HUNT JUST HAPPY TO SHADOW SKIPPER
BEN Hunt is feeling a bit like the back-up vocalist placed on standby just in case Bruce Springsteen gets laryngitis.
Just as Bruce is The Boss of the music world, Cameron Smith casts a massive shadow in rugby league as the man who seems to play forever and wins everything on the way.
But if anything happens to the star hooker in the World Cup, Hunt will be the man who replaces Mr Irreplaceable in the Australian team.
“Obviously in my eyes and in many around he is the best there has ever been in that position,’’ Hunt said of Smith.
“He has been the Australian captain for a long time now. It is just exciting to be in camp with him.’’
Before he cast his sights forward, Hunt spent time looking back at the Broncos presentation night last Friday.
He has now officially cut ties with the Broncos and is a Dragon for the next six years, a transition more emotional than he thought it would be.
“I did not think in the middle of the year I was going to be too emotional but in the dressingroom after the Melbourne game I got a bit emotional, particularly with blokes I have played with for a long time,” Hunt said.
“After the game I am not sure whether I shed a tear but I came close.
“You see guys like Alex Glenn and Andrew McCullough who I have played with for a long time and you do get emotional.
“He (McCullough) and I played our first game together when we were 12 so it has been a long journey.”