St George Illawarra Dragons captain and halfback Ben Hunt is reportedly considering offering a financial incentive to exit the Dragons immediately.

The halfback, who is currently in Queensland State of Origin camp ahead of Game 2 on Wednesday evening, requested a release from the struggling club who are currently anchored to the bottom of the NRL table over the weekend.

Hunt was one of Anthony Griffin's biggest supporters at the club and has suggested a coaching switch could impact his future for much of the season.

The Dragons' board, who were seen to have hung onto Griffin for too long as it was, were forced to sack the coach after a run of six-straight losses earlier this season.

Shane Flanagan was announced as the Dragons' next head coach last week, and while Hunt gave an immediate endorsement from the Queensland Origin camp, he admitted on record yet again that he wasn't sure about his future.

That has now snowballed into a release request which the club confirmed had been denied on Sunday afternoon.

Despite that, News Corp's Phil Rothfield told Sky Sports Radio's Big Sports Breakfast that Hunt wanted out, and he wanted out now with a potential financial settlement to allow him to break contract from the struggling joint venture.

โ€œI'm told that Ben Hunt is so desperate to get out of St George Illawarra that they might even offer a financial settlement to make it more attractive for the Dragons,โ€ Phil Rothfield said on Big Sports Breakfast Radio.

โ€œSo they not only get rid of his million-dollar-a-year contract, but they might throw in some cash, something like $150,000 to get an immediate release.

โ€œThat's the shock of this story, that he wants out straight away and it's not the end of the year.

โ€œClubs are obviously monitoring it very closely and it's not secret Phil Gould and Cameron Ciraldo have been banging on his door and feel he is the final piece to their puzzle to build a premiership-winning side at Belmore.โ€

The Bulldogs are just one option for Hunt, with the Gold Coast Titans and Dolphins also rumoured to be interested in setting up a potential homecoming for the halfback, who admitted last week that he was open to the idea of returning to Queensland.

The Wests Tigers could also make a play for Hunt, with the club desperate for a new option in the halves after Luke Brooks turned his back on the idea of extending his 11-year stay at Concord.

The Dragons, who have only played finals twice since Wayne Bennett headed for the exit at the end of 2011, have employed Hunt as their key man since 2018 when he left the Brisbane Broncos on a long-term, million-dollar deal.

While Hunt has been a consistent force at both Origin and international levels since then, he has failed to take the Dragons to any great heights.

That said, the Dragons are keen to talk through the issues at hand with Hunt, with the club confirming the request for a release had been denied on Sunday, before CEO Ryan Webb said meetings will be held once Hunt is back at the club following Game 2 of the Origin series on Wednesday in Brisbane.

โ€œBen 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,โ€ Dragons' CEO Ryan Webb said in the statement.

โ€œWe'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."

2 COMMENTS

  1. $150K is an insult. Needs to be more like $500K. I’ll be booing Hunt at the Warriors game that’s for sure. Disgraceful attitude by him and his manager.

    Didn’t see the Trobojevic boys whining like babies over all the far worse dramas at Manly over the last decade. Didn’t hear them asking for a release. You’re a coward Hunt.

  2. The only clubs that would be interested in taking him mid-way through the season are the ones who:
    a) are still capable of making the eight (why else would a club bother to get him right now, rather than waiting until the end of the season?)
    b) have got a lot of money remaining under the cap (to pay Hunt’s wages and to pay the “transfer fee”).

    That pretty well rules out every club except the Dolphins, I suspect.

    If the Dragons have accepted that they are going to lose him, they would be best advised to try and maximise the transfer fee by spreading it over the rest of this season and the next two seasons – the seasons for Hunt is contracted.

    Something like $150K or $200K a season, for the rest of this year and for next two seasons.

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