Ben Hunt's admission about Dragons contract casts fresh doubt around veteran's NRL future

Ben Hunt admits his future at the Dragons is up in the air and that he intends to hit the open market on November 1 after revealing he's yet to speak with the club about extending his contract. The Dragons skipper is signed until the end of next season but will be free to speak with rival NRL clubs from next month about his playing future beyond 2025.

The veteran halfback endured a mixed season for the Dragons and there are reports his relationship with coach Shane Flanagan is at the point of no return after a brutal end-of-season review. Hunt came under fire for his side's late-season collapse that saw them drop out of the top eight and miss out on playing finals footy. And Hunt was reportedly told "his performances – including his defence, kicking game and leadership – were not befitting of his standing in the side" or his lucrative $1 million per season salary.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald's Danny Weidler, the Dragons captain was hurt and offended at being "salary shamed". The report goes on to say his relationship with Flanagan has become "unworkable" and there are suggestions he may have played his last game for the Red V. "The situation is unworkable and the best thing is for Hunt to walk away from the club," Weidler wrote. "It feels like the time is up on the relationship between player and club, and a fresh start for both is needed."

Hunt has made no secret of his desire to finish his career in Queensland and addressed his NRL future while speaking with reporters during Kangaroos camp for the Pacific Championships. The 34-year-old admits he was "disappointed" that details of his end-of-season review became public and expressed his frustrations about how his and the Dragons' season ended.

"I'm not too sure where it's come from. Obviously, someone said something somewhere because there is a fair bit of noise about it," Hunt told 9News about his end-of-season review. "It was a bit disappointing that information did get out of there, you know, it's your end-of-season review...

"But I was disappointed with how the season ended and probably most Dragons (players) were. I was pretty upset with a few things that happened and how we finished the season." Hunt added that he was keen to speak with the Dragons last season about extending his contract beyond 2025 but claims the club does not seem "overly keen" to keep him so he's resigned to hitting the open market.

Ben Hunt claims Dragons are not 'overly keen' to extend him

“We’ve had that discussion earlier in the year and it went away. They don’t want to offer me anything so I’ll go to November 1 and see what happens," he told The Daily Telegraph. “I haven’t shut the doors on anything. The Dragons said they were keen to extend me around April and then they said they’d wait until after Origin. Now they want to see how I’m playing next year. It’s all gone quiet and they don’t want to do anything. Doesn’t sound like they are overly keen to keep me."

The Maroons star says he definitely wants to play beyond next year and will no doubt be on the radar of Queensland-based clubs such as Gold Coast and the Dolphins after reaffirming his desire to move back north. "I've always said I'd be open to it if the opportunity arose," Hunt added. "Queensland is home. I've had a lot of great times up here [and have] a lot of family up here, so if the opportunity did come up then yeah, I'd never say no."

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One player who will be gutted if Hunt leaves is Dragons recruit Damien Cook, who says he can't wait to play with the veteran No.7 and scoffed at suggestions he could replace him as captain. "I don't think that's going to be the case at all (Hunt to step down as captain)," Cook told SEN on Friday during camp for the Australian Prime Minister's XIII side, who he's captaining against PNG in Port Moresby on Sunday.

"Benny Hunt is a big reason why I'm going down there, to have him as my halfback. He is a great leader and is a big reason as to why they have been so competitive and he steers those young boys around the park so well. He's a leader and I am looking forward to getting down there and playing under him."

with agencies