Ben Hunt's unique NRL journey has taken another twist with St George Illawarra announcing it was terminating his contract effective immediately.
Hunt was contracted for the 2025 season, but the Dragons said they "reached an agreement" to allow their captain and halfback to look elsewhere.
It has been a long time coming.
Hunt has publicly wanted out of the Dragons for more than 12 months, but the situation became untenable this year.
So, how did we get here and where will the Dragons and Hunt go now that the inevitable has finally happened?
Hunt's 2024 season was a mixed bag.
Hunt arrived at the Dragons in 2018 after his time at the Brisbane Broncos petered out in the aftermath of their brutal loss in the 2015 grand final.
Shortly before the start of his first season in Wollongong, Hunt's wife Bridget had a miscarriage at 12 weeks, with the pair privately struggling and admitting to feeling isolated after having just moved away from their support network in Queensland.
On the field, Hunt struggled to live up to the pressure and scrutiny of his five-year deal, believed to be around $1 million a season, despite being a regular for the Kangaroos and Maroons in that period, albeit largely as a bench utility.
In 2020, Hunt started the season as co-captain, but by round four was shuffled from his preferred halfback position, playing five-eighth, hooker and coming off the bench for most of the year as coach Paul McGregor desperately tried to spark his team and save his job.
The Dragons limped to 12th and McGregor was let go midway through the season, replaced by Hunt's former Under-20s and NRL coach in Brisbane, Anthony Griffin.
Griffin reinstated Hunt as his full-time number seven and named him captain. After finishing 10th in 2022 — a fourth straight year missing the finals — Hunt re-signed through 2025.
"It's a pleasing day for my family and I. I am very happy we were able to come to an agreement as I always wanted to stay with the Dragons," he said.
"I am excited by the direction the club is headed and I'm very much looking forward to playing my part in the Dragons' journey in the coming years."
The Hunt-Dragons Relationship Sours
A few months later, the story was very different. Griffin was axed in May after a 2-8 start to the season, and the next month the club confirmed Hunt had asked for a release but was denied.
To Hunt's credit, he knuckled down and always appeared to be giving his all for the team, but a second-last finish was another painful end to his sixth year with the club.
The relationship between Ben Hunt and coach Shane Flanagan appeared to sour.
Shane Flanagan arrived this season and breathed new life into the club but there was drama early when winger Zac Lomax was allowed out of the last two years of his contract.
Queensland coach Billy Slater, among others, accused the club of having "double standards" for not being as accommodating with Hunt.
Once again, the Dragons finished just one game out of the finals in 2024 while Hunt led the league in try assists, kicks and kicking metres, earning State of Origin and international caps along the way.
There were hopes through the season that Hunt and the Dragons could agree to an extension, or at least have him see out his current contract, but things devolved.
After the State of Origin period, extension talks for 2026 were put on the backburner.
On Wednesday night we saw Ben Hunt's rugby league story get rewritten.
"We said we'd kick it down the road a little bit and see how the season finishes," Flanagan told the Sydney Morning Herald last week.
"He's 35 years old so you want to see how the season starts."
In that same interview, Flanagan said he felt he had "a decent relationship with Ben" although he did admit to being "frustrated" by some of Hunt's recent comments.
There were reports from late in the season that Parramatta captain Clint Gutherson could make the switch to St George Illawarra, and Hunt said he could be a good fit in the halves for the Dragons.
That could only really be taken one of two ways, and neither would put a smile on the coach's face.
Either Hunt was saying once again that he didn't want to be there, or he was suggesting he'd rather play alongside Gutherson than pair with current five-eighth Kyle Flanagan, who happens to be the coach's son.
"I'm not quite sure which way he was going with that one. I'll talk to Ben about that," Shane Flanagan told the SMH.
"It was a strange one and a little bit frustrating, to be honest."
Five days after that interview went live, Hunt has his wish, with Flanagan saying he is "an exceptional player" whose "skill set will not be easily replaced".
Where Does Hunt Go Now?
Dolphins
The youngest club in the league seems the most logical spot for a 34-year-old halfback.
