Could it be his shift away from the midfield in the champs when he was put behind the ball that diminished his star somewhat. Or maybe he struggled physically with niggle. Or maybe some of the bodies around him grew and/or matured quicker so as to suggest that Hunters impact in the big leagues will not be what was expected.
But as Twomey’s tweet from early 2016 suggests, he’s always been in the conversation.
I like Hunter because he can dispose by foot from congestion. Gets himself into good position to find the pill, sees players in space very early, and gets foot to ball turbo quick for the short pass and mark. High footy IQ. Gut runner. Fearless in the tackle. Stays on his feet. Can step, spin, dummy with the best of them. Fast safe hands, and a good handballer. His one knock has to be his size and his ability to fill out and impact the contest and or tackle at the highest level. EDIT: Possibly a comparative lack of explosive pace.
Best of the rest once you take LDU, Dow, Cerra and Rayner off the table.