Rugby-Hunt to channel 'State of Origin' spirit against Reds

In a season of awkward encounters for a number of Australia players, Karmichael Hunt's face-off with the Queensland Reds in Sydney this weekend may be the thorniest. The 32-year-old was sent packing from the Reds last year after being arrested and charged with drug possession for a second time, ending 13 years of professional football in Queensland state across three different codes.

The utility back has been grateful to head south of the border and find a home-in-exile at the New South Wales Waratahs, where he has impressed in his first two Super Rugby matches. Hunt insists there are no hard feelings towards Queensland's forthright coach Brad Thorn and is looking forward to catching up with some of his old team mates.

But there will be mixed feelings wearing the blue of New South Wales in the clash between Australia's two proudest rugby states that has a history going back to 1882. Queensland and New South Wales also have the fiercest of rivalries in rugby league, with the annual State of Origin series packing out stadiums with vociferous fans.

Hunt was a part of Queensland's 'Maroons' from 2006-09, during eight successive years of dominance over the New South Wales up to 2014. After a season playing rugby union in Europe, he returned to the state in 2010 to start a successful, and highly lucrative, four-year stint in Australian Rules football with the Gold Coast Suns, continuing a fascinating, seesawing career.

"There's a tremendous amount of history in there and I'm proud to be wearing the jersey but this weekend's game is against the old foe, who I played all my school footy in the colours – obviously Origin and whatnot," Hunt said this week. "I'm still really good friends with the guys I'm playing against, so that's going to be an experience in itself but, as always, once the whistle goes, there's no friends other than the guys that you're wearing the same colours with and I look forward to going to battle with them."

Hunt will at least be going into battle with his old Queensland rugby league team mate and fellow Wallaby Israel Folau, who has been named on the wing for the Waratahs. The pair represented Queensland together during the State of Origin series in 2009 and also have a shared history of hopping through three codes, with Folau having had a less successful stint in Australian Rules with Greater Western Sydney.

"I'm just happy to go out there and put my best foot forward obviously with the transition so far and just look forward to keep improving and obviously keep adding to what we're trying to do as a team here," said Hunt. (Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)