‘There’s regrets’: Ben Hunt comes clean on Dragons contract standoff

St George Illawarra Dragons halfback Ben Hunt has opened up on his infamous 2023 contract saga that dominated the back end of the season.

Regrets – Ben Hunt has a few. Photo: Channel 9

St George Illawarra Dragons halfback Ben Hunt has revealed he has some regrets over his contract standoff with the club.

The 33-year-old 312-game NRL veteran was in the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2023.

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The Dragons have been the NRL’s big underachievers over the past five years, missing the final every season, with 2023’s 16th place finish the worst in the current horror run.

In fact, since the club’s 2010 premiership, the Dragons have made the finals just three times (2011, 2015 and 2018).

Having joined the club in 2018, it means Hunt has made the finals just once in his time at the club.

And it all came to a head in 2023 when coach and close friend Anthony Griffin was fired, leading to Hunt to call for a release, just eight months after signing a contract extension until the end of the 2025 season.

Speaking to Nine News, Hunt admitted the pressure got too much.

“I probably made it known pretty loud last year that it was getting pretty frustrating,” Hunt said.

“There’s regrets about parts of it. In a way, I’m happy that some things came to a head but it definitely could have been handled better, that’s for sure. It’s been a long couple of years and it sort of compounded into a few little things that sort of ticked it off at the end.

“If I could take the time back, I would do it differently.”

Ben Hunt is hoping for a much better 2024. Photo by Dave Rowland/Getty Images

The Dragons captain sparked a firestorm when he formally asked the club for a release after former coach Anthony Griffin was fired last May.

While former premiership winning coach Shane Flanagan was named the club’s new coach for 2024, it wasn’t enough to appease Hunt, who began angling for a release ahead of the second State of Origin clash.

But the Dragons stood firm, refusing to allow their marquee player leave despite his clear and publicly vocal displeasure at the club.

Hunt had signed an extension only eight months before the contract saga began.

Hunt declared at the time that he wanted to return to Queensland.

“I’d like to come home. That’s what we’d like to do. It’s for family reasons. There’s a whole lot more to it — other things — but that’s the main reason,” Hunt said.

But still the Dragons stood firm and Hunt eventually confirmed he’d stay at the club for the 2024 season.

However, it didn’t convince many as the belief was that he’d try and force an exit after the 2024 season as he chases a premiership.

Ben Hunt in action for the Dragons. Photo by Brett Hemmings/Getty Images

Hunt has been saying all the right things ahead of the 2024 season so far.

Speaking with Fox Sports News, Hunt said he was pleased with the direction Flanagan was taking the team.

“The conversations I’ve had with him (Flanagan), [2024] is going to be a team built on hard work and discipline and competing right to the final whistle,” Hunt said.

“He believes over the past few years there have been a lot of guys who haven’t really fought for that extra inch and he wants to be a team who can grind teams out and really fight right to the death.

“We’ve got a lot of hard work to do to get to that point, but it’s exciting.”

One issue that may bubble away under the surface is that Flanagan has already told Dragons fans to temper expectations ahead of the new season, saying “our real focus will be 25-26”.