Ben Hunt’s blunt reality as St George Illawarra Dragons exit looms

An NRL star has spoken out for the first time over his contract situation as he confirmed his club are not interested in re-signing him.

Dragons skipper Ben Hunt has confirmed he’ll hit the open market in a few weeks after revealing his club are no longer interested in re-signing him.

Hunt, who turns 35 in the opening month of next season, is contracted until the end of next year but is determined to play beyond his 36th birthday.

The halfback is still in top form and has been picked in the Kangaroos squad for the Pacific Championships this month.

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But Hunt says the Dragons are “not overly keen to keep me” despite talks between the parties earlier this year about an extension beyond 2025.

“I definitely want to play beyond next year,” Hunt told The Daily Telegraph.

“I’m still feeling good in myself and I feel like I can contribute.

“We’ve had that discussion earlier in the year and it went away. They don’t want to offer me anything so I’ll go to November 1 and see what happens.

“I haven’t shut the doors on anything. The Dragons said they were keen to extend me around April and then they said they’d wait until after Origin.

“Now they want to see how I’m playing next year. It’s all gone quiet and they don’t want to do anything. Doesn’t sound like they are overly keen to keep me.

“It may be in Queensland or somewhere else. I’ll just wait and see. “

Ben Hunt’s Dragons future is up in the air.

Hunt has been linked with a return to Queensland since twice requesting a release in 2023 in a bid to be closer to family, with the Broncos and Titans potential landing spots at the time.

“I’ve always said I’ll be open to it if the opportunity arose,” he told AAP.

“Queensland’s home, I’ve had a lot of great times up here, I’ve got a lot of family up here. If that opportunity did come up, I’d never say no.”

However, most recently Hunt has been linked with a possible switch to the Bulldogs to add some experience to their halves.

“At this stage I’ll be there (next year),” Hunt said.

“Nothing has changed. I had to get away and freshen up and not think about footy for a while. Unless something extreme happens I’ll probably be there.”

Hunt is open to an immediate move but Dragons recruit Damien Cook has implored him to not walk out on the club.

Hunt was involved in a heated bake by coach Shane Flanagan after their loss to the Eels, which cost them a finals berth and things have reportedly been tense in the aftermath between the captain and the club.

Cook, who signed with the Dragons on a two-year deal after being released from the final year of his Souths contract, said Hunt was a big part of his decision to join the club.

“He (Hunt) is a big reason why I’m going there,” Cook told The Daily Telegraph.

Damien Cook wants Ben Hunt to stay.

“I saw him the other day and all things were positive for the Dragons.

“I had to go through it (coming off-contract) and he’s got to go through it now. He’ll make a decision that’s best for him and his family.

“He’s coming towards the end of his career. Whether he’s down there for another couple of years or wants to finish up, I don’t know. You’d have to ask him.

“I’d love him to be there the whole time I’m there.”

The 34-year-old Hunt has played 147 of his 324 NRL games for the Dragons since joining the club in 2018 and still has a year to run on his contract.

INJURED STORM HALFBACK EYEING LONG-TERM EXTENSION

Injured Storm halfback Jonah Pezet is reportedly close to a three-year extension with Melbourne amid interest from NRL rivals including the Knights.

Pezet is currently off-contract at the end of the 2025 NRL season, meaning he will be able to test the open market and negotiate with rival teams from November 1.

Given the lack of quality halfbacks in the NRL, Pezet is expected to attract interest from a number of clubs, with the Knights interested in his services, but his preference is reportedly to stay in Melbourne.

The Daily Telegraph’s Brent Read reported on Triple M that Pezet is close to a new deal, that will likely include a get out clause if Jahrome Hughes extends with the club.

“He’s got an offer on the table, and apparently, it is really close to getting done,” Brent Read said on Triple M’s Monday Scrum.

“I don’t think he particularly wants to go...I reckon he’ll have an agreement that if Jahrome [Hughes] extends beyond 26, they’ll look at letting him go.

“I think the offer they’ve made to him is a three-year extension.”

Pezet is coming off an ACL injury suffered in April, but is still regarded as one of the best young halfbacks in the game.

Jonah Pezet is set to sign an extension with the Storm.

Pezet is seen as the long-term successor of both Cameron Munster and Jahrome Hughes in the halves, but he may have to leave the club in the interim to get more game time.

Hughes is signed until 2026, while Munster is signed until 2027 with the pair potentially playing on to finish their careers at the Storm.

The 21-year-old Pezet has only appeared in ten first-grade matches but has shown that he has the potential to become the Storm’s main playmaker down the track.

SAVAGE OPENS UP ON RAIDERS EXTENSION TALKS

Canberra Raiders outside back Xavier Savage has revealed he wants to remain at the club beyond his current contract, despite not hearing from the club as yet.

The Raiders winger is off-contract at the end of next season and is free to negotiate with rivals from November 1.

However, speaking with The Canberra Times, Savage revealed he wants to stay in Canberra, but is yet to hear from his coach or the club.

“I’m contracted next year. I haven’t spoken about anything yet in terms of re-signing, but hopefully ‘Sticky’ does give me a buzz - or someone from the club,” Savage told The Canberra Times.

“I’m happy to stay, but we’ll just see what happens I guess over the next month.”

A breakout season in 2024 Saw Savage shift from battling for a spot at fullback onto the wing permanently with great success, scoring 15 tries in 24 games in a stellar campaign.

Prior to 2024, the 22-year-old had managed only 23 games across three seasons and only played once in 2023 as he fell out of favour.

Xavier Savage wants to stay loyal to the Raiders.

However, fresh off his most consistent season in first grade, Savage could potentially be moving back to fullback in 2025 after Jordan Rapana’s exit to England.

Savage, Kaeo Weekes and Chevy Stewart will be fighting it out to replace Rapana next season, but there are no shortage of clubs who need a fullback of his talent.

Weekes could also be in the mix for a spot in the halves after playing well at halfback last season.

However, the signing of Ethan Sanders from the Eels likely means a starting halves combination of Ethan Strange and Jamal Fogarty with Sanders and Weekes providing handy back-up.

Savage has scored 24 tries in 47 NRL games since his debut in 2021.

Originally published as Ben Hunt’s blunt reality as St George Illawarra Dragons exit looms