Dragons Ben Hunt on his critics, his confidence and the mixed emotions at beating Brisbane
Ben Hunt’s NRL season has been a wild roller-coaster. But the belting of Brisbane has renewed his confidence that the Dragons can turn their late-season slump into a premiership assault.
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FORMER Broncos halfback Ben Hunt says he is back to his confident best and ready to lead the Dragons’ NRL premiership charge after overcoming “aggressive” criticism.
Hunt had the last laugh at Suncorp Stadium on Sunday as St George Illawarra ended Brisbane’s season with a resounding 48-18 elimination final win.
It was the ex-Broncos No. 7’s first venture back to Brisbane in Dragons colours after joining the Red V this season on a $6 million deal.
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Hunt’s tenure at the Dragons started with a bang as St George Illawarra rocketed into premiership favouritism with six straight wins to start the season, earning Hunt the Queensland No. 7 jersey.
But the Red V faithful turned on Hunt as the Dragons lost six of their last nine games of the season to limp into the finals in seventh.
Hunt sought out the help of a psychologist to deal with the expectation of his $1 million-a-season contract and savage criticism that came with St George Illawarra’s slide.
The Maroons utility had a positive performance in ending Brisbane’s season and said he was ready to lead the Dragons after five-eighth Gareth Widdop (shoulder) was ruled out for the remainder of the finals.
“It kind of sunk in a month ago when everything started going a little bit bad,” Hunt said.
“The critics were jumping on and it hit home that I wasn’t a Bronco anymore. I was a Dragon.
“The Dragons have got real passionate fans that hurt when they lose.
“The last month has been pretty aggressive down there to be honest, the fans and media and everyone.
“It’s something that’s part of rugby league. You’ve got to learn how to deal with it and move on.
“Since then I’ve turned a corner in the last couple of weeks and really enjoying it.
“I don’t play to prove critics wrong. It’s for my teammates and to make my family proud. That’s going to be my motivation next week.
“I’ve got a good mindset now. I’m feeling very confident. We showed a lot of people we’ve got a quality team and that we can do something in this competition.”
Hunt, 28, debuted for the Broncos in 2009 and played 187 NRL games for Brisbane before the club opted to spend $1 million-a-season on Anthony Milford instead of him.
Hunt outpointed Milford in the Suncorp ambush and the Dragons will now face South Sydney at ANZ Stadium on Saturday.
“It’s a very strange feeling,” Hunt said of ending Brisbane’s season.
“I was very excited but I saw Sam Thaiday (crying) and nearly started crying myself.
“It was mixed emotions really. Some of my best mates are still playing here.
“It was good of them to congratulate me on the win. They’ll be some of my best mates forever and I’ll always respect that.”
Widdop’s absence is a massive loss for the Dragons whose form heading into the finals was scratchy at best.
Hunt will assume the chief playmaking role and said he had to lift in the skipper’s absence.
“I’m definitely feeling a bit more confident now,” Hunt said.
“He helped that. He’s such a class player, it takes a load off your shoulders knowing you’ve got him.
“I watched the Souths-Melbourne game (Storm won 29-28) and it was one of the best NRL games I’ve seen.
“We’ve got a big road ahead of us next week but we’ll have a good crack.
“We’re going to have to have a good think about how we’re going to beat them. They’ve got such a good side across the board.”
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Originally published as Dragons Ben Hunt on his critics, his confidence and the mixed emotions at beating Brisbane