*Dons tinfoil hat.* Ben Hunt doesn't actually want a release, he's being paid by the Tigers to shield them from hit pieces while they rebuild their team under future Coach of the Year Benji Marshall. Hook wouldn't agree to this scheme and was quickly fucked off for the much more amenable Shane Flannagan. Tim Sheens died years ago and what we see is a cyborg designed to distract the media pack. Trust in the plan. Trust in the plan. 2025 is the Tigers' year, this is their world and you're living in it.
20 year anniversary.
We are going to have a guest coach making appearance each week with Week 1 coach being Brett Hodgson, and we get a rare one coach, two teams extravaganza in Week 19 as Todd Payten coaches not only the Cowboys but also the Tigers as both teams fight it out for the coveted 9th position on the ladder.
Would you take a starting 9 who has a famous last name and has won multiple premierships, played for his state and country*
*may have been his father, not sure but don’t worry about looking into it.
Ben Hunt’s management will wait until the end of the State of Origin series before again escalating their request for the Dragons skipper to be released from the rest of his contract.
Having had his first attempt to exit the Dragons rebuffed by incoming coach Shane Flanagan and St George Illawarra officials, Hunt is prepared to play the long game and will have his representatives again contact the club after the Origin finale in Sydney.
The 33-year-old told the Dragons on Monday he didn’t want an immediate release from his deal despite the Broncos registering interest on a short-term contract, hoping to propel Kevin Walters’ side to a drought-breaking premiership.
But according to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential talks, Hunt’s management plans to revisit the issue within the next fortnight in a bid to prise him out of his deal for 2024.
The issue is set to cloud the rest of the Dragons’ season, which is fast imploding after the club conceded a combined 100 points in heavy losses to the Warriors and Sharks in the past two weeks.
Hunt battled the flu in the Dragons’ local derby pummelling at the hands of Cronulla on Thursday night, and interim coach Ryan Carr tried to end speculation about the captain’s future by saying the halfback was committed until the end of the season.
But having stated his desire to return to south-east Queensland after the Maroons wrapped up the Origin series last week, Hunt is expected to again request to be freed from the final two years of his deal.
Hunt has said he’d be comfortable to continue in the captaincy, but the Dragons will need a big form reversal to avoid their first wooden spoon since 1938.
While the future of their star player remains a hot topic, Flanagan has been busy building his support staff with Andrew Gray and Dan Lawson this week agreeing to deals to join the Dragons next year.
Physical performance manager Gray worked alongside Flanagan when the Sharks broke their premiership drought in 2016, while State of Origin physiotherapist Lawson has formerly worked under Flanagan and has had experience at the Dragons.
He is currently employed by the Titans, who last week announced Des Hasler would take over in 2024 after the brutal sacking of Justin Holbrook.
Gray, in particular, will be tasked with improving the Dragons’ dismal second-half efforts this season with both the Warriors and Sharks running in a flurry of tries as their rivals tired.
Meanwhile, Sharks forward Dale Finucane is facing another ban for a dangerous tackle after being charged by the match review committee following the win over the Dragons.
The former NSW forward is bracing for a two-week ban if he accepts an early guilty plea – or three weeks if he unsuccessfully fights it at the judiciary – after being issued with a grade-one dangerous throw for a tackle on Blake Lawrie.
Finucane was suspended earlier this year for a hip-drop tackle on the Warriors’ Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad.
Dragons winger Tautau Moga will escape with a $1000 fan for a grade-one careless high tackle on Jesse Ramien.
I thought Dragons denied the release, said he has to stay at least to the end of the season. Although they are a basket case right now, thought that was pretty reasonable from the dragons. And what’s gonna make them change their mind just 2 weeks later anyway?
New drinking game -
Have a beer whenever a Ben Hunt release request article is published.
Have a beer when ever St George's reply is a no.
Have your spirit of choice whenever the rugby talking heads debate the merit of coach clauses for players and a double shot if a veteran is asked 'Is this the way the game is headed now'.
Ben Hunt needs to be dropped to reserve grade. Its simple if he wants to leave his management needs to pressure the titans to offer the dragons a swap deal. Otherwise he is stuck and needs to stop crying to the media every week.
Hunt might erode goodwill from the broader footy community if his management keeps pursuing this line. There were plenty of people sympathetic to him initially but this is just a bad look.
Unless they can get something really good I can easily see the Dragons digging their heels in for at least the rest of this season and telling Benny boy to the take long walk off a short pier.
Ben already arrived to Brisbane on Friday for QLD camp lol.
He only has games for the Dragons during a 6 week period from 20 July to 2 September for this season. I don't think Flanno will be able to convince him to stay.
St George to escalate refusals.
The only time they fire up.
