History proved Ben Hunt was right – but only just.
In the build-up to the 2023 season kick-off, with coach Anthony Griffin’s race seemingly already run, bookmakers were falling over each other to install the Dragons as wooden spoon favourites – and just about every journalist wanted to remind the players as much.
Hunt bristled. “We won’t get the wooden spoon.”
And nor did they. The Dragons finished 16th … in a 17-team competition.
Reminded of his pre-season prediction on these pages in 2023, Hunt laughs: “I can guarantee that again: we’re not getting the wooden spoon.”
Hunt openly declared he wanted out of the club last season. This year, the Red V captain is giving off the vibe that he’s all in.
Ben Hunt never thought about giving up the St George Illawarra captaincy.Credit: Getty
One of the reasons, it was said, that Hunt was so at odds with the club that has paid him more than $1 million a year for the past six campaigns is because they couldn’t land a significant blow in the transfer market. He wanted help to make St George Illawarra a top eight side, and it wasn’t forthcoming.
On the eve of the new season, Hunt is more philosophical about the club’s situation.
New coach Shane Flanagan has been busy, bringing in son Kyle, Luciano Leilua, Hame Sele, Tom Eisenhuth, Ray Faitala-Mariner and Christian Tuipulotu, among others. None of those signings screams, “We’re a top eight team now”, even if the overall squad depth has improved.
They’ve taken swings and misses at a number of high-profile free agents, most notably Addin Fonua-Blake, Joseph Manu, Tom Dearden and Keaon Koloamatangi. But Hunt can understand why it’s been hard for the Red V to land a red-letter signing.
“I’ve looked at it many, many, many times when players are off contract, who’s coming off and what’s going on,” he says. “There’s just nothing out there.
“Bringing the Dolphins in with that extra team, it’s just made it harder to get guys. I’ll leave it up to Flanno and our recruitment staff, but they’ve brought a couple of guys in who can really help us this year.
“You can say they might not be big fish, but they’re guys I think who can really contribute to our side.”
One area where Hunt thinks they will be improved is leadership, in particular with former Bulldogs club captain Faitala-Mariner and ex-Storm veteran Eisenhuth joining the club.
For several years, Hunt has been the senior figure in the squad, the public face of a club which has slipped further and further from its glory days under Wayne Bennett.
Was he convinced to give up the captaincy during his very public request to leave last year?
“A lot of people brought it up,” Hunt says. “Several people asked me if I wanted to do that, but I never thought that was something I wanted to do.
“I love my teammates and I want to do the best by them. I want to try to lead them. I don’t feel giving up the captaincy would have helped me play any better or do anything different. I still felt like I was the best guy for the job.
“It has been a couple of tough years. I’m just an ultimate competitor. I hate losing as much as anyone. To make the finals this year would be extremely rewarding.
“My first few years here, there was only a small trickle of young guys coming through, but the last two years there’s been an influx of young guys. This year, it’s picked up again. It’s exciting for the club long term.”
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