Hunt went close to making his AFL debut last year when good VFL form saw him twice selected as an emergency for the team that went on to win the flag.
The off-season has seen the 19-year-old working hard to bulk up, but he has kept his trademark speed and ability to break the lines.
Geelong assistant coach Brendan McCartney said Hunt had trained well despite suffering a minor hip injury, building his coaches' hopes for the former Sandringham Dragon.
“He was training very well before Christmas with a lot of the other younger players,” McCartney told geelongcats.com.au.
“He’s developed his body to an AFL standard - he’s still got room for improvement in lots of areas, but he plays the way we like: he attacks the game and backs himself and does all those things".
McCartney said Hunt's improvement last season was a good sign of his work ethic and aptitude for football.
“He’s learning more and more about the game each week, and becoming more and more professional in the way he approaches his footy.
"He’s on track to play some good footy, we feel.”
Hunt said the confidence gained from being named as an AFL emergency had fed his desire in the pre-season.
“I would have loved to have played a game, but it was good knowing that my name was up for selection against players playing a good standard for Geelong,” he said.
“That gave me the hunger over the pre-season to come back and really push for that AFL spot".
“I don’t want to have to wait for injuries or for anything to happen - I want to take my chance and prove that I’m a better player than maybe someone else in the team".
His speed and dash off half-back have seen him compared to dual-premiership speedster David Wojinski, and he has also been working with the recently retired David Johnson.
“I talked to Wojo last year, and the message was just to really back yourself, back your speed, and the coaches aren’t going to rip your head off if you try to take the game on.
“I get along with Dave [Johnson] really well ... It’s good to have someone fresh out of the team who’s been through the AFL system.
“He’s been there and done that, and experienced the stuff that some of us young guys have done, and he can guide us through that.”
