The young utility is a former captain of their Under-17s team and was named in the Under-18s NSW City squad.
Over the last few years, the Penrith Panthers have had several special talents come through their pathways system, which has allowed them to remain competitive and win four consecutive NRL premierships despite losing several representative players.
After recently losing Jarome Luai, James Fisher-Harris, and Stephen Crichton, a new breed of players has come through the Panthers’ pathways system and started to make a name for themselves, such as the McLean brothers – Casey and Jesse – playmaker Jack Cole and forward Luron Patea.
Now, a young utility back named Hunter Bell is looking to follow in their footsteps after being named in the Under-18s NSW City squad earlier in the year.
Primarily playing in the centres, Bell is a former captain of the Panthers’ Under-17s Harold Matthews Cup team and recently made his Under-21s Jersey Flegg debut despite still being in the final year of school.
“It would mean everything to play in the NRL. It’s all I’ve been dreaming about since I was five, so if I’m fortunate to get that opportunity, I’d take it with both hands,” Bell told Zero Tackle.
While achieving the NRL dream is the main goal for Bell, the youngster is focused on having a successful campaign in the SG Ball Cup in 2026 after the side underachieved this year.
“It was a bit disappointing the way we went out. We had a good side, but a couple of things didn’t go our way. We didn’t bounce back like we should, but it was a good group of boys, and hopefully next year we can do better,” Bell said.
“(Personally) I want to try to get my defence right. Just try and get bigger and a bit strong and then hopefully go good next year.”
Idolising the likes of Dylan Brown, Mitchell Moses and Jarryd Hayne, he had the opportunity to have a couple of training sessions with the first-grade squad earlier in the season, in which he admitted that he was almost fan-boying whilst being alongside Dylan Edwards and Nathan Cleary.
However, away from the football field, his biggest heroes are his family, who have been there every step of the way as he looks to turn his NRL dream into a reality.
“They’re really why I do what I do. I try and make them proud,” he continued.
