Ben Hunt talks Dragons captaincy, playmaking and being back with Anthony Griffin

Ben Hunt opens up on his struggles during 2020, his leadership ambitions and how his relationship with Anthony Griffin will pay dividends.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 03: Ben Hunt Portrait Session at his home in Caringbah South on February 03, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Hanna Lassen/Getty Images)

A refocused Ben Hunt has put his hand up to fill the leadership void at St George Illawarra.

Hunt said he has put behind him a turbulent last season where he was demoted to the bench and shifted from his preferred halfback role. Now he is enjoying rekindling his relationship with Anthony Griffin and revealed the part he played in attracting his former Broncos coach to the club.

THE CAPTAINCY

Griffin addressed the players when they returned to training this year and made two things clear – there is no leadership group and there is no captain. The coach will make the call before the start of the season. Cameron McInnes is battling to hold onto the captaincy following his shock departure to Cronulla leaving Hunt, Tariq Sims and an inexperienced Zac Lomax as potential options.

Ben Hunt helped launch Asahi’s Club Connect program. Picture: Hanna Lassen/Getty Images

“Captaincy is never something I’ve aspired to do but I’m at that point of my career where I can take it on board and handle it,” said Hunt, who launched Asahi’s Club Connect program where sporting clubs can purchase their beverages wholesale.

“I feel like I can have a decent influence on the younger kids and help them out, whether that’s as captain or not. If the coaching staff want to go in that direction I’ll take it on.”

THE COACH

Hunt was one of the first people St George Illawarra’s management spoke to when they inquired about the potential new coach. Griffin coached Hunt as part of the Broncos under-20s side before the pair progressed into the NRL.

“There are a lot of similarities to last time he coached me but I think he has mellowed out,” Hunt said. “I used to get sprayed every second day. He is still really switched on and a great coach. Everyone is enjoying having him there. The club approached me and asked what I thought of him, if we got along well and what I thought of him as a coach. I was honest and said I really liked him. I always had a good relationship with Hook (Griffin). I pumped his tyres up.

Anthony Griffin talks with Ben Hunt during their time together at the Broncos. Picture: Jono Searle

“I had a couple of conversations with him. We were talking about once a week before I got to training. He called straight away when he got the job and asked about the young players and what I thought of them. We had a pretty good relationship and just picked it up again.

“I remember going back on my first day thinking ‘here we go again’ because pre-season is always tough but after the first week I thought ‘geez there was a real buzz about the place’. It was a fun place to be.”

THE NO. 7

Hunt struggled last year. He reluctantly moved from the halfback spot and copped plenty of criticism in a struggling outfit. His mood quickly shifted after an opening conversation with Griffin.

“To have a coach come straight out and say ‘I believe you’re a good halfback’ it gives you some belief,” Hunt said. “It’s the position I want to play. We’ve got our structures and different things with how we want to play. It’s about the style of footy we want to play between me and Corey (Norman).

Ben Hunt is keen to build on his halves partnership with Corey Norman. Picture: Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

“I’ve approached it like it’s my first year at the Dragons. I want to start fresh and hit the ground running. I’m pretty disappointed in the last 18 months and I want to put it behind me. It does get a hold of you after a while. Whenever we’re not going good it’s ‘you weren’t doing this or that’. You get over it after a while. You’re not going out there to play bad and then other things pile on top.”

THE RECRUITER

He already played a key role in getting Griffin to the club. Now Hunt is trying to entice close friend Andrew McCullough to the Dragons. The club has ramped up talks with the Broncos as the parties work closer to a deal. McCullough has asked the Broncos for a release to join the Dragons immediately.

“We’ve had a couple of conversations,” Hunt said. “I’d love to back with Macca and I’ve told him that. We understand each other pretty well. We played 10 years of footy together.”

Details: Asahi Beverages is giving away up to 5000 slabs of free beer to eligible community sports clubs. Log onto clubconnect.net.au