NRL 2023: Ben Hunt ‘disappointed’ about latest Dragons setback, Junior Amone assault verdict

Ben Hunt has lamented the ongoing setbacks plaguing St George Illawarra, revealing his disappointment at having to find yet another halves partner following Junior Amone’s assault verdict.

Ben Hunt has one eye on the Kiwis and one on the Dragons.

He knows a huge challenge awaits the Australian team in Melbourne on Saturday night but an even bigger one looms for St George Illawarra as it counts down the days to November 1, when the player market becomes a free-for-all.

The Dragons need to make a splash and their captain is as aware of that as anyone, particularly given the stunning news last week that his halves partner Junior Amone had been found guilty of assault charges, casting his playing future into doubt.

Once his international commitments were over, Hunt was ready to return to pre-season and work on a combination that had begun to bear fruit last season. Instead, he will likely be forced to forge a new pairing with Kyle Flanagan as Amone waits for his sentence to be handed down in ­December.

It was another setback for not only the Dragons, but also Hunt. He has neither the time nor the patience to go through a slow and painful rebuild but developments with Amone leave the club and their new coach Shane ­Flanagan once again on the back foot.

“It’s something that keeps rearing its head, doesn’t it,” Hunt said. “It’s obviously very disappointing. There is not much I can comment on about it. It is just another knock for the club.

Ben Hunt will need to find a new halves partner. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty

“I will leave that to Flanno and the staff to really assess that. I felt going into the year it was going to be another good stepping stone for Junior.

“He was really starting to build into a nice ­player. I still don’t know what the outcome is going to be but it is very ­disappointing.”

Hunt reached out to both Shane Flanagan and Amone in the wake of last week’s news but concedes there wasn’t a lot he could say to his young halves partner.

“It is just a tough one, really is,” he said.

The obvious replacement for Amone is Kyle Flanagan, although Jack Bird has played five-eighth before and could be a stop-gap solution.

If it is Flanagan it means there will be a sense of urgency for Hunt around the preseason as he attempts to build their combination.

“Whether he is the six or somewhere else, I still want to build a good relationship with him anyway,” Hunt said.

“He is a new guy coming in and he has a good understanding of the game. I will be trying to work with him ­really well.”

Before then, Hunt has a Test series to win as he prepares to start against the Kiwis in a remodelled Australian side at AAMI Park on Saturday night.

Nicho Hynes and Tom Flegler will make their Test debuts against a New Zealand team coming off a lopsided win over Samoa, where the Kiwis dominated their Pacific Island neighbours.

Dragons player Junior Amone leaving Wollongong Local Court. Picture: Dylan Arvela

The Kiwis bashed Samoa into submission and Hunt knows exactly where the threat will come on Saturday night given the Kiwis boast an imposing front row rotation of James Fisher-Harris, Moses Leota, Joey Tapine and Nelson Asofa-Solomona.

“Obviously, their strength is their forward pack and their go forward. Both their halves are good runners of the ball, as well,” Hunt said.

“As a fan of footy you have to be pretty excited to come and watch both forward packs go at each other. That is what we took away for that game against Samoa.

“All their strength comes from their forward pack and go forward. All our guys will stand up to them, for sure.”

Originally published as NRL 2023: Ben Hunt ‘disappointed’ about latest Dragons setback, Junior Amone assault verdict