‘I was surprised’: Dragons boss stunned by Ben Hunt’s release request but hasn’t given up hope of keeping him

The Dragons haven’t given up on convincing Ben Hunt to honour his contract and have made it clear he won’t be getting the early release he’s asked for.

The Dragons haven’t given up hope of convincing Ben Hunt to stay after the skipper requested an early release from his contract. Picture; Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Dragons chief executive Ryan Webb says he has no plans “at this stage” to release skipper Ben Hunt from the final two years of his contract after the halfback’s bombshell request on Saturday, with the club now scrambling to think of a way to convince their marquee man to stay.

The news came just days after the club confirmed that Shane Flanagan would take over next year as head coach, although Webb says the decision to sack former coach Anthony Griffin played no part in Hunt’s decision.

Hunt joined the Red V in 2018 after a lengthy stint in Brisbane, but he’s made the finals just once since then and has reportedly grown frustrated with their lack of success and now wants out.

Ben Hunt was not happy with the decision to get rid of Anthony Griffin. Picture; Ian Hitchcock/Getty Images

Webb said he was surprised by Hunt’s decision but isn’t giving up on keeping the State of Origin star who has looked dejected at times this year having to answer questions after a loss.

“We’d had discussions for a while and talked, and we knew there were frustrations, so that wasn’t a concern,” he said, confident there is upside in their current squad.

“But that was felt right across the club because no one wants to be where we are on the ladder right now. But I had the feeling that we were going to work through this together, so I was surprised.

“The first part is understanding his reasoning behind it. We had some initial discussions, kind of more around winning and the want to win. They’ve been bubbling for a couple of weeks now.

“I think there are a couple of other pieces that he wants to talk about, but we haven’t had the chance to sit down with him face-to-face and talk those through.

“We hope that in the coming days or weeks that we can sit down face-to-face and get a better understanding of where it’s coming from, and then we can address those. That’s how I think we might be able to turn him around.”

Hunt is on big money at the Dragons but rival clubs are willing to break the bank to get him early. Picture; Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Hunt has already been linked with a move to the Titans or the Bulldogs, but that’s only possible if St George Illawarra lets him go, which they don’t plan on doing.

His relationship with Webb and the board looms as one of the main reasons why he wants to break his contract, with Hunt’s manager revealing he has lost confidence in management.

“That’s something that we don’t have a lot of clarity on,” Webb said.

“I had a brief conversation with him over the weekend and he touched on a couple of points, which I think we need to talk through because I think there’s a bit more information we need to share in that space where he’s got concerns.

“That’s one of the things we have to flesh out to get a better understanding of.

“I think we do some good things, and there are a lot of things we need to do better, so we’re far from perfect.

“I don’t think there are things that are in a state where Ben Hunt should feel like he needs to leave to find somewhere better to perform.”

Ryan Webb hasn’t given up hope of convincing Hunt to stay. Picture; Simon Bullard

Webb indicated that the club isn’t planning on stripping Hunt of the captaincy or dropping him to reserve grade during this messy situation, but the Dragons have some big decisions to make given the 33-year-old is by far their best player.

It’s why Webb and Flanagan want to meet with the disgruntled playmaker, who reportedly has asked for an immediate release with the Dragons set to miss out on the finals for the fifth year in a row.

“I think it’s a frustrating time. I don’t think there’s a good time for this, to be honest,” Webb said.

“It’s difficult during the middle of the season, and for him he’s got Origin and then he’s got club games. We’re trying to win games so right in the middle of the season is a very tough time.”