Latest news with #BenHunt
The Australian
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Billy Walters reveals Benji Marshall mentorship for Broncos five-eighth mission
Billy Walters has vowed to keep Brisbane's season alive, revealing how mentoring sessions with five-eighth legend Benji Marshall has him primed to fire in the famous Broncos No.6 jumper. In his first interview since being pitchforked into the halves, Walters backed his emergency band-aid pairing with halfback Ben Hunt to keep Brisbane's title assault on track in Saturday's derby blockbuster against the Dolphins. Walters has played 15 of his 20 games off the bench this season but hamstring injuries to star halves Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds has seen him answer a scrumbase SOS for the must-win Battle of Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium. The makeshift pivot concedes he doesn't have the instinctive brilliance Mam, but the son of Broncos five-eighth legend Kevin Walters is steeled by his lessons from legendary Tigers magician Marshall. The pair spent a season together at the Wests Tigers in 2020. Former whiz-kid Marshall once rated Walters' show-and-go as deceptive as that of Cowboys champion Johnathan Thurston and the Broncos hooker-turned-pivot is confident he can stabilise Brisbane's strife-torn scrumbase. 'I think I can do the job for sure,' Walters said ahead of his scrumbase duel with Dolphins halves Kodi Nikorima and Isaiya Katoa. ''Madge' (coach Michael Maguire) isn't expecting me to be like Ezra Mam, my job is to bring some experience and a bit of a calm head I guess. 'It's my role to kick to the corners and defend well and that's probably my role going forward the next few weeks while we wait for 'Reyno' and hopefully Ezra to return. 'I thought my days at five-eighth were behind me, but Madge suggested I do some reps in the halves because Ezra was serving his suspension and Reyno ended up having neck surgery, so it's ended up working out well for me and 'Hunty'.' Walters says the advice of 346-game legend Marshall, who won a premiership at the Wests Tigers in 2005, will hold him in good stead for the Dolphins clash. 'I was lucky to work with Cameron Smith at Melbourne and it was so cool learning off Benji at the Tigers,' Walters said. 'Benji was really good for me in terms of relaxing and finding a balance between being serious in the NRL, but also enjoying the moment. 'He obviously is a better runner of the football than me, but he said you need to be in a good headspace to be having fun and playing your best football. 'That's the biggest thing I learned from him _ I'm in a good spot at the moment.' Walters' form over the past two months has been sensational. For many years, the 31-year-old lived in the shadow of his famous father, but former Broncos coach Kevin Walters lauded his son's versatility and says he won't let the Broncos down at second receiver. 'He is maturing and proving to everybody what he can do,' said Walters, who will be analysing the Battle of Brisbane exclusively live on Fox League. 'He's played in the halves before, not only at the Broncos, but also for the Tigers and also for the Storm. He is no newcomer to that role. 'The Broncos have the luxury where you lose Adam Reynolds and you drop Ben Hunt into halfback. 'That's a huge advantage for them. 'Billy's got great self-belief and we all believe in him so much, but that belief is coming through in his football now. 'He knows that he belongs at the Broncos and in that jersey. 'I feel he's playing good football. 'Last year I thought Billy was one of our better players and the year before in the grand final run he was up with our best players. 'This year is no different. He's had a different sort of role to play this year which he's taken on and embraced and the Broncos have benefited from that.' Walters' career at the Broncos appeared at the crossroads in pre-season when he lost the No.9 jumper to Cory Paix for the premiership opener against the Roosters. But Walters has thrived on the challenge and is relishing the prospect of combining with Hunt to steer the Broncos to the playoffs. 'It was disappointing losing my starting position,' he said. 'But credit to Cory Paix, he had a pretty good pre-season and it was a challenge for me to bring out my best football, which it did in the end. 'I never take my spot at the Broncos for granted, especially in these Battle of Brisbane games against the Dolphins, so I'll enjoy every second I'm out there.' NRL Popular ABC rugby league broadcaster Andrew Moore is in intensive care at Westmead hospital, after suffering a serious heart attack that required emergency surgery. NRL Penrith's nine-game winning streak has come to an end at the hands of Melbourne, with some Xavier Coates brilliance and a moment of individual magic from Harry Grant sealing a dramatic golden point win.
