NSW prop Paul Vaughan defends under-fire Dragons teammate Ben Hunt following Origin II flop

NSW prop Paul Vaughan has leapt to the defence of his under-fire St George Illawarra teammate Ben Hunt following his forgettable performance for Queensland, calling for the critics to back off.

NSW prop Paul Vaughan has leapt to the defence of his under-fire St George Illawarra teammate Ben Hunt following his forgettable performance for Queensland, calling for the critics to back off.

Hunt, who has copped plenty of heat from disgruntled Maroons supporters after Sunday’s loss to NSW, will be back in the Red V for Thursday’s clash with Parramatta in Wollongong.

The big question now is what effect his Origin performances and subsequent hammering from fans will have on his club football.

The Dragons halfback conceded a penalty try to Blues skipper Boyd Cordner in the first-half with a bump off the ball, while his kicking game was poor in the closing stages.

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Ben Hunt has copped plenty of heat from disgruntled Maroons supporters after Sunday’s loss to NSW. Picture: AAP

This prompted fans to savage Hunt on social media, but Vaughan says the heat is unfair.

“He doesn’t deserve it,” Vaughan told The Daily Telegraph.

“He is a world class player and he has been playing great all year.

“I’m not going to say he has been made into a scapegoat, but they are pepping up a bit.

“But I’ll back him 100 per cent.”

Cooper Cronk also believes criticism aimed at Hunt has been overplayed.

Cronk is one man that understands the pressure associated with the Queensland No.7 jumper.

He made 22 appearances for the Maroons between 2010 and 2017, winning seven series during that period.

Cronk has no doubts Hunt can respond.

“He has been in that stadium before and been in situations where he has bounced back,” Cronk said.

“I suppose that is how it is for playmakers.

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“You get the accolades when everything goes well and cop a bit of criticism when it doesn’t.

“There were probably a couple of kicks, but other than that I thought Ben’s competitive nature and defence was (good).

“Unfortunately, on the biggest stage the finer things become really highlighted.

“It’s a 24 hour news cycle to judge and break down games, so he’ll cop a little bit.

“But in terms of his performance, I think overall he can be proud.”

Meanwhile, Vaughan also confirmed he’ll back up for the Dragons against the Eels.

He expects his fellow Origin players – Tyson Frizell, Jack De Belin and Hunt to also back-up.

“I’ve spoken to the strength and conditioner and I’ve put my hand up for Thursday night,” he said.

“I’ll see how I go. Hopefully I’ll do my recovery and we’ll be sweet.”

Originally published as NSW prop Paul Vaughan defends under-fire Dragons teammate Ben Hunt following Origin II flop