Don Tweddle
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Cronulla prop Royce Hunt’s journey from Kalgoorlie to breaking NRL records
Sharks prop Royce Hunt thanked ‘the big boys’ for setting the platform after he produced such a stunning set of stats against the Dragons last weekend that he is on track to break a NRL record.
Nick Campton, The Daily Telegraph
Subscriber only
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July 30, 2020 4:02p
Sharks prop Royce Hunt has come all the way over from Kalgoorlie for a shot in the NRL, so it’s no wonder he’s built up an insatiable appetite for metres.
A standout in NSW Cup in recent years, Hunt has taken to first grade this year like he was made for it.
He’s become an important contributor off the bench for the Sharks, and in last weekend’s win over the Dragons, he churned through 211 metres from 20 runs in just 28 minutes of game time.
“I think we just had most of the possession when I got on. The boys who were on before me put in a hell of an effort, I was just lucky to get on when we were attacking,” Hunt said.
“The big boys that play a lot of minutes, I’m not on as long as them so if they need a rest I’ll double up when I can.”
Hunt is modest but the stats show his stint against the Dragons was absolutely remarkable.
It’s the fewest minutes any player has needed to make 200 metres since records began in 2002 and Hunt’s 7.54 metres per minute is the third highest total on record among players who have made more than 100 metres in a match .
At that pace, it would take Hunt about 692 hours to walk from Cronulla back home to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
The journey to becoming an NRL regular has been a long and winding one for Hunt - he’s one of the few WA juniors in the top grade.
“I grew up in Kalgoorlie, and there wasn’t any league competition at all,” Hunt said.
“My old man was always a league head so he started a comp, but it was only for adults and I was still too young.
“He’d drive me to Perth two or three times a year just for a park footy game, it was six hours there and six hours back.”
Eventually, Hunt was snapped up by recruitment guru and former Western Reds coach Peter Mulholland to join Canterbury.
“My old man knew Pete Mullholland from way back, and he was at Bulldogs at the time so I ended up signing there,” Hunt said.
“I came over not knowing what Harold Matthews or SG Ball was, but I went through the whole system up to 20s.
“And I was pretty much over it then, I was just training and working and not really loving my footy anymore.”
Mulholland, then with Canberra, came to his rescue again, convincing Hunt to come down to Mounties for a season in 2016. Hunt rediscovered his love for the game and went down to the Raiders for the following pre-season.
“I went down to Canberra the following year for a month, and that turned into the whole year and then I signed for another two years,” Hunt said.
Hunt only played one top grade game for the Raiders - their infamous loss to Penrith in Bathurst in 2017 - but he never lost faith that he could cut it in the top grade and now, along with the likes of Toby Rudolf and Siosifa Talaki, he forms part of Cronulla’s Generation Next as the club looks to vill the void left by departed stalwarts Paul Gallen, Matt Prior and Luke Lewis.
“I knew I was good enough to play, it was just hard to get a look in at Canberra with all the players they had there,” Hunt said.
“There was lots of depth. I needed a fresh start and Cronulla came knocking.
“We were hungry and we were waiting for an opportunity and it came, no-one wants to give up a spot so everyone goes out and plays their best every week.
“It’s kind of like that for all of us, we’re all keen and hungry. We know what it takes, so we’re just trying to hold the jersey.”
Sharks prop Royce Hunt thanked ‘the big boys’ for setting the platform after he produced such a stunning set of stats against the Dragons last weekend that he is on track to break a NRL record.
Nick Campton, The Daily Telegraph
Subscriber only
|
July 30, 2020 4:02p
Sharks prop Royce Hunt has come all the way over from Kalgoorlie for a shot in the NRL, so it’s no wonder he’s built up an insatiable appetite for metres.
A standout in NSW Cup in recent years, Hunt has taken to first grade this year like he was made for it.
He’s become an important contributor off the bench for the Sharks, and in last weekend’s win over the Dragons, he churned through 211 metres from 20 runs in just 28 minutes of game time.
“I think we just had most of the possession when I got on. The boys who were on before me put in a hell of an effort, I was just lucky to get on when we were attacking,” Hunt said.
“The big boys that play a lot of minutes, I’m not on as long as them so if they need a rest I’ll double up when I can.”
Hunt is modest but the stats show his stint against the Dragons was absolutely remarkable.
It’s the fewest minutes any player has needed to make 200 metres since records began in 2002 and Hunt’s 7.54 metres per minute is the third highest total on record among players who have made more than 100 metres in a match .
At that pace, it would take Hunt about 692 hours to walk from Cronulla back home to Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
The journey to becoming an NRL regular has been a long and winding one for Hunt - he’s one of the few WA juniors in the top grade.
“I grew up in Kalgoorlie, and there wasn’t any league competition at all,” Hunt said.
“My old man was always a league head so he started a comp, but it was only for adults and I was still too young.
“He’d drive me to Perth two or three times a year just for a park footy game, it was six hours there and six hours back.”
Eventually, Hunt was snapped up by recruitment guru and former Western Reds coach Peter Mulholland to join Canterbury.
“My old man knew Pete Mullholland from way back, and he was at Bulldogs at the time so I ended up signing there,” Hunt said.
“I came over not knowing what Harold Matthews or SG Ball was, but I went through the whole system up to 20s.
“And I was pretty much over it then, I was just training and working and not really loving my footy anymore.”
Mulholland, then with Canberra, came to his rescue again, convincing Hunt to come down to Mounties for a season in 2016. Hunt rediscovered his love for the game and went down to the Raiders for the following pre-season.
“I went down to Canberra the following year for a month, and that turned into the whole year and then I signed for another two years,” Hunt said.
Hunt only played one top grade game for the Raiders - their infamous loss to Penrith in Bathurst in 2017 - but he never lost faith that he could cut it in the top grade and now, along with the likes of Toby Rudolf and Siosifa Talaki, he forms part of Cronulla’s Generation Next as the club looks to vill the void left by departed stalwarts Paul Gallen, Matt Prior and Luke Lewis.
“I knew I was good enough to play, it was just hard to get a look in at Canberra with all the players they had there,” Hunt said.
“There was lots of depth. I needed a fresh start and Cronulla came knocking.
“We were hungry and we were waiting for an opportunity and it came, no-one wants to give up a spot so everyone goes out and plays their best every week.
“It’s kind of like that for all of us, we’re all keen and hungry. We know what it takes, so we’re just trying to hold the jersey.”
