Sharks prop Royce Hunt has signed a contract extension, one that will see him remain at the Cronulla club into the 2023 season.
The 25-year-old Hunt, arguably in career best form having forced his way into the Sharks starting line up in recent weeks, confirmed the one-year extension as his team looks ahead to the last three rounds of the competition then the NRL Finals to follow.
“I’m happy to be staying another year, I love what the club is building and what we are building as a team, so I’m happy to stay around and to be a part of that for next year,” Hunt said.
Joining the Sharks in 2020, Hunt established himself as an impact forward, making 14 appearances during that season, only to suffer a serious knee injury at the SCG against the Roosters, just two games out from the NRL Finals.
With continuing complications around the knee problem, along with Covid and the Brisbane relocation bubble, his opportunities were limited in 2021, Hunt playing just two more top grade matches, before a strong pre-season campaign saw him re-establish himself as a member of the Sharks NRL forward pack.
Now with 32 NRL games under his belt, 31 at Cronulla and one match at the Canberra Raiders in 2017, Hunt was a standout for the Sharks in their win over the Tigers in Tamworth last weekend as he looks to continue to play a key role in his team’s push towards the upcoming Finals series.
“It was a goal at the start of the year to try to start a game, at least one game this year and to be able to that consistently over the last few weeks has been pretty good for me,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of quality boys on the bench as well, so to be honest I’m happy to play wherever, as long as I get on the field and do my job for the team,” Hunt added.
The signing of Hunt further strengthens the Sharks forward pack in 20223, with Braden Hamlin-Uele, Jack Williams and Briton Nikora also extending their stay in recently re-signing, while youngsters Jesse Colquhoun and Tom Hazelton are amongst those to also recommit their immediate futures to the Club from next season onwards.
“We’ve got a lot of depth in this club, where everybody is fighting for a spot every week, so it’s put pressure on everybody playing NRL and the young boys coming through are definitely keeping us on our toes,” Hunt added.
