Speaking to Brisbane’s Triple M, former Gold Coast utility Hunt put his hand up to help any player at the Reds going through a tough time, despite being the Super Rugby club’s newest recruit, as he’d once been in the same position when he started life at the Brisbane Broncos.
“It was at a time in my life when I was a young and playing top-flight footy, going out every week and it was probably contrary to what I was doing as a professional athlete,” said Hunt.
“Maybe since then I’ve grown up, I’ve learnt what’s required to be a professional athlete at three codes.
“I’ve got no doubt I’d be able to sort of be a mentor or maybe a leader to some of the boys if need be at the Reds.
“I’ve thought about James coming back,” he added. “He left the code not on the greatest terms.
“But I’m sure that he’s done a lot of soul searching and he’s done his own learning in the time that’s passed.
“I don’t know him all too well but I wouldn’t expect him to be coming back the same person as when he left. It just wouldn’t make sense to me.”
Hunt refused to say which other clubs and codes had been asking about his services but said he’d been flattered by the level of interest.
He also said the process of becoming a Red had started last year when Queensland coach Richard Flanagan had contacted him while he still had a season to go at the Suns.
“(There were) a couple of other options that I seriously considered but the Queensland Reds stood out above the rest,” said Hunt, who maintained he could still play AFL, despite plenty of detractors.
“I had a conversation with a few people at the end of last year and having been on the sidelines for quite a while and played up to 40 games, my hamstring tendonitis sort of kicked in.
“It wasn’t that I couldn’t play the game.
“So had conversations with Bluey (Guy McKenna) early this year, I think they had the idea that I was looking to move on past this year, so probably they weren’t going to invest too many games in me this season because with me moving on, they need to invest in their own future so to speak.
“There was never any conversation about me not being able to play the game, ‘cause that’s obviously not true.
“It’s more about me getting fit and getting in form ... but I just wasn’t able to get that continuity with my body and form and look here we are today, the decision’s been made.
“So I’m just looking forward to the future, my body shape, genetics all that probably agree with me that I’m going back to a game that better suits me.”