The St George Illawarra Dragons have indicated they will not be handing star halfback and Queensland Maroons representative Ben Hunt an early release.
Hunt sent a bombshell through the club on Saturday when reports surfaced that he had requested his future be at another club, even though he is currently in camp with his Queensland State of Origin teammates where preparations for Game 2 of the series in Brisbane on Wednesday are ongoing.
The decision from the halfback comes after months of turmoil at the club, which ultimately ended in Anthony Griffin being sacked as coach. Shane Flanagan was this week appointed.
Hunt seemed to endorse the move mid-week, but by the weekend, wanted out of the club following what has been an unsettled first half of the 2023 season for the halfback both on and off the field with a handful of shaky performances backed up by multiple comments around his future.
Shane Flanagan, through News Corp, has already indicated he won't entertain a release for Hunt, and it's a position backed up by the club in a statement released on Sunday afternoon, which confirms Hunt is contracted until the end of the 2025 season.
Hunt re-signed with the club on a two-year extension before a ball had been kicked this season.
"The Dragons can confirm that today the club received a request from the management of Ben Hunt for a release from his playing contract. This request has been denied," the statement read.
“Ben is contracted through to the end of the 2025 season and is a big part of the current and future plans of the Dragons as the club builds towards achieving sustained success in the coming years,” Dragons' CEO Ryan Webb said in the statement.
“We're committed to working with Ben to understand and address his concerns as we all have the same goal of building a strong and successful club."
Hunt is due back on the field for the Red V in Round 17 just 48 hours after Origin 2 against the New Zealand Warriors, although he may not back up.
STAND TALL BEN , YOU DESERVE 2B AT A BETTER CLUB, COME HOME TO QLD AND LOOK AFTER YOUR OWN BACKYARD MATE.
Queenslanders have a history of not honouring contracts with the club. Is it their primitive nature or just a poor upbringing?
“We’re committed to working with Ben to understand and address his concerns as we all have the same goal of building a strong and successful club.”
Such a mealy-mouthed statement!
I wonder what he will do if Ben says something like” “My concerns are that the CEO and the board are a bunch of incompetents – as shown by their widely reported behaviour over the last six months. ” How will Ryan “address those concerns” ?