The role Ben Hunt once dreaded at the Broncos again awaits the star Brisbane halfback – but this time he has no complaints.

Hunt admitted years of reluctantly playing back-up hooker for Brisbane helped him seal selection as one of 10 rookies in Australia’s 24-man Four Nations squad on Tuesday.

Hunt treaded water as Brisbane’s bench utility before exploding onto the NRL scene when given the chance as starting halfback in 2014.

However, Hunt is resigned to again playing second fiddle off the bench for Australia with Daly Cherry-Evans and Cooper Cronk expected to be the starting Test halves.

Not that Hunt was complaining after edging out the likes of Sydney Roosters No.7 Mitchell Pearce and NSW half Josh Reynolds to make his first Test squad.

“Playing at hooker, I didn’t really want to be there but … I think it is going to pay off for me now,” Hunt said.

“I think they will be looking for a utility.

“Doing that hard work at hooker for a few years might have got me over the line.”

Still, Hunt is no slouch at halfback.

In a remarkable year, Hunt has earned Queensland Origin squad selection, finished fifth in the Dally M Medal count and ran out for the Prime Minister’s XIII in PNG last weekend.

Yet Hunt was still pinching himself when he got the Test selection call on Tuesday after a quiet word with national coach Tim Sheens on the weekend in PNG failed to provide a heads-up.

“We had a little chat up there,” Hunt said.

“He didn’t really give me a hint that I was going to get picked.

“He just said some players were going to get picked out of this team.”

Hunt admitted plenty of hard work lay ahead of the Four Nations – and that was just on the home front.

“I was moving into a new house at the time (of getting the selection call),” he said.

“I stopped unpacking for a while and try and let it sink in.

“I tried to get back into work but I didn’t get much done.”