Anguish as Hunt ends Broncos run
A SHATTERED Ben Hunt was left to lament another near premiership miss after minorpremiers Melbourne delivered the bullet to Brisbane’s season and his Broncos career.
Hunt, who will join the Dragons next season, admitted he couldn’t hold back the tears after his 187-game Broncos career ended in heartbreak in Friday’s night’s 30-0 preliminary final loss to the Storm.
Since January, when Hunt inked a life-changing five-year, $6 million deal with the Red V, the Broncos halfback knew this day would come.
As the final seconds counted down at AAMI Park, Hunt looked across at Alex Glenn and Josh McGuire, teammates with whom he first went into battle in Brisbane’s inaugural under-20s side a decade ago.
The reality had set in. He would never wear his cherished Broncos jumper again. He would leave Red Hill without a premiership ring.
It was all too much. Hunt let the tears flow.
“It just hit me, knowing it’s over,” Hunt said. “I thought I would have handled the end well, but once I saw a couple of boys like Alex and ‘Macca’ (McGuire) come over to me, it sunk in that it was over and it made me really emotional.
“I will miss the mateship. I played a lot of footy with guys like Alex and Josh, right back to the under-20s.”
Brisbane’s big-game heartbreak was palpable in the AAMI Park sheds.
Winger Jordan Kahu stared blankly into the distance. Glenn, tired and deflated, was slumped against a wall, ruing Brisbane’s botched opportunities as McGuire and Matt Gillett gathered around him.