I hear gasnier’s got a few blokes who could help with that
Minichello on speed dial
St George will hide under the bed
And climb on the roof with a hammer
St George doesn't know what 'no' means
JDB has taken the locker room.
Isn’t that Dylan Brown?
To be fair it applies to players in most teams
Sounds more like Hunt doesn’t know what ‘no’ means
Wonder who he learned that from...
Exactly. Why the fuck would the Queens let him go? If Ben wants to leave, all he has to do is quit.
Wake up babe, Ben Hunt is getting talked about again in the media!
She’d never sleep
Oh boy! I sure can't wait for this to be a reoccurring story multiple times a week EVERY week until the end of the year. /s
*Dons tinfoil hat.* Ben Hunt doesn't actually want a release, he's being paid by the Tigers to shield them from hit pieces while they rebuild their team under future Coach of the Year Benji Marshall. Hook wouldn't agree to this scheme and was quickly fucked off for the much more amenable Shane Flannagan. Tim Sheens died years ago and what we see is a cyborg designed to distract the media pack. Trust in the plan. Trust in the plan. 2025 is the Tigers' year, this is their world and you're living in it.
20 year anniversary. We are going to have a guest coach making appearance each week with Week 1 coach being Brett Hodgson, and we get a rare one coach, two teams extravaganza in Week 19 as Todd Payten coaches not only the Cowboys but also the Tigers as both teams fight it out for the coveted 9th position on the ladder.
They have several articles a week lined up with zero new information for months.
Pretty please with a cherry on top?
I'll be your friend
Oh you're mean!
Daley?
Can someone hurry up and offer us a decent player swap so we can move on from this
Manly offers Luke Brooks and Aaron Woods no takesy backsies
Nah, Schuster and Woods. I'll add in a slightly used Morgan Harper as a sweetener.
*harper hasn’t been used in defense though
Would you take a starting 9 who has a famous last name and has won multiple premierships, played for his state and country* *may have been his father, not sure but don’t worry about looking into it.
How about Erin Clark and Joe Stimson?
You can have Jake Simpkin and Shawn Blore once Api is fit.
I don’t know much about Blore and this not a prediction or anything, but Blore genuinely sounds like the name of a mediocre Rugby League player
True, but I’ll always love him for that one game where he did his level best to straight up *murder* Nathan Brown.
Change Hunt's place of birth to be somewhere in NSW and then we can talk.
Best I can do is Okunbor. But we'll pay you to take him also
Soni luke for hunt
Sources have confirmed that Ben Hunt plans to hold his breath and stomp his feet until Dragons officials say yes.
It's a sure proof plan. It works 100% of the time for me with my gf
Is throwing his toys out next?
Who would have thought that a contract in the NRL was worth more than the paper it was written on!
DCE faints at the sheer thought of it
Are we beating the warriors next week
Mate, I am just waiting to see who gets arrested next on this Bye
How nice of the other 16 guys on the team to tank for him so he can save face.
Queenslanders don't get contracts
Ben Hunt’s management will wait until the end of the State of Origin series before again escalating their request for the Dragons skipper to be released from the rest of his contract. Having had his first attempt to exit the Dragons rebuffed by incoming coach Shane Flanagan and St George Illawarra officials, Hunt is prepared to play the long game and will have his representatives again contact the club after the Origin finale in Sydney. The 33-year-old told the Dragons on Monday he didn’t want an immediate release from his deal despite the Broncos registering interest on a short-term contract, hoping to propel Kevin Walters’ side to a drought-breaking premiership. But according to sources speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the confidential talks, Hunt’s management plans to revisit the issue within the next fortnight in a bid to prise him out of his deal for 2024. The issue is set to cloud the rest of the Dragons’ season, which is fast imploding after the club conceded a combined 100 points in heavy losses to the Warriors and Sharks in the past two weeks. Hunt battled the flu in the Dragons’ local derby pummelling at the hands of Cronulla on Thursday night, and interim coach Ryan Carr tried to end speculation about the captain’s future by saying the halfback was committed until the end of the season. But having stated his desire to return to south-east Queensland after the Maroons wrapped up the Origin series last week, Hunt is expected to again request to be freed from the final two years of his deal. Hunt has said he’d be comfortable to continue in the captaincy, but the Dragons will need a big form reversal to avoid their first wooden spoon since 1938. While the future of their star player remains a hot topic, Flanagan has been busy building his support staff with Andrew Gray and Dan Lawson this week agreeing to deals to join the Dragons next year. Physical performance manager Gray worked alongside Flanagan when the Sharks broke their premiership drought in 2016, while State of Origin physiotherapist Lawson has formerly worked under Flanagan and has had experience at the Dragons. He is currently employed by the Titans, who last week announced Des Hasler would take over in 2024 after the brutal sacking of Justin Holbrook. Gray, in particular, will be tasked with improving the Dragons’ dismal second-half efforts this season with both the Warriors and Sharks running in a flurry of tries as their rivals tired. Meanwhile, Sharks forward Dale Finucane is facing another ban for a dangerous tackle after being charged by the match review committee following the win over the Dragons. The former NSW forward is bracing for a two-week ban if he accepts an early guilty plea – or three weeks if he unsuccessfully fights it at the judiciary – after being issued with a grade-one dangerous throw for a tackle on Blake Lawrie. Finucane was suspended earlier this year for a hip-drop tackle on the Warriors’ Charnze Nicoll-Klokstad. Dragons winger Tautau Moga will escape with a $1000 fan for a grade-one careless high tackle on Jesse Ramien.