ABC News
12-08-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Brisbane Broncos name Ben Hunt and Billy Walters in halves to face Dolphins NRL round 24
The Brisbane Broncos have named a new halves pairing for this weekend's crucial derby against the Dolphins, after injury chaos hit the club last weekend. The Broncos lost halfback Adam Reynolds and five-eighth Ezra Mam on the same play during the club's 22-2 loss away to the Melbourne Storm last Thursday. Both men were chasing Storm winger Xavier Coates when they pulled up with hamstring injuries and limped off the field. Ben Hunt and Billy Walters will suit up in the halves for the Broncos this Saturday against the Dolphins, as the club attempts to reset and push for the finals. Hunt has played the majority of his 348 NRL matches in the halves, including the first 10 rounds of this season. Hunt was Brisbane's halfback in their 2015 grand final defeat to the North Queensland Cowboys. Despite spending most of his career at Brisbane as a hooker, Walters — the son of former coach Kevin Walters — has experience in the halves for both the Melbourne Storm and Wests Tigers. Walters and Hunt have been Maguire's first and second choice number nine. Their move to the halves has opened the door for Cory Paix to be named the starting hooker. The Broncos are sixth on the NRL ladder, but are only one win better off than the Sydney Roosters, who sit ninth. Brisbane could end next weekend as high as fifth on the NRL ladder with a win over the eighth-placed Dolphins. But a loss on Saturday, and other results going against them, could drop the Broncos down to ninth with three matches remaining before the finals. Reynolds and Mam both injured their hamstrings while chasing Melbourne winger Xavier Coates last Thursday. Late in the same match, Brisbane's night worsened when outside back Selwyn Cobbo also limped off with a hamstring injury. In a statement released by the club, 35-year-old Reynolds was said to be hopeful of returning before the finals, but the season could be over for Mam and Cobbo. "Adam Reynolds suffered a hamstring injury in last night's game against the Storm and will not return to play for a period of four weeks," the club said in a statement. "Scans have confirmed Ezra Mam and Selwyn Cobbo each suffered more significant hamstring injuries during the Storm game and are not likely to return to play for a period in excess of six weeks." Josiah Karapani will come back into the Broncos' starting side as a straight swap for Cobbo on the wing. Brisbane's triple injury blow against Melbourne came one week after the Broncos lost prop Xavier Willison, who fractured his right forearm during the round 22 win over the South Sydney Rabbitohs.
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bronco blueprint to end 3268-day drought in Melbourne
Melbourne have won their past eight games at AAMI Park against Brisbane, but Broncos hooker Ben Hunt knows what it takes to end the cycle. The 35-year-old veteran, now hooker, played halfback the last time the Broncos tasted success in Melbourne in a 26-16 win on August 26, 2016, in a side that contained club stalwarts Darius Boyd, Matt Gillett, Corey Parker, Sam Thaiday and Corey Oates. Hunt is the only surviving member of that team and will start at No.9 on Thursday night when the Broncos play the Storm at AAMI Park. The AAP report from the 2016 win, an incredible 3268 days ago, said the Broncos attack "clicked into gear from the outset, showing sublime ball-handling skills to stun the home side twice in early stages". "Melbourne looked more energetic after the break but could not wear down Brisbane's defence," the report said. It sounds simple, but rugby league essentially is a simple game. The template for success is clear. Hunt was also on deck in 2015 for a 14-12 win at AAMI Park when the Broncos conjured another victory based on steely defence. In that performance each Broncos player from 1-17 played a part, before bench hooker Matt Parcell made a try-saving tackle on Storm forward Felise Kaufusi in the final minute with a one-on-one ball-and-all tackle. After both wins the reports that followed referred to the "brick wall Broncos" in defence. Hunt, speaking after Brisbane's 60-14 win over South Sydney, said a similar mindset would be required from the current side. "That's probably how we are going to have to win again," Hunt said. "If we go down there, they are a great attacking side, so if you want to beat them, you have to defend well. Watch all the highlights as the Broncos take on the Rabbitohs in Round 22! 🎥 — NRL (@NRL) August 1, 2025 "We will have to take their key players out of the game, make it a low-scoring game and play high-percentage footy. "We need to grow on what we did against Souths. We have to improve on playing the long game and play the high-percentage stuff." Hunt knows from experience that AAMI Park is a tough place to win at any time and will be a true test of the sixth-placed Brisbane's premiership hopes. "They protect their home ground and you have to be at your best to win down there, so we have to be better again than we were (against Souths)," he said. "It will be a great test for us to see where we are at in the competition. "They are humming. It's going to be good for us. I'm looking forward to seeing where we are at." Hunt had his best game against the Rabbitohs in his new role at hooker, and his combination with fellow spine members Reece Walsh, Ezra Mam and Adam Reynolds was slick. "It was a big step forward," Hunt said. "There's still a lot of things we can improve on, but it was definitely a step in the right direction."
