Buzz Round 11 highlights, lowlights: Dragons bosses snub Ben Hunt’s 300th NRL game dinner

Rival clubs will be sniffing around Ben Hunt, after Dragons officials snubbed his 300-game celebration dinner and refused to explain why, writes PHIL ROTHFIELD. See all the Round 11 highs and lows.

Ben Hunt, Ryan Webb and Andrew Lancaster.

HIGHLIGHT

The Canberra Raiders. Six weeks ago they looked like a bottom-four club. They’d lost to the Cowboys, Dolphins and Knights and been flogged 53-12 by the Panthers. Then Jack Wighton announced he was leaving. They’ve since picked up 12 competition points and are playing a really attractive style of footy. Great coaching Ricky Stuart.

The Raiders have turned their season around in the last six weeks... well done Ricky. Picture: Getty Images.

LOWLIGHT

St George Illawarra chairman Andrew Lancaster refused to answer his phone over the weekend to explain why he failed to turn up to Ben Hunt’s 300-game celebration dinner. With leadership like this, when you can’t even recognise the significance of the occasion, it’s no wonder the Dragons are such a basket case. They need new people running the club as much as a new coach.

Ben Hunt’s wife Bridget and children Brady and Bowie were there to celebrate his 300th.

YEO LIKE CLYDE

Legendary boxing trainer Johnny Lewis is a massive fan of Panthers lock Isaah Yeo and has compared him to one of Australia’s greatest lock forwards. “He reminds me a lot of Brad Clyde in everything he does,” Lewis said. Lewis would know too … he used to work for Bob Fulton with the Kangaroos and other NRL teams.

SHOOSH

It’s interesting that Jack Bird is denying he wants out from the struggling St George Illawarra Dragons because a rival club – based outside of Sydney - has heard the same thing and is poised to investigate further.

Jack Bird has denied he wants out of the struggling Dragons, but a rival club claim the rumours are true. Picture: Getty Images.

SPOTTED

Raiders coach Ricky Stuart enjoying a beer in the Raiders dressing sheds with front-rower Joe Tapine and as he nurses his little girl Ilua, who was having her first night out at the footy.

Joseph Tapine with daughter Ilua and coach Ricky Stuart after the Raiders' win over Parramatta.

SPOTTED

You’ve got to hand it to Sam Walker. With his knee in a brace, the young halfback was seen helping to tidy and clean up the Roosters dressing room as the players were leaving after the loss to the Panthers on Friday night.

360 VIEW

Catch you on Monday on NRL 360 with Braith Anasta, Brent Read and Cooper Cronk to discuss all the biggest issues out of Round 11 of the premiership.

EXCLUSIVE: STUNNING HYPOCRISY BEHIND DRAGONS’ BEN HUNT SNUB

St George-Illawarra officials have dropped the ball again – this time failing to show up to honour skipper Ben Hunt at his 300-game celebration dinner.

The team and coach Anthony Griffin gathered at Royal Pines resort on the Gold Coast last week for a function to mark the magnificent milestone but CEO Ryan Webb and chairman Andrew Lancaster weren’t there.

In fact, every board member brushed the event.

Hunt and his teammates weren’t impressed.

Dragons CEO Ryan Webb wasn’t at the dinner.

Neither did chairman Andrew Lancaster.

Hunt’s wife and children were there and his parents drove 10 hours from Emerald for the dinner.

Even Broncos coach Kevin Walters and some of Hunt’s old Brisbane teammates attended.

The snubbing of their highly regarded skipper highlights everything that is wrong at the Dragons in senior management.

You talk about culture. You talk about how winning starts in the front office.

And here you have the people in charge who can’t even recognise the importance of being at such a significant event to honour one of the greats of the game.

Dragons coach Anthony Griffin was there.

So was the Broncos’ Kevin Walters.

These are the same officials who criticised the players last year when only three of their top-30 squad turned up for the club’s presentation night.

Yet they can’t even make the effort themselves.

Hunt’s reaction will be interesting.

He is under contract until the end of next season but is unhappy at the prospect of Anthony Griffin being sacked as early as next week.

The Canterbury Bulldogs are monitoring the situation closely.

Originally published as Buzz Round 11 highlights, lowlights: Dragons bosses snub Ben Hunt’s 300th NRL game dinner