Rex Hunt
Rex Hunt | |
|---|---|
| Born | March 7, 1949 Mentone, Victoria, Australia |
| Occupation(s) | Media personality, Australian rules footballer, police sergeant, restaurateur |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Known for | Australian rules football career; football commentator; fishing and wildlife television shows |
| Notable work | Rex Hunt's Fishing World; Rex Hunt's Fishing Australia; Sportsworld Footy Panel; I'm Rex Hunt and You're Not |
Rex James Hunt (born 7 March 1949) is a well-known Australian media figure in television and radio, as well as a former player of Australian rules football. He is recognized internationally for his distinctive player nicknames and his work on fishing and wildlife shows broadcast on the Seven Network and internationally. Additionally, Hunt reached the rank of Victoria Police Sergeant by the age of 30 and was once the proprietor of the D'lish Fish dining establishment located in Port Melbourne.
Early life
Hunt was born in Mentone, Victoria, and completed his education at Mordialloc High School before beginning his career as a police cadet. In 1970, he was called up for national service.
Football career
Originally recruited from Parkdale, Hunt began his Victorian Football League (VFL) career with Richmond in 1968, playing primarily as a key position player either at full-forward or centre half-forward, later moving to centre half-back. He played an integral role in Richmond’s premiership victories in 1969 and 1973. Midway through 1974, due to police work obligations, he transferred to Geelong where he participated in 32 games across two seasons. Subsequently, he returned to Melbourne to play for St Kilda. Hunt concluded his VFL career in 1978 but continued competing in the Victorian Football Association (VFA) with Sandringham during the 1980–1981 seasons, earning the Frosty Miller Medal by scoring 110 goals in 1981.
Statistics
|- style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1968 | style="text-align:center" | | 43 || 13 || 16 || 25 || 144 || 15 || 159 || 97 || || 1.2 || 1.9 || 11.1 || 1.2 || 12.2 || 7.5 || |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" | 1969 | style="text-align:center" | | 5 || 20 || 55 || 45 || 153 || 14 || 167 || 93 || || 2.8 || 2.3 || 7.7 || 0.7 || 8.4 || 4.7 || |- style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1970 | style="text-align:center" | | 5 || 16 || 36 || 34 || 140 || 28 || 168 || 104 || || 2.3 || 2.1 || 8.8 || 1.8 || 10.5 || 6.5 || |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1971 | style="text-align:center" | | 5 || 20 || 4 || 3 || 240 || 24 || 264 || 141 || || 0.2 || 0.2 || 12.0 || 1.2 || 13.2 || 7.1 || |- style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1972 | style="text-align:center" | | 5 || 14 || 1 || 2 || 156 ||16||172||66||||0.1||0.1||11.1||1.1||12.3||4.7|| |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1973 | style="text-align:center" | |5||23||4||3||270||18||288||114||||0.2||0.1||11.7||0.8||12.5||5.0|| |- style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1974 | style="text-align:center" | |5,6||7||5||11||65||8||73||40||||0.7||1.6||9.3||1.1||10.4||5.7|| |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1974 | style="text-align:center" | |5,6||15||26||17||221||20||241||137||||1.7||1.1||14.7||1.3||16.1||9.8|| |- style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1975 | style="text-align:center" | |6||17||18||12||139||17||156||85||||1.1||0.8||8.7||1.1||9.8||5.3|| |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1976 | style="text-align:center" | |2||22||21||31||259||40||299||168||||1.0||1.4||11.8||1.8||13.6||7.6|| |- style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1977 | style="text-align:center" | |2||18|||52|||31|||180|||18|||198|||103||||2.9|||1.9|||10.0|||1.0|||11.0|||5.7|| |- ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" | 1978 | style="text-align:center" | |5|||17|||38|||29|||163|||35|||198|||106||||2.2|||1.8|||9.6|||2.1|||11.6|||6.2|| |- class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3| Career !202 !276 !243 !2130 !253 !2383 !1254 ! !1.4 !1.2 !10.6 !1.3 !11.9 !6..3 ! |}
Sports media and commentary career
Following his retirement from playing, Hunt established himself as a leading football commentator on 3AW, where he hosted Sunday morning panel programs on the Seven Network, such as the Sportsworld Footy Panel and I'm Rex Hunt and You're Not. Early in the 2007 season, he celebrated his milestone of calling his 1,500th VFL/AFL game. On 17 November 2009, Hunt left 3AW to join Triple M.
In 2008, Hunt honored fellow commentator Clinton Grybas after his sudden passing. Although he stepped back from mainstream metropolitan commentary in 2011, he continued contributing to Crocmedia's AFL broadcasts alongside Peter Donegan. By 2015, Hunt had reached the significant milestone of commentating on his 2,000th AFL match.
