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Broncos veteran Ben Hunt admits he had no idea who Ben Talty was when the unheralded forward arrived at Red Hill. But he knows who he is now, as well as the greater role he must play in the biggest game of his life.
Talty has emerged as one of the feel-good stories of the NRL season, having burst from obscurity for the North Sydney Bears to land in Brisbane on a train and trial deal.
The 26-year-old has since become a regular member of the Broncos’ bench, featuring in nine games and losing just one.
Ben Talty celebrates a try.Credit: Getty Images
“With respect to Talty, I had no idea who he was when he turned up here,” Hunt laughed.
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“I remember walking in one morning here at training into the locker rooms and saw him standing there, and I just went over and introduced myself and asked a few guys who he was and what he was doing here.
“A couple of weeks later, he was playing with us, so it’s an unbelievable story.”
Talty’s perseverance has culminated in an NRL ascent he “thought would never come true” as he began to question whether his years in reserve grade would amount to anything.
A mid-season phone call from Broncos coach Michael Maguire changed that and saw him join his best mate, Fletcher Baker, in Brisbane. Together, they have forged a fragrance business inspired by an off-season trip to Egypt.
Signed until the end of next year, with the Perth Bears to join the NRL in 2028, the former North Sydney captain insisted his intention was to remain in the maroon jumper.
“All I ever wanted to do was play first grade, and the Broncos made that come true, so I’m quite content with where I’m at,” Talty said.
“But the Bears will always have a deep place in my heart because they helped build the foundation of where I am now.
“I’m forever grateful for it because I grew up on a horse stud in the Hunter [Valley], so my parents had to always take me to training Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and it was a four-hour round trip.
“To be able to repay them and make them proud is such an honour.”
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Talty’s importance to his side is set to heighten following revelations the club would not fight Pat Carrigan’s one-game suspension from a careless high-tackle charge.
It means the Queensland Maroons sensation – who Talty credits as his Broncos mentor – will miss the preliminary final next week.
Brisbane are expected to be boosted by rookie enforcer Xavier Willison after a fractured arm, but it is Talty’s no-nonsense and unflappable approach that has caught Hunt’s eye.
That, and his surprising ability to find himself in try-scoring opportunities, which Talty said was a case of being “in the right place at the right time”.
While Carrigan had to wait until his 78th NRL appearance to cross the white line, Talty already has three tries to his name courtesy of his desire to remain alive around the ball.
“He has got a knack for that – he just seems to find himself in the right positions a lot. He’s got a few tries, and been close for a few others. Patty could probably take a few pointers,” Hunt joked.
“He’s just been doing his job, he’s not trying to be something he’s not. He knows he’s a straight up and down front rower – he runs the ball hard and does all the dirty work defensively.
“He’s debuted a bit later in life, but he’s worked hard to get where he is, and he deserves it.”
Carrigan, meanwhile, offered a smirk when asked about Talty’s try-scoring prowess, saying “just watch who’s playing the ball before he scores, that’s what I keep telling him anyway”.
But Carrigan insisted the exploits of the lesser-lauded players in the side, such as Talty, had been pivotal in allowing the outside backs to thrive, and in easing pressure on marquee prop Payne Haas – a role Willison had filled.
“All you need is an opportunity, and he got his opportunity, and he values what we value as a club and all the little areas in his game,” Carrigan said.
“Guys like Reece [Walsh], they’ve been able to do what they can do on the back of guys like Benny. Whether that’s in attack or defence, they value what they need to do.
“When you have a club that’s heading in that direction, it’s a pretty special place.”
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