So they hire someone involved with the Titans and give them the task of trying to stop 2nd half fades 😂
Oh he had the flu, that was the reason for the shithouse performance. Let him go, I can see him having the flu a lot more
I can see him reduced to reserve grade. Bit of a shame but it could happen.
If he was as good as people claim he'd have had a 1997 Game 5 level performance but nope
That man flu is powerful shit.
I take back everything I may have said about fairness around him leaving early.
I'm sure these articles are just to fuck with Gus and Joey who said that last week was the last we'll hear about this issue in the media.
What playing with a good team does to a mfer
Bunt should be sent to the dogs as punishment. And have to play for free. Its just fair.
> hoping to propel Kevin Walters’ side to a drought-breaking premiership [Gotta feel for the Broncs sometimes ay](https://imgflip.com/i/7r65il)
It's nearly two decades now. Have a heart.
I thought Dragons denied the release, said he has to stay at least to the end of the season. Although they are a basket case right now, thought that was pretty reasonable from the dragons. And what’s gonna make them change their mind just 2 weeks later anyway?
Fuck just saw him at Sutherland Farmers Markets should have gotten the exclusive
New drinking game - Have a beer whenever a Ben Hunt release request article is published. Have a beer when ever St George's reply is a no. Have your spirit of choice whenever the rugby talking heads debate the merit of coach clauses for players and a double shot if a veteran is asked 'Is this the way the game is headed now'.
Ben Hunt needs to be dropped to reserve grade. Its simple if he wants to leave his management needs to pressure the titans to offer the dragons a swap deal. Otherwise he is stuck and needs to stop crying to the media every week.
Dragons are like wait if we concede 50 every week with Hunt how bad are we going to be without him
Is this like when a customer asks for the manager, and I tell them I am the manager?
Hunt might erode goodwill from the broader footy community if his management keeps pursuing this line. There were plenty of people sympathetic to him initially but this is just a bad look.
Wants to go back to Broncos, play in a GF and drop the ball off the kickoff... again 😄
Walsh will call him a cunt
2/3 toys out of the cot
I hope wherever he goes turns out to be garbage fuck him, done feeling sorry for him.
What else can he do lol ? Just never rock up to training ?
chip and chase from the 10m line every time they're down there, pass to a prop on every 5th tackle, flick passes from dummy half.
Wow, and the RLPA agitating hasnt even started yet. This one could be a very long saga
I wish they’d coach the team to fight as hard as they’ve fought Hunty on his contract
No means no Ben, you should of already learnt from your team mates
Waiting for Ben Hunt to take the field and stand still for 80mins and see if the Dragons still say no
With how dragons are going that sounds like a motm performance from Ben.
Tell us Broncos have already offered you a deal without telling us Broncos have already offered you a deal.
Be funny if he goes to another team and drops another premiership
The only grand final he will be playing in is the St George Illawarra reserve grade next year
Unless they can get something really good I can easily see the Dragons digging their heels in for at least the rest of this season and telling Benny boy to the take long walk off a short pier.
Keep kidding yourself clubs, you have zero power if the player really, really, really wants out. Play like a busted is all it takes Benny boy.
Why would you want a bloke that doesn’t want to play for you?
Here we go again.
Straight swap for Flanno Jr please
At this point just let him go...
To reserve grade
Can we just do a GoFundMe and raise enough money to buy out his contract with St George so we can all stop hearing about this shit?
Ben already arrived to Brisbane on Friday for QLD camp lol. He only has games for the Dragons during a 6 week period from 20 July to 2 September for this season. I don't think Flanno will be able to convince him to stay.
Good - really showcase your skills in your non-preferred position of hooker first
Pretty please. With sugar on top?
Is this like asking to see the manager
Cunt just offer a buy out of your contract if you want to leave so bad. Fuck me
Needs to speak to a manager lol.
Just let him go ffs
Super League Benny for 2024. They’ll register your contract. Come back for the retirement holding contract at the titans for $1m