Brisbane veteran Ben Hunt admits he must up the ante with his running game at hooker as he prepares for his 200th NRL match for the Broncos.
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See subscription optionsThe 35-year-old has moved from No.6 to No.9 after a two-month break with a hamstring injury due to the return of Ezra Mam at five-eighth.
It was a switch coach Michael Maguire told the former St George Illawarra captain was on the cards after he signed with the club on a two-year deal.
In two games at hooker - a 26-14 win over Gold Coast and a 22-20 loss to Parramatta - Hunt is yet to hit the high standard he sets for himself.
He had three runs against the Eels for 15m and no runs against the Titans.
Ahead of Friday night's meeting with cellar dwellers South Sydney, Hunt said he needed to start running the ball.
"That's definitely something I've got to bring into my game the next few weeks," Hunt said.
"Now I am back and have got a bit of match fitness and am into the swing of things, I have got to contribute a lot more with the ball. That definitely involves me running out of dummy-half.
"The good (hookers) are doing that. They get half a sniff, guys like Blayke Brailey at the moment, and they are off and running. I've got to start doing that."
Hunt, who has been a halfback for the majority of his 346 NRL matches, has an interesting assignment ahead of him.
He forged a stellar representative career for Queensland and Australia as a hooker and utility but had started at No.9 at NRL level on just 15 occasions before this year.
Hunt was signed to the Broncos while still at school and didn't think he would ever leave - until he signed a mega deal with the Dragons from 2018.
His return ahead of this season was somewhat of a fairytale, so his 200th game is a milestone to savour.
"It's very special," he said.
"I left the club all those years ago and I've been lucky enough to come back and it is something I'm pretty proud of."
Hunt said Brisbane's shock loss to the Eels last week was just a "speed bump" and insisted the sixth-placed Broncos had the team to win the title.
"I think we have got the team here to do it," he said.
"If we can play our best footy we can definitely go with any team in the competition. It is a matter of us turning up and playing our best. We've shown patches of that through the year but we have to be more consistent."
Australian Associated Press
