The circus around Ben Hunt and St George Illawarra has been going on for what feels like an eternity, but the clown show will be far from finished if he leaves the club.
In another twist in the never-ending tale, reports surfaced on Wednesday that the 34-year-old had been told in no uncertain terms that he is free to leave the Dragons.
Wide World of Sports can reveal that Hunt hasn’t formally been granted permission to negotiate with rival clubs just yet, but that conversation is seemingly imminent once he finalises his commitments with the Kangaroos.
Hunt remains contracted for 2025, but will be available to sign with rival clubs for the following season as soon as the November 1 free agency date rolls around.
But in the fair dinkum department, the chances of Hunt even seeing out his current deal are diminishing by the hour and the latest developments might speed up the process.
The truth is this situation between the Saints and their skipper has been playing out in an extremely public fashion for way too long.
Less than two years ago, Hunt agreed to a contract extension after a strong individual campaign where the Red V finished in 10th spot on the ladder.
He almost won the Dally M Medal and was finally starting to become a consistent performer in the No.7 jumper after plenty of mixed seasons.
Mid-way through last year, Hunt agitated for a release after head coach and close friend Anthony Griffin was sacked by the club due to horrendous on-field results.
St George Illawarra ultimately denied the request, which came when Hunt was away on State of Origin duties, nestled away in the safety of Maroons camp.
After peace talks with new coach Shane Flanagan, the halfback decided to stay put and when things were looking rosy, there was even talk of Hunt re-signing for 2026.
But when his own form dipped and the Dragons bombed out of finals contention he was dealt some hard truths by Flanagan and company.
Should that information have been made public? Of course not, but Hunt’s efforts in the final rounds of the season left plenty to be desired – and that might be putting it lightly.
In the past week, Hunt again spoke out against the same club that has paid his very handsome wages for the past seven seasons with very little return on investment.
It’s a bad look and a clear sign that Hunt has grown tired of the Dragons and quite frankly, the club’s rusted-on fans have grown tired of Hunt too.
Where the joint-venture’s powerbrokers sit on the issue isn’t 100 per cent clear, but Flanagan’s scathing criticism after the season finished made his feelings clear.
If you were to read between the lines, the chances of Hunt wearing the red and white jersey again are slim, especially with a host of teams desperate for a quality playmaker.
But where will his likely exit leave the Dragons?
Their current playmaking stocks are headlined by Kyle Flanagan – the coach’s son, who has years of mediocrity in the top grade behind him and was barely sighted in plenty of games this season, potentially leading to Hunt’s growing frustrations.
In fact, Hunt floated the idea this week of Clint Gutherson playing five-eighth next year at the Dragons, which isn’t exactly a glowing endorsement of Flanagan’s abilities.
In his 20 appearances in his first year at the club, Flanagan produced four try assists compared to Hunt’s 30 and shows the heavy lifting the Queenslander was forced to do.
Aside from Flanagan, the only other genuine half in the Dragons squad is teenager Lykhan King-Togia, who has started in a grand total of one game in the NRL to date.
The 19-year-old is a highly-touted and exciting young star, but he can’t be tasked with leading a side that has failed to make the finals for six straight years.
On the open market, there is nothing available for next season and St George Illawarra would need to pay overs to land a player like Braydon Trindall for 2026 and beyond.
It paints a grim picture, not only in the short-term, but the long-term as well.
The coach and recruitment staff aren’t short of blame for the whole situation either.
Hunt’s form for throwing the toys out of the cot, as well as his age, should have made it clear that the Dragons needed a genuine transition plan that didn’t include the coach’s underperforming son in a key position.
Jayden Sullivan was allowed to walk out and joint the Wests Tigers, which came right before Junior Amone was deregistered by the NRL due to an assault conviction.
The latter is out of their control, but Sullivan was never given a chance to prove himself and instead spent a large portion of his tenure in NSW Cup or on the bench.
With all the doom and gloom surrounding the Hunt contract saga, there’s still plenty to be optimistic about when it comes to the Dragons and their roster.
Damien Cook and Valentine Holmes are astute signings, bringing speed and experience.
Jaydn Su’A and Luciano Leilua form a dangerous back-row pairing, while the likes of Francis Molo and Moses Suli bring size and aggression in the middle and out wide.
Even some of the club’s untested players, headlined by Jacob Halangahu and Loko Pasifiki Tonga Jr, will take the game by storm once they make the jump to first grade.
But without a quality halfback or five-eighth at Flanagan’s disposal, all of that might go to waste and it will be back to square one for the desperate Dragons
