Karmichael Hunt is expected to begin ramping up his 2014 preparations on Friday, after a bout of gastro restricted the strong-bodied midfielder from taking to the training field yesterday. 

Hunt was sent home by the club’s medical staff on Tuesday, following signs of an upset stomach.

Despite feeling ready to return on Wednesday morning, GC SUNS General Manager of Football Operations Marcus Ashcroft said the club wanted to take a cautious approach with the hard-hitting enforcer, to ensure he returned fit for Friday’s main training session.

Pleasing for Hunt, a solid block of pre-Christmas training will give him every possible chance to push for a round-one call-up. 

“He had a big pre-Christmas block but I guess that is a call for the conditioning guys to recommend to the match committee to say whether he has done enough (to play next Monday night),” Ashcroft told The Gold Coast Bulletin.

“We have match committee after training Friday and the side goes in on Saturday and we train Sunday, so we will know more then.

“The doctor rang him Wednesday morning to see how he was and he is feeling better but there is no need for him to come in and make himself worse.

“He will be back to full training on Friday.”