Ben Hunt slams Dragons teammates for ‘disrespectful’ awards night snub

St George Illawarra star Ben Hunt has taken aim at his Dragons teammates after they didn’t turn up at the club’s awards night.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 03: Ben Hunt of the Dragons warms up prior to the round 25 NRL match between the St George Illawarra Dragons and the Brisbane Broncos at Netstrata Jubilee Stadium, on September 03, 2022, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Ben Hunt has slammed his St George Illawarra teammates for not attending the team’s end of-season presentation.

The star halfback was announced at the club’s player of the year at the Dragons’ awards night, but remarkably only three players — Hunt, Zac Lomax and Michael Molo — were at the event.

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Hunt is in the UK for the Kangaroos’ Rugby League World Cup tour and has admitted he was disappointed 27 Dragons players didn’t turn up at the awards night.

The event was rescheduled to a later date and fell at a time when players had been on annual leave since their season ended on September 3.

“It was a bit disappointing, in a way,” he told Channel 9.

“But a lot of players came to me when we found out about presentation night and mentioned they’d already booked holidays away.”

However, it’s emerged several Dragons players were in fact in Sydney at the time and chose not to attend.

Ben Hunt is disappointed in his Dragons teammates. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

“I did hear after it that there was a couple of guys that were in Sydney and I think that is pretty disrespectful,” Hunt said.

“You’re part of the club, you’ve worked hard all year playing for them, you should come and celebrate the year.”

The 32-year-old said he would like to clear the air with his Dragons teammates after returning from international duties.

“Yeah, I’d like to have a chat to some of them,” Hunt said.

“Obviously I won’t be able to do it for a few weeks now, not until pre-season. It’d just be good to know their reasons for why they didn’t come.”

Ben Hunt wants an explanation. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)

Despite Hunt’s career-best season that made him a contender for the Dally M Medal and halfback of the year, the Dragons finished 10th an outside the top eight in another disappointing season.

Hunt has agreed to a contract extension that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2025 season.

The club has been hit with claims of player unrest with young gun Tyrell Sloan reportedly asking to be released from his contract to join the Dolphins and boom talent Jayden Sullivan reportedly wanting to move to the Bulldogs.

The slight has been interpreted by many as further evidence of player unrest towards Griffin, who heads into the 2023 season without a contract for 2024.