Ben Hunt to meet with Sydney Roosters leaving star’s Brisbane Broncos homecoming in doubt

The Sydney Roosters are set to hold talks with free agent Ben Hunt, a move that could ultimately torpedo Brisbane’s chances of securing a Broncos homecoming for the star halfback.

Ben Hunt’s preference is to stay in Sydney. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

The Sydney Roosters are set to hold talks with Ben Hunt next week in a move that could torpedo Brisbane’s hopes of a Broncos homecoming for the Queensland Origin star.

This masthead can reveal the Broncos and Roosters are keen to meet with Hunt’s management as the NRL’s two glamour clubs prepare for a cross-border battle to win the halfback’s signature.

It is understood Hunt’s preference is to remain in Sydney - opening the door for the Roosters and Bulldogs to challenge the Broncos and Dolphins for the club-less Australian Test utility.

Hunt completed his Australian commitments following Sunday’s Pacific Championships defeat of Tonga and will ramp-up talks in the next fortnight with potential NRL suitors.

The Broncos have made preliminary inquiries with Hunt’s management, while the Dolphins are armed with a $1.3 million salary-cap war chest, with coach Kristian Woolf keen to open talks with the former Dragons skipper.

But there is no guarantee Hunt is headed to Queensland in 2025.

The Roosters could be posed to spoil the Broncos’ chances of securing a Ben Hunt homecoming. Picture: AAP Image/Michael Chambers

Well-placed sources say Hunt is happily settled in NSW and would prefer to remain in the Harbour City due to family ties if there are palatable offers on the table from Sydney-based clubs.

While the Broncos are circling, Roosters sources confirmed talks were likely to take place, setting up a potential Sydney bunfight for Hunt, who has been without a home since he parted ways with the Dragons at the end of last month.

Broncos bosses are open to tabling a formal offer for Hunt but accept they may struggle to win a bidding war for the Maroons maestro in the face of a Roosters poaching bid.

The Roosters will be without star half Sam Walker and hooker Brandon Smith for a large chunk of next season, with both recovering from knee surgery.

Hunt has seemingly appeared on their horizon at the perfect time, although it is understood any move for Smith will be contingent on his demands and what salary cap figure he is deemed to carry from the NRL.

Ben Hunt’s preference is to remain in Sydney. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

Roosters coach Trent Robinson was coy about the club’s interest in Hunt, insisting he had the utmost confidence in the existing squad.

However, he conceded that unexpected names sometimes appear on the player market that cause a rethink. Hunt could yet be one of those names.

“We’re really confident with the team we have got,” Robinson said.

“But there’s also names that pop up from time to time, and you start to think, ‘Okay, I wonder what that would look like’.”

The Roosters have internally discussed the prospect of signing Hunt, but may struggle to afford him under the salary cap after recently upgrading boom halfback Walker to a $1 million-a-season deal.

“He (Hunt) is an exceptional player and has done it for a long time,” Robinson said.

“People want a direct answer, but the thing is we’ve been clear about our squad for a while now. Ever since Luke (Keary) made his decision, we were really clear with where we were heading over the next couple of years, and we were happy about that.

“But if the opportunity arises to accommodate that seven and nine position in different ways then we will, but it has to be right for the next couple of years as well.”

The Bondi development comes as Toby Sexton’s management prepare for urgent talks with Canterbury boss Phil Gould amid speculation Hunt could be headed to Belmore to wear the Bulldogs No.7 jumper.

The Bulldogs have been linked with Hunt, prompting the management of incumbent Canterbury half Sexton to seek clarity from football chief Gould this week.

Sexton is off-contract next year and is keen to remain at Belmore after steering Canterbury’s to this year’s playoffs, but his sentiment may change if Bulldogs powerbrokers decide to make a formal play for Hunt.

If the decision was solely about money, the Dolphins would win a bidding war, but Hunt turns 35 in March and is running out of time to conquer his final frontier in rugby league _ winning an NRL premiership.

The Broncos can only afford around $500,000 to secure Hunt and have opted not to free-up more funds after coach Michael Maguire ruled out releasing forward Kobe Hetherington to a Sydney club.

The Broncos and Roosters have the rosters to have title contenders next season and Hunt could be an asset at Bondi given that Walker may not return until July next year due to a knee reconstruction.

Hunt could potentially play in the Roosters halves alongside Sandon Smith or Chad Townsend before shifting into a hooking role when Walker returns from injury.

The Roosters have not tabled an offer at this stage but are not averse to formally pursuing Hunt if the money is right, especially if the Maroons ace opts to remain in Sydney.

Broncos prop Payne Haas has urged club bosses to engineer a Red Hill reunion for Hunt, who played halfback for Brisbane in their 2015 grand-final loss to the Cowboys.

“Honestly, I would love it if Ben came back,” Haas said.

“I’ll be so excited to be honest if we signed him. Obviously, I will let the higher powers sort that out and hopefully they can.”