TRUE BLUEY AFL with Guy McKenna | Article courtesy of the Gold Coast Bulletin
IT is probably fair to say that Karmichael Hunt's head is still spinning after a big first day at the Gold Coast Football Club yesterday.
It is the plan at this stage is to play him on June 12 against Coburg down in Craigieburn.
I have told him my only criteria for selection is he has to name five players by the end of next week.
If he does he can play.
But in all seriousness, it is not the be all and end all if he does not run out on that day.
Because he has been up and running for so long, I am more conscious of his body.
Mentally he has a lot to learn so the plan is to get him through the next few weeks and test him out.
He will do some conditioning work over the next few weeks just as a baseline test.
There is no way we will throw him out there if we don't feel he is not yet conditioned to do so.
When he does play, I want him to go out there with some freedom and to remember what it felt like when he was running around for Churchie as a 15-year-old. Some of the rules have changed and he will get stuck with that -- but AFL footballers still get stuck with that too.
We will cut him slack but we are looking forward to him getting in amongst the group and the group around him.
I could not be more excited about having this young man at the football club. It will be an exciting journey for him and for us as well.
And I am very happy to report he is already just one of the boys after meeting the playing group for the first time yesterday.
It is never easy to walk in to a football team where you don't know any of the players but it was a good experience for everyone concerned.
While it was a big day for Karmichael, it was also a great day for our players.
That is the buzz I got because I saw some of our players go out of their way to help him out on his first day. Even if it was just showing him where his locker is or where the gym and the showers are.
Seeing that makes me feel proud of the culture we are creating at the football club.
From a coach's point of view, it was fantastic to see the welcome he received from the players, coaching group, administration team and the board.
Hunt has been involved in established clubs with the Brisbane Broncos and Biarritz in France. He has now come in to a club that has been up and running for 18 months and is still to play its first AFL game.
I get a buzz from him and all the other boys at the club who have been working their backsides off and setting a great culture.
Here is a 23-year-old who has been there and done that and those boys are already going out of their way to make him feel as comfortable as they possibly can.
It is obviously going to be a big few weeks for him and we will help him through that time.
