Wayne Bennett’s return to the Brisbane Broncos has sparked rumours that Gold Coast Sun could be set to lose Karmichael Hunt to the NRL. Bennett was the man who handed a 17-year old Hunt his chance to fill the massive shoes of Darren Lockyer at full back at the Broncos, winning the 2006 NRL Premiership title during their time together in Brisbane. With his future in AFL extremely uncertain, Bennett’s return to the Broncos has only fuelled rumours that Hunt could soon rejoin his mentor in the NRL.

While Hunt would have his work cut out getting into a Broncos team already packed with talented players in his position in the shape of Ben Barba, Josh Hoffman and new signing Anthony Milford, the full back is still being tipped by many to end a mixed three years in the AFL and return to the NRL with Brisbane.

Despite all the talk, though, Hunt’s manager David Riolo has insisted the 27-year old hasn’t made any decisions over his future, making it clear all options were open at this stage, including remaining on the Gold Coast and in the AFL.

“He’ll look at his options and then make a call when he is ready on what he does next. That includes rugby league, as I’ve said from day one, rugby league, rugby union and AFL in that .. so that’s what we’re looking at. We’ll look at the best options for him, we’ll work through all that and then he’ll make a decision on where he wants to play.”

“I don’t want to go into all that on where he’d like to be. It’s not for public consumption. It’s for K to decide and whatever he decides I’m sure he’ll let everyone know when he works out what he’s doing.”

While many are expecting Hunt to return to rugby league, there are a number of Gold Coast fans who would be sad to see the 27-year old end his time with the Suns. But despite being responsible for that after-the-siren kick against Richmond in 2012, Hunt’s time on the Gold Coast has been relatively nondescript. With only one appearance to his name this season, it does appear as though the Suns are ready to cut their losses with Hunt. While his work-rate has never been questioned, there is little doubt Hunt lacks the killer instinct that made him a former State of Origin star in the NRL.

After slipping down the pecking order this season, Hunt has been forced to drop down into the NEAFL for much of this year with the Suns opting for younger options in their midfield. But with the possibility of making the finals for the first time in their history, Hunt could well still have a key role for the Suns this season. What happens beyond that remains to be seen, though, but Hunt’s fans could be forgiven for wanting to see him return to the game that made him a superstar.