April 2014 saw Hunt launch a radio program on SEN 1116 titled This Is Your Football Life, which profiles VFL/AFL legends; produced by Crocmedia, it airs on Sundays. He made a return to 3AW in 2017 as the host of a post-match talkback show. That same year, he provided commentary for Richmond-centric "Tiger Radio" broadcasts during the preliminary final with former players Dale Weightman and Tony Jewell.
In July 2021, Hunt parted ways with 3AW following an on-air dispute with station management.
Nicknames
Hunt gained recognition for his work on 3AW and for inventing player nicknames such as "not a well man" for Sean Wellman (Essendon), "Doctor Christiaan Barnard" for Paul Barnard (Essendon), "Ot 'n' Sticky" for Brad Ottens (Geelong), "Yellow Brick Croad" for Trent Croad (Hawthorn), and "Awesome Wells" for Daniel Wells (footballer) (North Melbourne). Other memorable monikers include "The Mediator" for Troy Makepeace (Kangaroos) and "Yaaaablett!!" for Gary Ablett Sr. (Geelong). He is also noted for his fat-lady-sings impression signaling match conclusions and the "Listen to the fans" segment during the 2006-2007 seasons, which featured "Listen to the Band" by The Monkees.
Fishing journalist career
Hunt began delivering regular fishing reports on radio in 1981 and produced two fishing videos. His initial television series, Angling Action, aired on the Ten Network with two seasons of 13 episodes each in 1981 and 1982. In 1982, he launched a radio fishing program on 3DB and continued contributing articles to newspapers and magazines throughout the decade.
In 1991, Hunt hosted Rex Hunt's Fishing World on Victoria’s Channel Seven; this expanded nationally in 1992 under the name Rex Hunt's Fishing Australia, later retitled Rex Hunt's Fishing Adventure, continuing until 2004. Additionally, he co-hosted a fishing show titled Off The Hook on radio station 1116 SEN alongside his son-in-law Lee Raynor.
Hunt became known for catchphrases like "Folks, it doesn't get any better than this!" when landing large fish and closed segments with "It's yibbida-yibbida time!"—a playful nod to Porky Pig’s classic sign-off. He was also famous for kissing fish before releasing them back into the water.
Outside of broadcasting, Hunt actively opposed scallop dredging in Port Phillip Bay, criticizing the practice as environmentally damaging. His advocacy alongside fellow anglers played a role in stopping dredging operations and aiding in the bay’s fish population recovery.
Airline incident
In May 2004, Hunt sought to expose weaknesses in airline security after triggering a metal detector alarm in Australia. Frustrated by the requirement to remove his pants and shoes, he brought ten metal forks from the Qantas Club onto a Qantas flight traveling from Adelaide to Melbourne. A fellow passenger alerted the flight crew, resulting in Hunt being detained and questioned for half an hour upon landing, though no formal charges were filed.
Leon Davis controversy
During 2005, Hunt ignited debate by describing Collingwood’s Indigenous player Leon Davis as "as black as a dog" while commentating a match. The phrase was meant as a metaphor referencing neon lights to criticize Davis’s subpar performance but attracted widespread condemnation. Hunt’s initial apology was dismissed and only accepted following a personal meeting later that week.
Byron Bay fight
Also in 2005, Hunt and his son were involved in a confrontation in Byron Bay. Hunt alleged he was assaulted by local teenagers, who in turn claimed Hunt was intoxicated and that his son provoked the altercation.
Infidelity
On 17 May 2006, News Ltd disclosed Hunt’s secret sexual relationships spanning 15 years. Hunt admitted to financially supporting three women consecutively for ongoing affairs, the last beginning in 1997 with a beautician paid $1000 weekly. He acknowledged the contradiction given his prior public condemnation of infidelity by others. Hunt later addressed the issue on Melbourne’s 3AW radio, where his frank discussion attracted national attention through Triple M’s Get This program. One of the women involved, Robyn Hood, sold her account to New Idea magazine, describing their relationship as affectionate though non-sexual. Lynne, Hunt’s wife of 34 years, expressed her support and revealed that her bipolar disorder had placed strain on their marriage.
Road-rage incident
In 2009, Hunt was convicted of recklessly causing injury after attacking a cyclist with a bicycle during a road rage episode in Melbourne. He received a sentence of 100 hours of community service without a formal conviction recorded.
Thief encounter
In December 2021, Hunt stepped in to prevent a thief from stealing a reporter’s laptop bag during an exhibition boxing event held in Melbourne.
Facebook rant about Daisy Pearce
Hunt generated controversy by posting a Facebook tirade urging AFL Hall of Famer Wayne Carey to replace AFLW star Daisy Pearce on Channel 7’s live football broadcasts.
Health scare
In January 2023, Hunt experienced a medical emergency after pulling over his vehicle and calling police before being hospitalized. Since then, he has openly discussed ongoing mental health struggles following his retirement from football:
I was gone ... despite the clown of the circus having a rubber nose, behind the makeup and rubber nose may well be the loneliest person in the world.
Personal life
Rex Hunt is married to Lynne and together they have four children—three sons and one daughter.