Ben Hunt all but rules out Titans move, speaks out on NRL Integrity Unit inquiry into Broncos

Reluctant Dragon Ben Hunt has spoken out on his future, revealing why he is now unlikely to join highly-touted front-runner the Gold Coast.

Ben Hunt said he never had contact with Brisbane. Picture: Dave Rowland/Getty

Queensland Origin star Ben Hunt has all-but ruled out a career swansong at the Titans and believes the Broncos have no case to answer over an NRL probe into Brisbane’s pursuit of the Dragons skipper.

Hunt revealed he briefly considered NRL retirement as the Dragons’ $6 million man prepares to leave Australia for the Prime Minister XIII’s clash with Papua New Guinea in Port Moresby on Saturday.

Hunt was part of the PM’s XIII squad which trained at North Ipswich Reserve on Tuesday as the green-and-gold outfit plots another PNG drubbing after last year’s 64-14 caning of the Kumuls at Suncorp Stadium.

This masthead revealed last week that the NRL integrity unit had launched a preliminary inquiry into Brisbane’s dealings with Hunt after League Central fielded a formal complaint from an unidentified third party.

The Broncos were keen on Hunt and hopeful of brokering a mid-season transfer in June after the St George Illawarra captain requested an immediate release from the Red V for family reasons.

Ben Hunt said he never had contact with Brisbane. Picture: Dave Rowland/Getty

Incoming Dragons coach Shane Flanagan rejected Hunt’s request, prompting his planned move to Brisbane to collapse, and the Maroons utility is confident the Broncos will be cleared of any wrongdoing.

Asked if he expected Brisbane to come under scrutiny, Hunt told Triple’s M Ben Dobbin Rush Hour Show: “Not at all. Not that I know of.

“They (the Broncos) never contacted me and as far as I know they never contacted my management company.

“I don’t think they have anything to worry about.”

Hunt’s preference is to return to Queensland immediately, but accepts he is contracted to the Dragons for next season and Flanagan is playing hardball with the 33-year-old.

The former Broncos halfback says he is open to joining any Queensland club in 2025, but the widely-touted front-runner, the Titans, are running out of salary-cap space after their monster upgrades for Tino Fa’asuamaleaui and David Fifita.

“I’ve kind of not thought about it, but any team up here is definitely an option,” Hunt said.

“Whether they (the Titans) can fit you in is another thing.

“The Titans have thrown a bit of money around lately, so I don’t know whether that can even happen.”

In his darkest moments at the Dragons this season, Hunt says retirement flashed through his mind, but he is determined not to walk away just yet.

“It (retirement) definitely pops into your head,” Hunt said.

“It’s an option considering I’m at the back end of my career, it’s not far away, but once you retire you are done and I’m not ready to retire yet.

“I have some good footy left in me, so that’s not an option.”

Hunt says he is willing to do the right thing and buy into Flanagan’s vision for a Red V resurrection, but fears the road ahead will continue to be turbulent.

“I definitely think he will change a lot of things for sure,” the PM’s XIII representative said.

“I hope there is some success, there has to be a lot of change before there is.

“There’s definitely going to be some pain for sure, there’ll be some hard lessons and ‘Flanno’ is ready to dish out some hard lessons to the guys.

“I’m hopeful there are some good times to come.

“I will be a Dragon in 2024. Honestly, it’s not my first choice, I would prefer to come back home but that’s where we are at.

“I’ve had some good honest conversations with Flanno. His stance was that he isn’t coming in as a coach just to win games, he said I want you here, you are the captain and I want you to lead it and I don’t want to let you go.

“So as a coach, I totally understand that, why would you want to let players go who you think can help your side?

“I have a good relationship with Flanno, I get it, that’s the way it is.

“At this stage, I’m a Dragon and going into pre-season that’s all I will think about.”

Originally published as Ben Hunt all but rules out Titans move, speaks out on NRL Integrity Unit inquiry into Broncos