through the motions.
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Hunt is clearly a mercenary, so how can you have this opinion without knowing what he was asking for?
that garbage about not wanting to back out once preseason for the Suns had started. So they would've been short a reserve grader. I'm sorry but the article is not credible.
 
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if he was only ever coming back for one contract, then it was no great loss bot signing him.

he would have cost us a fortune, possibly costing us players, only for 2 or 3 years.

it also would have taken him a year at least to get back to the form he was in before he left.
 
Socnorb said:
Hunt is clearly a mercenary, so how can you have this opinion without knowing what he was asking for?
that garbage about not wanting to back out once preseason for the Suns had started. So they would've been short a reserve grader. I'm sorry but the article is not credible.
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Spot on!

I'm not impressed by anything Gee has done, except bringing Milford to the club, but anyone taking anything from Khunt at face value, forgot who he is and what he did to the club.

Besides, he would have needed at least half a season to adapt, would've cost a fortune, and would just be using the Broncos as a transit lounge, while waiting for the big bucks offer from Yawnion
 
He might never have gone to Yawnion though. But he wouldn't say that that AFTER already going to the Reds.
 
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