CODE hopper Karmichael Hunt has provided a fascinating insight into what he could get away with off the field as an NRL player but couldn’t in the AFL.

The three-sport star is now headed to Super Rugby’s Queensland Reds after four years in the AFL with the Gold Coast Suns.

But his journey started in rugby league, with the Brisbane Broncos, where he says drinking was a bigger part of the culture than in the AFL.

“The demands of AFL footy mean you need to be in peak condition,” Hunt told Triple M’s Grill Team in Brisbane.

“For most of the year you need to be able to knock out 12km or 13km on the weekend.

“In terms of the culture of going out and enjoying yourself after every game, that does not happen whereas in rugby league, because the physical demands are a lot lighter compared to AFL, you could find boys out enjoying themselves.

“I certainly did when I was younger because I knew that the next week it would not affect me.”

Hunt said the biggest issue he had in adapting from rugby league to AFL was the extra running.

At the Broncos, he weighed in at roughly 93kg. Hunt reached as much as 100kg as rugby player in France in 2009-10, while that weight dropped down to 87kg as an AFL player.

“It wasn’t that I couldn’t play the game,” Hunt said.

“Other than the running capacity and the ability to cover the ground like the boys obviously do so well in the AFL, I could play.”

The 27-year-old added that he was happy to be going back to a code, in rugby union, that better suited his physical make-up.

“I’m looking forward to the future. My body shape, genetics and all that will probably agree with me that I’m going back to a game that will better suit me.”

‘I PREFER THEM BOYS TO DO IT’

HUNT also shared some rather surprising views on his personal mindset as a player, and how he was always happy to be a support player rather than the main man.

“I’ve never really had that ‘me, me, me’ attitude when it comes to sport. Although I’ve always been quite good at what I’ve played in the past I’ve preferred to take a back seat in terms of playing a lead role.

“The great players — the Darren Lockyers, the Johnathan Thurstsons, Gary Abletts — they have that ability to take the game on or want to take the game on.

“As much as talents can take me in that direction, I prefer them boys to do it, if you know what I mean.”

‘I’M NOT JUMPING FOR THE MONEY’

CRITICS have suggested Hunt has based his career moves around chasing money, but he refutes those claims.

“Everyone is entitled to their opinion. But money has never been a driving factor for me,” Hunt said.

“I had numerous offers while at the Broncos to jump ship and set sail for better shores. It’s more about the experience. It’s about the fit, the culture and the challenge.

“You get rewarded for your talent. Sometimes dollars are a sore subject in the paper because people who don’t play sport tend to think we are overpaid. It’s the nature of the market.

“In terms of jumping for money, that’s not the case.”

‘WALLABIES NOT MY AIM’

WHILE fellow code jumper Israel Folau has established himself as a key member of the Wallabies outfit since, making the move from league to AFL to rugby, Hunt has no goal to reach such lofty heights.

“Not now, it’s definitely not my aim,” Hunt said when asked about playing for the Wallabies. “My main priority is to get integrated, brush up on my skills. It’s five years since I played rugby.

“My priority is making the Reds team first and foremost, and making them a successful team again.”

‘I’VE JUST NEEDED TO GET SOME REST’

HUNT has played just 10 matches for the Suns in the past two years after battling a string of injuries.

He is adamant his body will be up to the rigours of professional rugby.

“I feel comfortable with my body situation,” he said.

“Obviously I had my share of injuries this year but nothing’s been major. No surgery required.

“If anything, I’ve just needed to get some rest, get fit again and find a game which suits my body a bit better.”

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