Broncos star Billy Walters has claimed he will fight for his bench position at the club, with Michael Maguire expected to throw Ben Hunt straight into the No. 9 role when he returns from injury. Fans were left deflated on Tuesday when it emerged Hunt would not be fit in time for the game against the Warriors on the weekend.
Hunt has been out since injuring himself against the Rabbitohs in round 10 after an MCL injury. While he was expected to play this weekend at Suncorp, Maguire has been forced to sit him out for another round after failing to recover in time. This means Cory Paix will start at dummy-half, while Walters will come off the bench.
Paix and Walters have switched roles a number of times throughout the season as Maguire has looked to find the right balance for his team. Paix appears to have won back the starting role, which leaves Walters in a precarious situation.
Walters appears to have one more chance to prove himself this weekend before Hunt is fit. And the Broncos utility admitted he isn’t ready to let go of his jersey. “I feel like everyone’s position is up for grabs,” Walters said.
“You have got to be playing good footy, or you’re not going to be in the team. So I don’t know which way Madge (coach Michael Magure) is going to go.” It’s kind of been up to me and Paixy to see who’s playing the best or see who can bring the most to the team, so I suppose we’ll see in the next coming weeks.
“I keep asking Dozer (Hunt) when he’s going to be back, hoping he can push it back a little bit further just to make sure I’m in the team, but even if I’m not in the team, I’ll still be trying hard to get back in. You never know with rugby league these days; it could change pretty quickly, so you’ve always got to be ready and just take the opportunity when it’s there.”
Ben Hunt set to boost Broncos in new role
The Broncos have struggled at times this year, with Hunt slotting into No. 6 while Ezra Mam was serving his suspension. While the likes of Cooper Cronk thought the Broncos were better off with Hunt at five-eighth alongside Adam Reynolds, the form of Reece Walsh dropped as he struggled to link up with the new spine.
Mam’s return appears to have helped Walsh play with more freedom, and Hunt will revert to the No. 9 role he was initially brought in to play. While Hunt has played No. 7 for most of his NRL career, he shifted to No. 9 for Queensland in State of Origin.
Slater has opted to use Hunt to start the game in previous Origin series, working in tandem with Harry Grant in a dual-hooker role for Queensland. In fact, the Maroons’ Game 2 victory in Perth was the first time in five games that they’d won with the Storm superstar starting at hooker.
Hunt has excelled in this role, having played it for both the Maroons and Australia. The switch would give Brisbane another creative outlet in attack and much-needed big-game experience.