Late in the season and in Tonga's Pacific Championships opener, we got a reminder that Isaiya Katoa is very much still only 20 years old.
Young halves benefit from guidance from a more experienced and taking some of the pressure off Katoa would be a boon for the Dolphins.
Pairing Hunt with young Katoa could help both the club and the young playmaker take the next step with a well-balanced spine of Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow, Katoa, Hunt and Jeremy Marshall-King.
Kodi Nikorima, Jake Averillo and Sean O'Sullivan all played in the halves this year and remain on the books for 2025, but Nikorima is an able utility, Averillo can slot into centre, and O'Sullivan is perfect as a depth signing.
Cowboys
Hunt (right) and Tom Dearden (left) have spent time together in State of Origin.
The Cowboys have just lost a similarly experienced, rock-solid half in Chad Townsend and Hunt could slot into that role neatly.
He could take some pressure off 23-year-old Tom Dearden, who carries a massive load on both sides of the ball and off the field as a young captain.
A year or two of Hunt could be just the ticket for North Queensland as they manage the development of 19-year-old Jaxon Purdue.
The mark against the Cowboys is distance. Townsville is just as far away from south-east Queensland as Wollongong. If Hunt wants to return home to his support network, North Queensland may not be quite what he's after.
Titans
The Titans have enough problems juggling the players they currently have without adding another.
Fellow 34-year-old half Kieran Foran has re-signed for another season, and Des Hasler is still figuring out how best to juggle fullbacks AJ Brimson, Jayden Campbell and 20-year-old sensation Keano Kini.
Kini is getting closer and closer to locking up the number one full-time, and Campbell made a promising move into the halves late in the season. meanwhile, the injury-prone Brimson started 2024 at centre and was shuffled around the spine.
There are question marks over the dummy-half role — Chris Randall, Sam Verrills and Erin Clark all had turns there — and Hunt has proven his ability in number nine on the biggest stage, but does he really want to make the switch to doing the grunt work in the middle in season number 16?
Broncos
Ben Hunt left the Broncos in 2017.
This one makes no sense, no matter how romantic it may seem.
Like the Titans, Brisbane already has a 34-year-old halfback set to go around for one more year. Their salary cap is also stretched incredibly thin with Reece Walsh yet to sign on and questions over their ability to retain the likes of representative outside backs Selwyn Cobbo and Kotoni Staggs.
If five-eighth Ezra Mam was to miss all or most of next season, Hunt could come in handy, but may still be a bit too similar to Adam Reynolds to really work alongside him.
Hunt would be a luxury behind Reynolds, who has struggled with injuries, and an over-qualified bench utility, but does he want to be a depth signing at his age?
Like the Titans, there's something of a gap at hooker, with no current star between Billy Walters, Cory Paix and Blake Mozer. Hunt could buy them time until 20-year-old Mozer comes of age, but the math ain't mathin' as far as a return to maroon and gold.
The Dragons Look to the Future
The Dragons didn't waste any time moving to secure their future, meeting with Eels captain Gutherson some six hours after announcing the immediate termination of their own contract.
The Eels have given him permission to test the market for 2026.
"Well, I'm looking at it immediately," Flanagan said on Friday – surprising very few with his abrupt response despite not officially having permission to do so (even though the Eels are more than happy for him to do so).
The Dragons haven't been shy in asking questions. They're keen on exploring the possibility of luring Cronulla playmaker Daniel Atkinson to the club.
They have explored the potential of Super League Man of Steel Bevan French returning home and learnt that is nearly impossible given his price tag and happiness with the English champions.
Tyran Wishart is a target, but the Melbourne Storm have just taken up a club option for him to remain at the club in 2026, denting the Dragons' hopes of bringing one of their own back to the south coast.
Wests Tigers utility Adam Doueihi is on the radar and the phones have rung hot since the announcement of Hunt's termination with agents pitching up their clients.
There'll be many names thrown up between now and round one, but for now the Dragons are just happy they've heard the last of Ben Hunt.
