Karmichael Neil Matthew Hunt (born 17 November 1986) is a New Zealand-born Australian professional football player, currently playing Rugby Union for the Queensland Reds in the Southern Hemisphere Super Rugby competition.
Hunt was formerly best known as a rugby league player for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League (NRL). He primarily played in the fullback position, but has also played in the Centres, on the wing, at five-eighth and at halfback. He played in the NRL for Brisbane from 2004 to 2009 and was part of the Broncos' competition-winning team in 2006. He has represented the Queensland Maroons in the State of Origin series and the Australian Kangaroos at international level.
Hunt made his NRL debut in the 2004 and played every game that season, winning the Dally M Rookie of the Year award. In a controversial move, Hunt chose to play for Australia instead of his native New Zealand, citing a lifelong dream of playing for Queensland in State of Origin. Hunt's performance in the 2006 NRL season resulted in his selection for Queensland and Australia between 2006–2009.
In June 2009, Hunt expressed a desire to leave the NRL competition and it was speculated he would play rugby overseas. However he announced in July 2009 that he had signed a lucrative three-year playing and promotional contract with Australian Football League expansion team, Gold Coast whose inaugural season would be 2011. The move which generated a media circus in Australia would involve an ambitious code switch to Australian rules football, transitioning through the AFL's feeder competition. The switch was regarded by many from both football codes as an AFL publicity stunt. In 2010, while contracted to the Gold Coast, he played a season with Biarritz Olympique in the Top 14 French rugby union competition. However Hunt's code switch proved a successful gamble, transitioning relatively quickly and by the end of his first AFL season he was named in the Courier Mail 2011 Queensland Australian rules football Team of the Year and went on in the 2012 AFL season to establish himself as one of the Gold Coast's top midfielders. Overall, however, his 4-year stint in the AFL was subject to mixed reviews.
Hunt is first sportsperson in Australia to have reached elite professional level at three different football codes, a feat which prompted fitness coach Dean Benton to regard him as the greatest all-round footballer Australia has produced.
