Mitchell Hunt is thrilled to be back in the hunt as part of the Makos lineup
Tasman fullback Mitchell Hunt launches an attack during their pre-season clash with Manawatu.
Mitchell Hunt is finally back where he belongs.
After spending the past two seasons entrenched in the Auckland rugby system, the former Nelson College First XV star is now back in familiar territory after signing a three-year deal with the Tasman Rugby Union last year.
It's been a busy couple of years for the 21-year-old utility back, having also been selected in the New Zealand side that won the 2015 Under-20 Rugby World Cup in Italy, followed by his selection in Auckland's national provincial championship squad and this year in the Crusaders' Super Rugby squad.
And while Hunt's loved every minute of it, he's aware that his return to Nelson is his best opportunity towards achieving some meaningful game time as part of the Tasman Makos' NPC squad.
With a Marty Banks locked in at No 10 this season, Hunt was hoping to cement a spot in the No 15 jersey. However, Banks is injured and will miss Sunday's opener against Waikato, giving him the first shot at first five-eighth.
"For me, my game time's been a bit quiet over the last eight to 10 months and I'm excited and hopefully can get a bit of a run at fullback and sort of prove my myself, get some time under my belt to play some good footy and get some exposure at the next level.
"That's the nature of it when you're young, and I've only just turned 21 this year. I've got to realise that my time will come if I work hard. So I've kept my head up and was lucky enough to get those couple of caps with the Crusaders at the end there...and I didn't probably think that opportunity would come with the depth of players they had."
He admitted it was good to be home.
"It's awesome. It's nice and relaxed and it's a familiar scene again," Hunt said in the countdown to Sunday's NPC opener in Blenheim..
He was a significant contributor at fullback to Tasman's impressive 24-14 pre-season win over Manawatu a week ago, although his utility value means he can also expect further opportunities in the No 10 jersey this season.
"There's a lot of young and inexperienced guys in the team and I suppose to come off with a win like that [against Manawatu], and especially in the last 10 minutes to put on what they did was pretty special. So I guess it's probably given the coaches a lot of confidence in those players especially to do the job if they're called on again.
"For a few of us it was the first time playing together, so again, it was a good confidence-booster heading into the game this Sunday."
He said that the team's buildup had been positive, particularly with the Super Rugby players coming back into the frame over the past week.
"They're a big boost to the team and it's great to see that the younger boys are happy to tell them what to do at the moment and bring them back up to speed with the new rules and a lot of new plays and calls. It's positive to have them back in the environment."
Hunt said he didn't mind where the selectors chose to play him, so long as he was on the field.
"I'll be happy to play anywhere...I'm just excited to be here."
Sunday's game kicks off at Blenheim's Lansdowne Park at 4.35pm.
