KICKOFF: Final climb to 300 a hard graft for McCullough

The man himself is acutely aware it wasn't always the case. Since inking a then monumental six-year $6 million deal with the Dragons ahead of the 2018 season, Hunt's ridden a roller coaster when it comes to public opinion.

For a time there was no player more scrutinised, more analysed, more ostracised or more maligned, even among his own club's fan base. He now scoffs at suggestions there was more pressure in the one-team bubble of Brisbane.

To emerge from it in arguably career-best form at club and rep level in what's now the penultimate year of that mega deal speaks to his character. He deserves most of the credit, but he's also willing to hand a slice of it to best mate Andrew McCullough.

Mates since the age of 12, McCullough's gone about his 299-game career in quieter fashion than Hunt - something the latter has surely envied at times. In those times when the pressure and scrutiny was at its height, Hunt had no more valuable ear than McCullough.

The Dragons skipper says it's no coincidence that he's found his best form - form that currently has him in Dally M Medal reckoning - since McCullough arrived in Wollongong.

"Macca's just always been someone I've found it easy to talk to about life and about footy," Hunt said.

"Like any good mate, he's someone that's there when you need to lean on him. We've been mates a long time, it's been 20 years since we first played footy together.

"We know each others' games in and out and what makes each other tick. He just brings a lot of confidence to myself. We've played a lot of footy together and he knows when I want the ball and where I want it.

"It's made that part of my game a lot more clear and easy and I can just go about playing my footy. We're pretty close off the field as well so that definitely helps when you're enjoying yourself and your families can hang out together. It just makes all life a lot easier."

It's why Hunt was happy to lead the tributes to his mate's looming 300-game milestone against the Rabbitohs on Thursday. As only the fourth rake to reach the coveted mark, McCullough's done it tougher than most.

"It's pretty special. It's a very physically demanding position to play," Hunt, the incumbent Queensland No. 9, said.

"You're in there every week doing upwards of 40 tackles, usually on pretty big fellas, so it's a credit to anyone who can play that long in the game. To make 300 games is a credit to him.

"He just had that commitment, from a young age. I remember when we first came into the Broncos system just how hard Macca trained and how professional he was. I think that's something that's stuck with him all throughout his career.

"On and off the field he's extremely professional and a real team man. It's always been a privilege to have him in your side because you knew he was never going to let you down."

McCullough was the first player born in the 1990s to debut in the NRL, the fastest ever to 200 games. It looked like a cruise for a long stretch, but the last couple of years have been a different story.

To look at pictures from 2008, he looks to have barely changed at all. Scans and X-Rays paint a very different picture.

Read more: McCullough focused more on win than milestone

While he bounced back strongly from an ACL tear suffered at the end of 2017, he looked far less likely to recover from ripping his hamstring off the bone while on-loan to Newcastle in 2020. The career-threatening injury came at a time when he was already deemed surplus to requirements at the Broncos.

From looking to be hurtling towards it, reaching the 300-game milestone looked well out of reach. For McCullough though, hurdles to clear are what got him there.

"In a weird way I think setbacks, certain injuries gave me a bit of perspective on the drive to come back, different things to overcome," he said on Wednesday.

"You can do that at certain points of your career and I certainly had to do that over the last couple of years with some pretty big injuries. Hindsight's a funny thing and [going to] Newcastle was probably the best thing for me. I got out of my comfort zone.

"There was a period there where I was flat-lining a little bit and the Broncos were making changes for whatever reason. That's the direction they wanted to go in at the that time, which is fair enough.

"I just went to the Knights with no pressure, went and enjoyed my football again and got outside my comfort zone and realised there's more to rugby league than being in the Broncos bubble as such.

"I think the fact I still enjoy being here [at the Dragons], I still enjoy training, I enjoy going to work with the boys each week makes it a lot easier. You get sorer and I've got to be a bit smarter and how I do things to stay fresh and healthy.

"There's always knocks along the way, it's definitely not as easy as it was, but that's just all part of it. When you still love being around the boys it helps you stay in the game a bit longer."

They're the type of qualities that prompted Anthony Griffin to make bringing his former Broncos NYC captain to the Dragons his first order of business. It was as much about building a culture as it was a roster.

"He was playing in the 20s in that inaugural NYC year [in 2008] when I first met him and he always looked like a first grader," Griffin said.

"You don't know [he's] going to get to 300 but he had a lot [of games] written all over him. He trained like a first-grader which is why he transitioned so well and so quickly in such a demanding position. I think he was the youngest player to play 200 games at the time he did that.

"He's reliable, he's mentally tough, he's got great leadership about him. It's why he's sitting here now, he's resilient, he's dependable and he's got a great leadership quality about him and that was really important for our club to get someone like him.

"It hasn't been easy since he's been here either. He's had to overcome a few challenges but he's been a great example to all our players. It's a testament to him."

Download the Illawarra Mercury news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Sign up for breaking news emails below ...