Brisbane Broncos recruit Jaiyden Hunt believes he will be the right person to take the vacant spot left by veteran Kurt Capewell in the club's line-up.
As the Broncos have released Capewell to the New Zealand Warriors, effective immediately, a free spot has opened up in the club's forward pack.
One player who has declared he wants to be the player to replace Capewell is Jaiyden Hunt. Admitting to have studied his game, his ready to show the club during the pre-season that he is the right man to fill the void.
“It's more his chat and work off the ball, he's always got his edge, and he's the leader of that edge in defence," Hunt said via SMH.
If you're a great edge defender, your halves don't have to make as many tackles, so that's the main thing I see."
“I'm whatever the team needs, whatever [coach] Kevvie [Walters] wants. If he wants me to play backrow, I'll play backrow; if he wants me to play in the middle, I'll play in the middle.
“I'll try hard in every single area of those positions. [When I got the call from the Broncos] they said [they were interested] because I'm big enough to play middle and the backrow, so there was a really good opportunity for me to come off the bench and I can cover both positions.”
As Hunt settles into his new team, the 25-year-old is accustomed to fighting for his spot in the team. With the Broncos having limited spots available in the forwards, he knows how to fight for his future better than most.
The forward spoke that despite having a year left on his contract, Shane Flanagan told him in no uncertain terms that he wasn't needed at the club and played no role in the club's future.
“I just got told at the Dragons that with the reshuffle and new coaches, there wasn't really a spot for me there, and I was still contracted there for next year,” Hunt said.
“Then, out of nowhere, my manager called me and said the Broncos were really interested to have me there, and I said I'd jump there in a heartbeat.
“When I was younger, I wasn't the greatest rugby league player, I just played for the fun of it, then it just kind of took off.
“I was never in the Queensland sides growing up, I was never in the up-and-coming sides, I've always had to fight every step of the way.
“I'm just used to it, I guess.”