'He's not an evil person'- Cheika defends Hunt

Joshua Thomas

'He's not an evil person'- Cheika defends Hunt image

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has backed the character of Karmichael Hunt and is eager to help him on his road to back to rugby union.

MORE: Michael Cheika believes Quade Cooper remains an option for the Wallabies

Hunt was arrested late last year for drug related offenses and voluntarily stood down from both the Reds and Wallabies ahead of a second court appearance later this month.

Having only won his first Wallabies cap last year, the 31-year-old seemingly had a bright future ahead of him in the sport until this latest incident.

While Hunt's prospects for the Reds and Wallabies are now much less clear, he has received some significant backing from Cheika.

"I think he'd be personally down and let himself down in that situation," Cheika said on Friday.

"But he's not an evil person that's for sure.

"He's a good bloke, he made a mistake in the past.

"I think now we'll talk with the Reds, see where we're at going forward and work together with Karmichael to see where we're going to go from here."

Hunt, who previously played in the NRL and AFL, played six games for the Wallabies in 2017 after joining the Reds in 2015. 

 

Joshua Thomas

Joshua Thomas Photo

Josh has been covering sport for nearly a decade now having fallen in love with football at a young age. A UTS graduate, Josh has previously worked for GOAL and now covers football closely for The Sporting News.