Heat’s on Hunt to click on the fly

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KARMICHAEL Hunt's raw playmaking skills must unleash the Fijian strikepower of Samu Kerevi or the injury-rocked Reds will be herded into an ambush by the Brumbies.

If the Reds are to fight fire with fire in the backline, experimental flyhalf Hunt must click with the 104kg stranger beside him in the same way that Brumbies general Matt Toomua is certain to send Wallabies centre Tevita Kuridrani careering into space.

Michael Cheika will ditch his NSW Waratahs persona to be in the Canberra crowd on Friday night as Wallabies coach to scrutinise more than 20 potential World Cup prospects.

New boy Hunt is one of them in the hottest seat of all. This is a new ball game for the code collector at flyhalf with senior Reds backs Quade Cooper (collarbone), James O'Connor (knee) and Anthony Faingaa (knee) sidelined and seven Reds debutants in the 23-man squad, including himself.

Hunt played five seasons with the Gold Coast Suns without ever being the go-to player who was relied upon to make something happen on his 18-man AFL team.

As much as his Reds coaches and teammates talk of "playing a role" being enough from him, all will be desperate for a magic moment or three as six-point underdogs. Based on 113 minutes of trials rugby in five years, that is a huge ask.

Karmichael Hunt must step up at flyhalf for the Reds. Source: News Corp Australia

The Reds had imagined storming Canberra with all their newly-bought weaponry but Hunt is the only bullet in the barrel with O'Connor and former All Blacks backrower Adam Thomson (shoulder) both judged a week away from playing.

Kerevi has been shuffled to inside centre to cover Faingaa's withdrawal. Short balls to get him rumbling are imperative but Hunt must also be savvy enough to snipe through a hole himself if the Brumbies defence drifts too quickly on to Kerevi.

Kerevi, 21, was the cheeky little kid buzzing around church at Brisbane's Acacia Ridge when Kuridrani was growing up in Brisbane with cousin Chris, who will make his Reds debut on the wing tonight.

Hunt was as relaxed as ever on Thursday when accepting that more decision-making and play-sparking now fall on him.

"A little bit more of a load is put back on my shoulders," Hunt said.

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"I'm comfortable with that and I've got Willy (Genia) at halfback as well helping out because I've learnt a lot from him and take advice on the field as well.

"It's exciting. We've got some young raw talent, me included because I've only started this season."

Genia's sniping and generalship are the key to the Reds pulling off an upset should the forwards hammer out good possession to keep Brumbies comeback flanker David Pocock from getting his mitts on Hunt.

Graham is upbeat that Hunt can deliver and his game will expand on his slick 50-minute trial at No. 10 against Dan Carter's Crusaders.

"He's definitely played within himself. There's a lot left in the tank that I haven't even seen yet," Graham said.

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"Karmichael realises he doesn't need to go out there and win the game for us. Like Stephen Donald did for the All Blacks in the World Cup final, he just needs to move us around the field in the right direction."

Graham said a taxing 16-game regular season dictated he be sensible rather than rush stars O'Connor and Thomson, both matchwinners.

"I felt we were rushed with both of them and with another 15 round games to go after this, it'd be foolish to risk them," Graham said.

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