By Michael Chammas and Danny Weidler
St George Illawarra captain Ben Hunt was one of several players who was told his performances during the final month of the season weren’t up to the standard expected as part of a scathing end-of-season review.
Hunt, who just 12 months ago sought a release but was convinced to stay and be part of Shane Flanagan’s Dragons rebuild, was recently told a proposed contract extension would also be taken off the table for the moment.
Hunt, who still has one more year to run on his contract, worth about $1.05 million in 2025, attended his end-of-season exit review with the club’s football staff on Thursday morning.
The 34-year-old was told that his performances – including his defence, kicking game and leadership – when his team’s finals hopes hung in the balance were not befitting of his standing in the side.
The Dragons faded in the final few weeks of the competition to miss out on a play-off berth, with Hunt’s displays in those games put under the microscope in his meeting with coach Flanagan and assistant coach Dean Young.
Hunt wasn’t the only player made aware of the club’s frustration at the way they had finished the year, but the Dragons’ recent unwillingness to commit to a contract extension has once again raised a question mark over his future.
The Dragons weren’t happy with Hunt’s end to the season.Credit: Getty Images
As first reported by this masthead in April, the Dragons had opened conversations with Hunt about an extension but later decided to park discussions about 2026 until after this year’s State of Origin series.
The club has since indicated to Hunt that, based on his performances, they were not prepared to commit to an extension and wanted to see how he started the 2025 campaign as a 35-year-old before determining if he would remain on their books, and at what value.
Sources with knowledge of the situation talking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential nature of negotiations told this masthead that the Dragons will enter the marketplace for a quality playmaker, however scarce they may be at the moment.
Hunt last year asked for a release, which was rejected by the club, and was asked by incoming coach Flanagan to give him 12 months to prove he could turn the Red V around.
Dragons coach Shane Flanagan (centre) with star players Ben Hunt and Zac Lomax.Credit: NRL Photos
Hunt isn’t seeking a release, but Flanagan and the Dragons are now discussing whether it is in the club’s best interest to keep the veteran halfback to attract sought-after players to join the club.
Hunt was not told at Thursday’s meeting that he was free to explore options at rival clubs, but sources with knowledge of the situation talking under the condition of anonymity told this masthead that the Dragons are unlikely to stand in his way if he requests permission to do so.
The rumour mill has been in overdrive after Andrew Johns declared that he couldn’t see Hunt, one of the team’s best players since joining the joint venture from Brisbane seven years ago, being at the Dragons in 2025.
“Do you think Ben Hunt will be there next year? No,” Johns told Wide World of Sports’ Freddy and the Eighth.
“I’ve heard [Titans hooker] Sam Verrills may be going back to the Roosters ... have a look at Brandon Smith, he won’t play until mid-next year.
“So that opens the way for Ben Hunt to go to the Titans. Because Ben Hunt has been [saying] the last couple of years ‘I want to go back to Queensland’.”
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