Broncos set to snare wantaway Ben Hunt from Dragons in astute signing for remainder of 2023 NRL season
- Broncos poised to sign Dragons star Ben Hunt
- Halfback, 33, wants out of struggling Red V
- Would significantly bolster Brisbane’s spine
The Brisbane Broncos are set to sign wantaway Dragons skipper Ben Hunt for the remainder of the 2023 season.
News Corp has reported Hunt, 33, could be granted a release from the struggling Red V as early as Monday.
Hunt is then tipped to to finish his NRL career at the Gold Coast Titans from 2024 under new coach Des Hasler.
The halfback, who has agitated for a release, will meet incoming coach Shane Flanagan – but it appears he has played his final game for the joint venture club, a 48-18 defeat on Friday night against the Warriors in Wollongong.
If Hunt does put pen to paper at Red Hill, he is tipped to play either hooker or five-eighth.
He will complete a formidable spine, with young gun fullback Reece Walsh and veteran halfback Adam Reynolds two of many reasons why Brisbane fans believe they can win their first NRL title since 2006.
It would also be Hunt’s second stint with the Broncos, after making his NRL debut in 2009.
He infamously knocked-on during golden point in the 2015 Grand Final, with Johnathan Thurston kicking a field goal moments later to land the Cowboys a maiden premiership.
Broncos coach Kevin Walters admitted they would be interested if Hunt was released by the Dragons, where he commands a salary of over $1million per season.
‘I won’t make any comment on Ben, I will let the NRL sort that out and we’ll just wait and see what happens,’ Walters said.
‘To be fair, I think most clubs could do with Ben Hunt in their squad. ‘Not too many clubs would say no to him.’
Hunt recently stated he wants out of the Dragons to relocate his young family to Queensland.
‘That’s where we want to be,’ he said. ‘We are just ready to get out and come home.’