‘That’s mindblowing’: Teammates desert Dragons star in awards night snub

An extraordinary no-show has left an NRL star deserted by his teammates in a “poor act” that’s ben described as “mindblowing”.

Ben Hunt and his wife Bridget Hunt. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images for MJ Bale.

St George Illawarra players have snubbed their team’s awards night en masse in a stunning fresh blow to coach Anthony Griffin.

Speculation about the future of the veteran coach continues to run wild while he heads into the 2023 season without a contract for 2024.

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The club has also 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 club had some welcome positive news this week with star playmaker Ben Hunt finally agreeing to a contract extension that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2025 season.

Ben Hunt is staying in red and white. Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images.

He was also announced as the club’s player of the year at the Dragons’ end-of-season awards night held Pyrmont.

It has been revealed Hunt was one of just three senior players to attend the event with 27 players failing to show up. The event was re-scheduled to a later date and fell at a time when players had ben on annual leave since their season ended on September 3.

The Sydney Morning Herald reports Hunt, Zac Lomax and Michael Molo were the only players in attendance.

Panthers great Greg Alexander on Friday said on SEN Breakfast it was “mindblowing” that Hunt would have been presented with the Dragons Medal watched on by just two teammates.

The Daily Telegraph’s David Riccio also said: “That’s an ordinary look, you can’t put it any other way.

Ben Hunt and his wife Bridget Hunt at the 2022 Dally M Awards. Photo by Matt King/Getty Images for MJ Bale.

“I can’t recall any situation like that at an end of season awards night for a club. It doesn’t speak very well for the club culture.”

The slight has been interpreted by many as further evidence of player unrest towards Griffin, however, Riccio said Dragons officials had created their own problem by failing to make a decision on Griffin’s future.

“They (players) are wanting out of the club because they don’t know the direction of the club,” he said on SEN.

“If St George Illawarra are backing Anthony Griffin, re-sign him for another two years and tell everyone, ‘This is the plan, this is what we’re going ahead with’. But, if not, which they clearly don’t, they don’t know what they’re doing as far as a senior coach is concerned, so every off-contract player is in limbo.”

Dragons chief executive Ryan Webb has dismissed concern about the snub from the playing group.