Traded Josh Hunt (2001-2013)

[Turkey Tom]

Re: No. 8 Josh Hunt

Although the kick-out strategy has changed because we don't need to wait for the goal umpire to finish waving the flags, Josh was still a valuable asset for this critical part of the game.

Who is going to take over?

 

[CF]

Re: No. 8 Josh Hunt

Cats ponder Josh Hunt's options

GEELONG will decide early this week whether Josh Hunt will have the radical knee surgery Sydney's Nick Malceski had last season.

The club hasn't ruled out the option but would be unlikely to rush the premiership defender through the risky operation to get him back playing in about three months.

Scans confirmed yesterday the prodigious left-footer ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament early in Geelong's crushing 76-point NAB Cup grand final win over Collingwood on Friday night.

Cats football manager Neil Balme said the club and Hunt would "take everything into account" before deciding whether to pursue the synthetic graft or more traditional route.

"None of that has been decided yet, but we'll look at it in the next few days," Balme said.

As impressive as the Cats were on Friday night, Hunt's penetrating kicking out of defence will be sorely missed, especially with most teams likely to employ rolling zones this season.

Dashing back-flanker David Wojcinski, cruelly left out of last year's Grand Final team, is an obvious and capable replacement.

But the difference between Wojcinski's run-and-carry style and Hunt's pinpoint kicking will ensure the Cats' defensive patterns will change slightly.

Acting captain Cameron Ling said yesterday the Cats had several options to fill Hunt's big boots.

"Within the whole club we have a few replacements for each player . . . so I think there there will be a few blokes who can jump in there and play," Ling said.

AFL clubs remain sceptical of the surgery used by Malceski to make a swift recovery last season.

Banned in France, medical experts believe the synthetic graft treatment has a raft of side-effects, including severe inflammation around the knee.

 

[Gladbaqs]

Re: Like a phoenix from the ashes - Geelong Board player review is back!

Josh Hunt

Overall, it was a remarkable achievement for Josh to play in a premiership this year given the extreme pressure to keep his spot over the likes of Milburn and T Hunt. At about round 20 many observers, including myself, predicted he would be the hard luck story of 2011. But he undoubtedly showed solid form when it mattered and then maintained it through to the Grand Final.

Josh is the youngest of the old brigade (30 next March). There is a curious gap of 15 and a half months between him and Steve Johnson meaning that retirements in the coming years will be distinctly two-tiered.

Josh is the obvious tank of the team with the smallest differential between height in centimetres and weight in kilograms on the list, weighing in at 100kg and measuring up at 185cm.

He received his first Brownlow vote since 2006 in Geelong's round three demolition of Port Adelaide at Skilled Stadium. He kicked the first of his four season goals after marking a clearing kick from Paul Stewart and sending it back over everybody's head from 50. Accumulated a season-high 88 Dream Team and 102 SuperCoach points and equal-season-high 20 possessions.

It was a swift fall from grace in his very next outing however, as he produced a Barry Crocker in his 150th game in Sydney. Season-low eight disposals and a couple of clangers saw him genuinely dropped, as opposed to General Soreness (possibly the only established senior player to suffer that ignominy all season). He sat out Scarlett's 250th against the Hawks as an emergency, and lined up against Sandringham the following week and was named fourth best for the Cats.

Josh also sat out the victory over Adelaide at Skilled Stadium in round 14 after accepting a one match ban for striking Adam Schneider a week earlier.

Season averages were all consistent with career averages 15.6 disposals, 4.7 marks, 2.6 tackles.

Question marks remain over his propensity to produce wildly damaging turnovers at inopportune times (gold plated gifted goals to Ashley Smith and Naitanui/Ebert in the second quarter against the Eagles in Subiaco were season lowlights) but the consensus surely must be that his generally neat and long disposal is a worry for the opposition. I can recall only one mistake in the finals, when he overcooked a kick to Bartel in the centre square in the first quarter against Hawthorn which proved costly when Franklin ended up with a goal seconds later.

The rest of the finals were like his torso - just plain solid. Laid good tackles, made good defensive spoils, kept his opponents quiet, kept his feet, hit targets by hand and foot and slotted an important goal against the Hawks (after a mark and 50 metre penalty thanks to Hale) and against the Eagles from inside the centre square on his right foot no less!

Would like to see him take more marks next year and maybe kick a career high bag of goals for the season (only four to beat!). I think Josh (and Andrew Mackie) need to step up to the fifty more often and nail goals from long range.

Congratulations on a fine year, Josh!

 

[Catdog]

Thanks for the memories Josh.