Royce Hunt has been making the most of his limited opportunities this season - including a game-changing stint to help Cronulla overwhelm the Broncos - and wants to keep building with the club.
Although signed until the end of the 2025 season; the impeding arrival of Addin Fonua-Blake to the Shire next year means the selection queue in the forwards will get more crowded, with Hunt, who has so far made six appearances this season, pragmatic about his future.
“Obviously, I want to spend the rest of my career at the Sharks, but at the end of the day, it’s a business and they have got to do what's right for them and I have got to do what's right for me and my family,” Hunt told NRL.com.
“I'd love to stay here, but obviously it is what it is.
“I've got the rest of this year and next year is still signed.
“But I guess you'd be a bit blind not to see that we've got another world class front row coming in and we've got a lot of young front rowers here and I never want to be that guy that holds one of the young boys out of a spot. So if I have to go, then so be it.”
For now, the Samoan international has been providing a key role off the bench for the Sharks and focused on performing for his team. Tasked with making an impact when he gets on the field, he more than delivered in Brisbane.
His 24 minutes included 88 run metres, 37 of them post contact and a huge six tackle breaks that helped his side turn around a 12-4 halftime deficit to post their 22-12 win.
Sharks coach Craig Fitzgibbon praised the overall contribution from his bench, who all stood up to ensure no let up of pressure in the Broncos.
“He was charging Big Royce, he's been good for us and probably goes under the radar, Jack Williams is another one there and we shifted Toby [Rudolf] and Tommy [Hazelton] around there to give Tommy some interchange time in the middle of the game,” Fitzgibbon said
“I thought they were all terrific and Royce sparked an energy shift in us for sure. I thought everyone out there got their job done.”
Coming into the game with two disappointing losses, Hunt said despite what could have been viewed as disruptions to preparation with Origin call-ups for Nicho Hynes and skipper Cam McInnes, the side had prepared well and were ready to be physical in the match.
“The week was just preparation,” Hunt said. “We lacked a bit in defence (in the losses to Panthers and Eels), so we bashed each other all week, and it was pretty fun actually.
“It was a good week of preparation and Cam just come back in and does his job as usual and that's why he is Origin player.”
This week, the Sharks will be back at home to take on fellow top four team the Dolphins, with Hunt hoping the side can continue to make strides forward.
“Next is home game, we have got a short turnaround, five days; so we'll get back home and start preparation on Monday and we'll just get our bodies right and go again and then go into a week off,” Hunt said.
“There's definitely more levels for us.
“We're just taking it week by week and trying to go up a gear every week.”
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