As Werris Creek five-eighth Brendan Hunt stood bare-chested outside the changing rooms following the Mapgies’ 22-20 Group 4 second division loss to Kootingal-Moonbi a week ago, he looked older than his 31 years.

Not because he has aged badly, but because in rugby league years he is a senior citizen. As with politics and many other things in life, perception is often more powerful than reality.

Polite and earnest in conversation – a good country boy – Hunt is finding it hard to say goodbye to his playing days, pleasantly surprising the Magpies when he showed up for training late in the off-season.

After travelling to Sydney as an 18-year-old straight out of school and playing under-20s and reserve grade for Parramatta and Newcastle over five seasons before returning home to take over his family’s business, he emits a contended air with no regrets. And although the hammies are as tight as violin strings, he is still very much the puppet master orchestrating the defending premier’s attack.

“I was dead set retired and they kept coming to see me, all the young blokes – coming to work, ringing me 10 times a day, just hassling me to come back,” he said. “So with a couple of days to go before the season kicked off, I turned up to one training session and the next thing you know I’m playing.”

On not making it in the NRL after getting so close, he said: “Probably one of my biggest failings was I’m a bush boy at heart.”