Hunt, Maroons not fazed by Mitchell omission

Murray Wenzel | May 29, 2023

Ben Hunt was more distracted by his own Queensland teammates than Latrell Mitchell’s 11th-hour injury withdrawal as the no-fuss Maroons packed their bags for Adelaide.

Hunt learnt of the big NSW blow as he walked off the field following Monday’s final session at their Gold Coast base.

It’s been smooth sailing at Sanctuary Cove ahead of Wednesday’s Adelaide Oval series opener, with no injury, illness concerns or even eligibility dramas that have plagued the side in recent seasons.

Hunt’s only issue on Monday was with his teammates, specifically Tino Fa’asuamaleaui blasting the horn of his golf buggy as he drove past the press conference.

“Tino’s been like that all camp,” Hunt jokingly lamented.

“But yeah it (an illness or injury scare) wasn’t in the script this camp, someone forgot that one.”

The Maroons moved centre Valentine Holmes from the left to the right edge to combat Mitchell, allowing Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow the left-edge assignment on Tom Trbojevic instead.

But Hunt said Penrith star Stephen Crighton’s promotion to the centres to replace Mitchell (calf) meant there would be no relent.

“I don’t think anything changes for us. It’s a big loss for them but they’ve got plenty of players that will do a job for them,” the Maroons utility said.

“Our focus is always on what we can do, so not much changes.

“Definitely (Mitchell) brought a lot of strike to their left edge. There’s no secret what Latrell can do, takes a bit of star power out of it.

“You’d have to ask Val (if he’s breathing easier), but he’s a pretty classy player himself. He’s a really good defender.”

Hunt said he would start in the No.9 and share minutes with Melbourne hooker Harry Grant, a combination that reaped rewards last year.