ABC News
02-08-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Ben Hunt: We can do something special
Who are the Brisbane Broncos this season? The team that suffered a shock loss at home to Parramatta? Or the one eyeing the Top 4 after putting 60 points on South Sydney? Hooker Ben Hunt (22:39) reckons they should definitely be aiming up this season and that they are capable of going the whole way. He also told Andrew Moore and the team that he's noticing the workload in his body since donning the number 9 shirt but he's enjoying being one of the old heads around the Broncos. Plus you can catch all the latest rugby league news - and speculation - in MC's Hammertime (42:02).
News.com.au
08-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Round 19 team lists: Lachlan Galvin drops back to the bench as the Roosters welcome back their superstar halfback
Lachlan Galvin's role will again be in the spotlight after the high-profile mid-season recruit was named on the bench for Canterbury's trip to North Queensland as they look to bounce back from last week's second-half fadeout. The discourse around where he should play has been heightened with confirmation Toby Sexton and Reed Mahoney won't be at the club next season, but coach Cameron Ciraldo has always maintained the bench is the best place for him right now. Galvin will likely come on in the halves at some stage which will see Sexton shift to hooker, with the Bulldogs keen to pick up a win after they blew an 18-0 lead against the Broncos. They welcome back their Origin stars for the trip north but have lost winger Marcelo Montoya which sees Enari Tuala keep his spot in the team. They face a Cowboys side that features all four Origin stars including Reuben Cotter who has replaced John Bateman in the back row. Ben Hunt's return from a hamstring injury has forced a major change at the Broncos with the veteran named at hooker for Sunday's match against the Titans. The former Origin star hasn't played since round 10 but will start the match with Billy Walters to come off the bench, while Selwyn Cobbo has been dropped to the reserves. 'We have seen what he has done at Origin playing that hooker role, so if he can bring that back here then the boys will be cheering,' Broncos forward Kobe Hetherington said. They face a Titans team that gets Jayden Campbell and David Fifita back, with the barnstorming back-rower to make his return from an ankle injury off the bench. Fletcher Hunt is the man to replace Kalyn Ponga at the back for the Knights for their home game against the Storm, with Newcastle also welcoming back Leo Thompson and Greg Marzhew. The Storm have named fullback Ryan Papenhuyzen after he was a late scratching last week, while Trent Loiero, Harry Grant and Cameron Munster are all listed on an extended bench and in some doubt given they play on Wednesday night. The Roosters have received a huge boost with luckless halfback Sam Walker set to play his first NRL game of the season after a recent setback, with Sandon Smith the man to drop out of the 17. Their Origin stars are all set to play, while Victor Radley and Billy Smith have been named to return from injury. Ivan Cleary has named his Origin quintet on an extended bench for the showdown with Parramatta, with Brian To'o likely to be in some doubt given he's been battling a knee injury. Former Tiger Tallyn Da Silva will make his Eels debut off the bench on Sunday, while the Dolphins have named Sean O'Sullivan as the guy to replace the injured Kodi Nikorima. And Jarome Luai and Api Koroisau are back for the Wests Tigers this weekend against a Warriors side that has made some big changes with Tanah Boyd replacing Luke Metcalf at halfback, while Taine Tuaupiki gets the nod at fullback.
