Ben Hunt has left the door open to return to his native Queensland and be part of the Gold Coast Titans ought to he fail to agree a brand new take care of the Dragons.
This time final 12 months, Hunt – whereas at Origin camp – requested a launch from the final two years of his take care of St George Illawarra amid considerations over the membership’s route.
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He was strongly linked to the Titans and subsequently to a late-season swap to the Broncos, however the Dragons steadfastly refused to permit him to depart, and new coach Shane Flanagan appeared to fix the connection between the membership and the Maroons rake.
Hunt yesterday revealed that mooted talks over a contract extension for 2026 had been ‘on the backburner’ as he hyperlinks up with the Maroons – however isn’t closing the door on a transfer to the Titans.
“Mate, I’m not closing the door on something in any respect,” Hunt stated, per Information Corp.
“In the intervening time, I’m comfortable on the Dragons and we’ll work via it. There’s no talks in the mean time. I’m attempting to deal with a number of different issues on the Dragons and get our group getting in the appropriate route.
“We’re within the Origin interval now in order that (Dragons contract talks) is perhaps on the backburner, there’s no rush for something down there. We’ll type it out.”
Hunt presently can’t negotiate with rival golf equipment till November 1, however the 34-year-old solely seems to be getting higher with age – and his playmaking potential can be a large boon for a group just like the Titans.
Requested how lengthy Hunt believes he can play on, the Dragons captain replied: “I actually don’t know.
“I’m nonetheless feeling good in my physique.
“Contact wooden, I’ve been very fortunate with accidents. Typically it’s more durable to drag up after video games with a sore physique and stuff, however in the mean time I’m nonetheless feeling OK so we are going to see how we go.”
The Dragons captain sparked a firestorm when he formally requested the membership for a launch after former coach Anthony Griffin was fired final Could.
Whereas former premiership profitable coach Shane Flanagan was named the membership’s new mentor for 2024, it wasn’t sufficient to appease Hunt, who started angling for a launch forward of the second State of Origin conflict.
However the Dragons stood agency, refusing to permit their marquee participant to depart regardless of his clear and publicly vocal displeasure on the membership.
Hunt had signed an extension solely eight months earlier than the contract saga started.
Hunt declared on the time that he wished to return to Queensland.
Nevertheless, within the low season, Hunt admitted he had a number of regrets over his actions.
“I most likely made it identified fairly loud final 12 months that it was getting fairly irritating,” Hunt informed 9 Information.
“There’s regrets about elements of it. In a method, I’m comfortable that some issues got here to a head but it surely positively may have been dealt with higher, that’s for certain. It’s been a protracted couple of years and it kind of compounded into a number of little issues that kind of ticked it off on the finish.
“If I may take the time again, I might do it otherwise.”
Initially printed as Ben Hunt ‘not closing the door’ on Titans transfer as Dragons talks ‘on the backburner’
