Instinct kicks in as Red hunts old foe
when he was a wallflower in a 31-5 smashing from NSW in Sydney.
“The Reds have really been bullied in this game the last few seasons which has to change,” Hunt said.
“A lot of this week has been about how much this battle means, coach (Nick Stiles) reminding us of old scorelines, fighting to the last whistle and how much harder we can push for it.
“Whether it’s State of Origin or rugby, beating NSW does mean more.
“I’ve had this rivalry against NSW instilled in me from schoolboys days.
“It was driven into my mentality by the old guys coming into Origin camps telling their stories and showing their battle scars.
“Mal (Meninga) and Trevor Gillmeister were very good and all their smiles were about winning and coming out on top of NSW.”
Hunt was 7-3 in State of Origin battles and has a clear urge to return to some bullying of his own.
He has put on 6kg of power and confidence since 2015 and his output proves he finally deserves to be discussed as a Wallabies candidate.
He has transformed his average runs a game (3.8 to 6.9), almost doubled his running metres (33 to 63) and beefed up his tackling impact (3.1 to 5.7) since his paltry 2015 figures.
Best of all, he has shed Super Rugby’s most damning stat as the $1.5 million buy who could not register a linebreak in his first two seasons and 19 games.
He has four in seven games this year to go with nearly as many linebreak assists (8) as All Blacks ace Beauden Barrett (9).
NSW players were asked if they “care enough” in an honesty session called to thrash out why their 2-6 season has the death-wobbles.
The Waratahs’ faults were laid out plainly in a team meeting where players were told to honestly appraise themselves.
“Definitely the first thing (asked) is ‘Do we really care enough?’,” Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson told Fox Sports last night.