By Christian Nicolussi and Adam Pengilly
Ben Hunt will play for St George Illawarra on Friday night, then sit down with management and tell them: “I’d like to come home to Queensland.”
Hunt knows the reception he receives from his own fans at WIN Stadium will be nothing like the love he felt from the Maroons faithful on Wednesday night.
As revealed by this masthead on Sunday, Hunt made it known to Dragons officials he wanted out, and was open to leaving immediately.
Hunt did not hide from the fact he wants to return to the Sunshine State, and will sit down with the club and incoming coach Shane Flanagan on Monday for crisis talks.
“I’ll play Friday, then have a meeting with the club and find out then,” Hunt said.
“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.
Hands up who wants to come home to Queensland: Ben HuntCredit: Getty Images
“I have missed the support networks with family, and the weather is always nice.
“Myself and my partner [Bridget], our families are here and my family is in central Queensland, so being in Sydney, we’re a long long way [away].
“We’ve enjoyed our time in Sydney but we’re ready to come home.
“I have a meeting with the club on Monday and Flanno. I’m just hopeful they listen. We’ll see how we go.
“I’ll definitely back up on Friday. I only played 25 minutes, so I still feel all right. I don’t know why I shouldn’t play.”
Hunt has more than two years to run on his deal, is the Dragons’ best-paid player — and has regularly been their best — but wants a fresh start.
The sacking of good friend Anthony Griffin hurt Hunt, but he said his frustrations with the club had started well before then.
The 33-year-old has remained in regular contact with Griffin, and said he would lean on him for support in the coming weeks.
When he inked his latest extension before hopping on the plane with the Kangaroos for the World Cup last year, Hunt expected the club to accelerate their recruitment drive, only for that to not happen.
Ben Hunt in action for the MaroonsCredit: Getty Images
“When I signed, there was a lot going on,” Hunt said.
“They wanted to get me signed first to get it sorted out so they could start making recruitment decisions, but it’s gone nowhere. I don’t know. It’s tough to answer.
“I just thought once I signed there would be a snowball effect and a few things would happen, but it hasn’t happened.”
The Dragons this week asked the NRL to make sure rival clubs had not breached any rules when it came to dealing with Hunt and his management, especially given he has a lucrative deal in place until the end of 2025. Suspicions grew once Hunt made it known he was open to leaving now.
Ben Hunt has carried a heavy load for the Dragons in recent years.Credit: Getty
Gold Coast and a couple of Sydney clubs, including Canterbury, have been heavily linked to the halfback. The latest Queensland admission puts the Titans in the box seat.
There has been talk of stripping Hunt of the Dragons captaincy, and Hunt said he would happily hand over the top job, “and I’ll support that and support whoever it is”.
“The reception won’t be good on Friday, but that’s all right,” said Hunt, of the Wollongong welcome.
“Our fans are extremely passionate, I understand they can be disappointed, that’s the way they are. But I’ll still go out and do the best I can for the Dragons.”
Titans skipper Tino Fa’asuamaleaui was in Maroons camp with Hunt, but resisted the urge to sell him the Gold Coast dream.
“I’d love for him to come to the club, anyone would love Hunty in their team because he’s a legend and a good player,” Fa’asuamaleaui said.
“I haven’t been talking to him about it at all. He’s been dealing with his own stuff, but if he wants to come up, I’m happy to have him.”
Dragons forward Jack de Belin, who plays his 200th game on Friday night against the New Zealand Warriors, said he would not begrudge his playmaker wanting to chase happiness elsewhere, a sentiment shared by Hunt’s Queensland teammate Cameron Munster.
“If I was playing with him and he doesn’t want to be there, at the end of the day, I probably wouldn’t want him to be there either,” Munster said.
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