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Brisbane Broncos great Ben Hunt suffered a worrying head injury during his side’s epic Grand Final comeback victory against Melbourne on Sunday evening.
The NRL’s oldest player was substituted out of the game with a category one head injury with less than nine minutes left on the clock.
It was an anxious wait on the sidelines for Hunt, but in the words of his team-mate, Kotoni Staggs: ‘We got it done for him.’
Hunt’s story is an inspiring one.
The 35-year-old Queenslander was first signed to the Broncos in 2009 and would go on to play for the club in the 2015 Grand Final, where they faced off against the North Queensland Cowboys. Heartbreakingly, Hunt dropped a kick that allowed Cowboys captain Johnathan Thurston to kick a winning field goal and claim a thrilling victory.
Hunt has previously revealed that he ‘went through some dark times’ after that final but added that it has made him a tougher person.
Ben Hunt (bottom left) suffered a sickening head injury during the Broncos Grand Final win
The veteran hooker got back to his feet but stumbled as he tried to carry on playing
Walsh (left) noticed that Hunt was not in a good way and stopped his team-mate in his tracks, preventing him from falling and hurting himself further
He’d return to Brisbane in 2025, after five years with St George, and it was here that he would seal redemption, helping his side end their 19-year drought for a premiership on Sunday night.
His evening was sadly cut short after he appeared to get his head on the wrong side of a tackle on Ativalu Lisati.
Hunt dropped to the floor and lay prone for several moments before getting back on his feet.
Concerningly, the star hooker looked as though he wanted to play on and appeared to stumble towards the play in an attempt to catch up to his team-mates, defending on their 20m line.
Reece Walsh was the star of the show for many reasons on Sunday. But perhaps one of his classiest moves of the evening came when he noticed Hunt was not OK and sprinted over to the hooker before grabbing him and holding him upright as he stumbled his way towards the ruck.
The 23-year-old fullback wrapped his arms around his team-mate and gave him a hug, holding him still for a moment while Hunt composed himself, before the 35-year-old was substituted out of the game.
Walsh has since earned the plaudits of many from within the footy world, not just for his classy move, but his exceptional performance, that will go down in NRL history as one of the greatest seen in a Grand Final.
‘It's one of the more extraordinary individual performances from a player in a big game,’ Phil Gould told Channel Nine.
Walsh wrapped his arms around Hunt, and consoled him, with Hunt subsequently being substituted out of the game with a head injury
However, Hunt was seen celebrating with his team-mates after the game, and appeared to be doing better after the shocking collision
Adam Reynolds (left) praised Hunt (centre) after the game, with the hooker sealing redemption after his 2015 NRL Grand Final woe
What Reece Walsh did tonight … he set up tries, he scored tries.
‘That's incredible. He's a superstar.
‘It's the best individual performance I've seen from a player in a big game.’
Hunt, meanwhile, couldn’t hold in his emotions after the game, having finally won a premiership ring with the Broncos.
‘I’m just on top of the world,’ Hunt said after the whistle had blown.
‘So much hard work for so many years. I never dreamt of coming back to this club and to give back here and to win a comp… it’s an absolute dream come true, it really is.’
And even in the agony of defeat, Melbourne star Harry Grant also lumped praise on Hunt, stating: ‘If there’s one bloke that deserves it it’s probably Ben Hunt. So congrats Dozer (Hunt) and the Broncos.’
Brisbane skipper Adam Reynolds added: ‘No one deserves it more [than Hunt].
‘To see how hard he works. I mean, he’s copped all sorts of criticism over the past couple of years and definitely doesn’t deserve it.
‘I mean, he’s one person with the culture he’s created at the club, along with the other lads. It’s been fantastic. I can’t wait to share a beer with him.’
