'I’m here to stay': Hunt's return from cancer battle just the beginning

When Toni Hunt made her NRLW debut last year it was supposed to be one of the greatest weeks of her life until it all came crashing down when follow-up scans on rib pain turned devastating.

Hunt, a mother of three who has called Brisbane home for more than 15 years with her partner Tahu Bishop, is a late bloomer in rugby league after growing up a talented touch footballer in New Zealand. 

After playing 29 minutes off the bench in the Broncos’ win over the Dragons in March of 2022, Hunt naturally craved more action with the then three-time defending premiers.

“It was just a normal day, heading into training after my debut but I did feel a bit off,” Hunt tells NRL.com.

“I had been feeling some pain for a couple of weeks around my ribs but it just felt like I had pulled a muscle and it would come and go.

“Halfway through training I said to our doctor (Broncos head of medical Bonnie McRae) that I needed something to eat and drink.

“I went and saw CJ (Broncos physiotherapist Carly Jennar) after it and she pushed under my rib and I immediately jolted. It was really painful.

“I thought ‘what was that?’. They organised a scan on it but I was trying to avoid going for one because it was game day eve and I wanted to play again that weekend."

Hunt had a scan and carried on about her day, picking up her children from school and was on the way to the hairdressers in the evening when McRae called.

"Bonnie just said ‘I can’t let you play anymore’," an emotional Hunt reflected.

Eager as ever to get on the field, Hunt told McRae she was feeling better and that it was just a case of dehydration.

“I never dreamed she was ringing to tell me that I had cancer,” Hunt said.

“She said ‘Tones, you’ve got cancer. We don’t know what kind it is yet and we’ll have to do more testing, but you’re definitely not playing tomorrow.”

Hunt’s next response summed up her mentality that would be the centrepiece for her battle ahead in the coming months. 

“I just said back I didn’t care that I had cancer, I just want to play,” Hunt said.

“I was more upset that I worked so hard to be there. You finally get a starting spot and it’s quickly taken away from you.

“I was gobsmacked. I just thought how has this happened to me? I told Tahu but I didn’t want to tell my mum as she had her partner going through cancer as well at the time.

“I couldn’t go to sleep that night. I woke up crying. I cried all night. I ended up ringing Mum the next day and told her to pull over from driving and she freaked out.

“When I met up with the Broncos girls that morning they were all asking why I wasn’t playing and I just said something popped up on my scan and I was ruled out for the week.

“I told Bonnie I didn’t want them to know before the game.”

Hunt and the Broncos hit the road to the Gold Coast for an away trip against the Titans. It was the first-ever Queensland derby in the NRLW and they were beaten by two points to suffer their first loss of the season.

The players are filthy they’ve let a game slip against their arch-rivals as the side prepares for a quick address by then-coach Kelvin Wright before McRae speaks to the group.

She informs everyone in the room that Hunt had been diagnosed with cancer.

Hunt, Wright and the squad were all in tears while Broncos captain Ali Brigginshaw skipped the post-match press conference as she processed the news on her teammate.

"I’ve never been in a moment like it," Brigginshaw said. 

“We came off the field, we’d just lost and there was just an eerie feeling about it all. 

We knew something had happened to Toni for her not to play but we weren’t sure why.

- Ali Brigginshaw

“I never thought I’d be sitting in the sheds and have that told to us.

“It got me thinking like we just played this game and were so upset we lost but there’s so much more to life.

“We all agreed to rally behind Toni and figure out what we can do to support her. It wasn’t about football.”

For Hunt, it was a moment where she felt like she would never be on her own.

“We just all sat there crying,” she said. 

“Ben Ikin came over to me and gave me a hug and he said do whatever you need to do to get back on the field and that stuck with me the whole time.

“Everyone made me feel supported and I had that weekend where I cried some more and then got over it.”

Hunt’s next steps included finding out the severity of her cancer.

She was informed it was stage four cholangiocarcinoma, a rare illness that according to Cancer Council affects around 891 people in Australia each year.

It is more common in women and those aged over 65 years old.

“Your thoughts can take you to some dark places,” Hunt said.

“Of course I went and googled it and the percentage rate of survival is not good and apparently I have had it for a while with no symptoms. 

“It is what it is though and you just carry on. There’s no point dwelling on it. That mindset is honestly the best thing you can have. And to keep training.

“I’ve had days where I’ll be driving home and I’m thinking I can’t not be here for my children's graduations and all those important milestones. You’ve got to live life to the fullest.”

In the last 18 months, Hunt has undergone 12 rounds of chemotherapy and 30 days of radiation while surgeons have removed her gallbladder, half of her liver and two lymph nodes.

She has continued to train, whether it be with the Broncos or through her passion for CrossFit, while her youngest son, eight-year-old Jai, gave up rugby league so both their training schedules wouldn't clash and she could get back on the field.

“I thought of kids and older people who go through the treatment and thought if they can do it then so can I,” Hunt said.

“My last radiation was in January. After every treatment I saw my doctor and asked when can I go back to footy.

“He said he couldn’t see why not for this year so that really got me keen.”

Almost 12 months to the day of her diagnosis, Hunt returned to the field for Wynnum Manly in the BMD Premiership earlier this year.

Three weeks ago against the Cowboys in Townsville, she finally got that Queensland derby clash she wanted after making a comeback for the Broncos in her second NRLW match.

Hunt crossed for her maiden NRLW try as the Broncos racked up a 40-12 win.

“I was crying inside when I ran out there, it was the best feeling and I was on cloud nine,” she said.

“Tahu flew up for the game and Mum said the kids were jumping up and down around the TV when I scored.

“I’m so proud of myself. I was definitely on cloud nine and feel heightened that I was able to achieve and believe I could do it.”

For Brigginshaw, who along with several of her Broncos teammates have been there every step of the way, watching Hunt get back on the field has been inspirational.

“Just the way she attacks it is phenomenal,” Brigginshaw said.

“I’ve never met anyone like her who can just go ‘hey I’ve got cancer but I don’t give a sh*t. I don’t want anyone to mention it or feel sorry for me, I just want to beat it.

“We’d all check in with her but she wanted us to get on with it and even when she was going through chemo she still wanted to be out there on the field.

“She wasn’t nervous going into that game and was so grateful to be out there. You think you’re having a tough day at footy and then you can look at Toni and know you’re not.

“To see her score it meant so much to us as a team. It’s probably the career highlight for me and some of the other girls just because we've been through most of it with her.

“To be there in the sad times and then see her smile with her partner and kids, I’ve been amazed by her courage through it all. It’s unbelievable.”

Hunt continues to have monthly treatment and scans every three months with her battle an ongoing journey.

“It’s always in the back of my mind that something could pop up but I want to stay as positive as I can through it,” she said.

“In my head I’m not going anywhere. I’m here to stay.”